10 Ways the Pelosi "No Energy" Bill Fails American Families, Seniors, and Small Businesses
House Democrats' Latest Scheme Ignores "All of the Above" Strategy to Bring Down Gas Prices, Does Almost "None of the Above"
Washington,
Sep 10 -
After taking a five-week break before unveiling their latest “no energy” bill, House Democrats yesterday delayed its introduction by at least another day thanks to some intra-party squabbling. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and her colleagues in the Democratic leadership promised that today will be the day when the bill will be unveiled. And the bill promises to be more of the same…one intended to run out the clock until the next election and block America’s path toward clean, alternative energy by keeping most American energy sources under lock and key, preventing hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue from being generated that would be invested in development of renewable fuels under the comprehensive plan introduced by House Republicans. Roll Call has the story on the House Democrats’ latest “false start”:
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“Still unable to produce an energy package, House Democratic leaders emerged from a Caucus meeting Tuesday with plans for more meetings.”
“Democrats arrived 45 minutes late to a news conference because of disagreements over policy approaches. The news conference was called to discuss progress on the long-awaited package; Democratic leaders instead rehashed previous statements about the likely contents of the bill.”
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In reality, today’s formal introduction of the Democrats’ “no energy” bill matters very little. What will be most striking about the Majority’s bill is not what it includes, but what it doesn’t include. While the House GOP’s American Energy Act (H.R. 6566) is an “all of the above” plan to lower gas prices by increasing production of American energy, using new drilling revenues to fund an innovative renewable energy trust fund, encouraging more efficiency and conservation, and promoting the use of more alternative fuels, the House Democrats’ scheme only offers “a little bit of the above.” That’s hardly what American families, seniors, and small businesses expect during these times of high fuel costs and a sluggish economy.
Here are 10 ways that the Democrats’ “no energy” bill fails the American people at a time when real leadership on this issue is needed most:
1. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill permanently locks up 80 percent of American energy on the Outer Continental Shelf.
2. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill permanently locks up more than 1 trillion barrels of oil from oil shale in the Inter-Mountain West.
3. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill permanently locks up more than 10 billion barrels of oil on Alaska’s remote North Slope – an area where energy production and wildlife have been safely coexisting for decades.
4. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill blocks more nuclear power production – clean, efficient, and less costly production that nations such as France have been safely using for years while the United States continues to fall behind.
5. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill does nothing to construct new clean coal energy production facilities – facilities that are a win-win, with benefits both to consumers and for the environment.
6. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill raises taxes – a new burden for overstressed consumers already paying high prices at the pump and preparing to pay higher home heating costs this winter.
7. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill permanently prevents federal agencies from using unconventional and alternative sources of fuel at exactly the time when Congress should be encouraging the use of these fuels.
8. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill increases electricity costs on families, seniors, and small businesses by creating a new, heavy-handed electricity mandate.
9. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill includes plans for exactly zero new refineries to be built on American soil. Is this the way to show our competitors around the globe that we are finally serious about achieving energy independence?
10. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill defies the will of a solid majority of Americans who support the House GOP’s “all of the above” plan to increase American energy production, promote the use of alternative and renewable fuels, and encourage more conservation and efficiency.
As Democrats prepare to unveil a “no energy” bill that fails the American people in so many ways, is it any wonder that families, seniors, and small businesses are so fed up with Washington? House Republicans have proposed bold energy reforms to lower gas prices that the American people support. When will Speaker Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues finally get serious about this issue and allow a real vote on the American Energy Act?
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