Contact: Omar Raschid (202) 225-7751

Washington, Sep 11 -

CANNON FILES DISCHARGE PETITION FOR OIL SHALE BILL Washington- Congressman Chris Cannon (R-UT) today filed a discharge petition to force a floor vote on H.R. 6211, the “Oil Shale Opportunity Act.” This legislation, introduced by Congressman Cannon last June, allows the President to bypass the time consuming regulatory process to begin extracting oil from shale immediately. The Intermountain West alone has 800 billion barrels in proven reserves with a potential to reach over 2 trillion barrels in recoverable oil shale. Upon receiving 218 signatures, the discharge petition brings the legislation to the House floor for a vote.  To be eligible for a discharge petition, a bill must have been held in committee for 30 or more legislative days. Upon filing the petition, Congressman Cannon said, “The consensus of the American people is clear. They demand that we develop our domestic sources of oil and pursue alternative sources of energy. Oil shale has the ability to cast off our foreign energy shackles as we develop our next generation of energy sources.  Yet the current Democratic leadership refuses to even bring this legislation up for debate. I will not stand by as the American people are held hostage to high gas prices and foreign oil dependency by an out-of-touch Democratic leadership that refuses to adequately address the problem.” Cannon continued, “Oil shale development means American energy and American jobs. It is time for the Democrats to stop stifling American ingenuity and allow us the opportunity to move forward with an important part of our energy future.” ###