Congressional Democrats apparently are about to propose a new energy bill. I haven’t seen the legislation; in fact the congressional Republicans haven’t seen it either. However, House Minority Leader John Boehner understands that the legislation, while purporting to open up a large portion of the outer continental shelf to exploration, will not give states any of the revenue for the oil and gas off their coasts. If so, this would mean that states are denied the incentive to opt-into any exploration program. Here is Boehner’s entire statement:
Tonight, rumors are circulating about a new ‘no energy’ bill being put forward by the Democratic Leadership. While we have not seen the language of the bill, it seems that Speaker Pelosi and her colleagues are attempting their biggest hoax yet: in an attempt to provide themselves political cover, Democrats are going to pretend to ‘open up’ a large portion of the outer continental shelf for energy exploration – but without giving states any of the revenue for the oil and gas off their coasts. With no financial incentive, no state will choose to ‘opt-in,’ and this bill will result in little or no new American energy production. Worse, this legislation will permanently place vast American energy supplies under lock-and-key, including energy-rich locations close to existing oil and gas infrastructure where new American energy could be produced quickly to lower fuel costs. The fact that Speaker Pelosi and her colleagues took six weeks to cobble together this sham is an insult to the American people.
House Democratic leaders are trying to con the American people, plain and simple. The American people want an “all of the above” energy plan, not a “some of the above” hoax. This latest scheme seems designed to block any new American energy from coming online anytime soon, and it leaves American families, seniors, and small businesses to continue fending for themselves amid today’s high gas prices. For months, House Republicans have been asking for a real debate, and a real vote on our “all of the above†reforms to lower gas prices, the American Energy Act. The American people support our plan, and they deserve a vote.
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