|
|
News and Views |
|
Lewis:
Democrat Smoke and Mirrors Energy Bill a Sham Lewis said that the
Democrat majority’s fear over losing amendments related to drilling in
outer-continental shelf has caused the annual Appropriations process to grind to
a halt. In fact, the Committee has not met since a drilling amendment was
offered during a markup 82 days ago – a markup which was abruptly cancelled by
the Majority. Now, instead of having a fair and open debate and a continuation
of the normal committee process, the Democrat majority will attempt to force
through a hollow energy bill that would permanently bar off-shore energy
exploration off the vast majority of the nation’s coastlines. “Just like
a bad magic trick, this smoke and mirrors energy bill is a sham that voters will
see right through,” Lewis said, “To make matters worse, this legislation
will hurt – not help – the effort to find comprehensive, substantive, and
long term solutions to our energy crisis.” In addition, Lewis
continued, the Democrats did not include a provision in the bill to allow states
to fairly share in the potential revenue generated by energy production off
their respective coastlines – a strategy designed to ultimately prevent
drilling while maintaining political coverage on the issue. “These backdoor
disincentives will prevent states from taking advantage of their energy
resources. This is nothing but a ‘smile through the teeth’ attempt by the
Democrat majority to maintain the status quo at the expense of every gas-buying
American,” Lewis continued. In addition, Lewis
added, the Democrat energy package will continue to prevent any energy
exploration on the Arctic coastal plain in “With our economy
on the brink, we need real, substantive energy solutions. An all of the
above energy package – such as the American Energy Act - that includes the
lifting of the outer-continental shelf drilling moratorium, alternative energy
devolvement, and energy efficiency incentives - should be given an immediate and
fair vote,” Lewis said. Click Here to Return to News & Views
|