House passes bill to produce American Energy and put more Americans Back to Work

Washington, DC– Today, the House passed the Domestic Energy and Jobs Act, a wide-ranging package of bills to boost American energy production to create jobs and lower energy costs for families and small businesses.

“The House has acted boldly to get Americans back to work, to create more American-made energy and generate new tax dollars to reduce America’s terrible deficit. If President Obama is being straight with the public about his ‘all of the above’ energy policy, I challenge him to embrace this common-sense energy package,” said Texas Congressman Kevin Brady whose district is home to numerous energy companies. “With more than 20 million Americans who can’t find a full time job, what is the President waiting for?”

Bills Included in Domestic Energy and Jobs Act:

·         Strategic Energy Production Act of 2012, H.R. 4480 – which links tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to increasing energy production on federal lands. If the President releases oil from the SPR, the Administration will be required to develop a plan to lease more federal lands for exploration and production.

·         Gasoline Regulations Act of 2012, H.R. 4471  -- would halt certain EPA rules and actions until a real analysis can be completed on their consequences, such as on the price of gasoline and diesel fuels.

·         Planning for American Energy Act of 2012, H.R.4381 -- would require the Secretary of the Interior to establish an all-of-the-above energy program for federal lands by reviewing the nation’s energy needs and then establishing goals for federal land energy production to meet those needs from all energy sources -- including oil, natural gas, coal and renewables.

·         Providing Leasing Certainty for American Energy Act of 2012, H.R 4382 – would require a minimum annual acreage leasing plan that makes available at least 25 percent of the lands open for leasing each year for which there is interest in development and set firm timelines for the Secretary of the Interior to issue leases and adjudicate lease protests and stop punitive stipulations from being added after lease sales are approved.

·         Streamlining Permitting of American Energy Act of 2012, H.R. 4383 -- would ensure a reliable, streamlined permitting process to increase American energy production, ending government roadblocks and bureaucratic red tape that hinder and delay American energy production and American job creation in order to encourage the timely development of our federal onshore oil, natural gas, and renewable resources.

·         National Petroleum Reserve Alaska Access Act, H.R. 2150 -- will create new jobs, support current energy jobs in Alaska, expand American energy production and lower energy costs by ensuring that oil and natural gas resources in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA) are developed and transported in a timely, efficient manner.

·         BLM Live Internet Auctions Act, H.R. 2752 – provides the Secretary of the Interior withthe authority to conduct Internet-based auctions for onshore leases to ensure the best return to the Federal taxpayer, reduce fraud, and secure the leasing process.