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| Wilson Says Balanced Energy Policy Will Reduce Dependence on Foreign Oil |
April 06, 2005 |
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Energy & Commerce Committee Considers Energy Policy Against Backdrop of Rising Fuel Prices
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, today emphasized the increasing importance of establishing a balanced, long term energy policy.
“When this committee first considered comprehensive energy legislation during the first session of the 108th Congress oil was selling for around $20 dollars a barrel. This week, the price of oil topped $57 dollars a barrel,” Wilson said. “We need a balanced, long term energy policy to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and preserve the beauty of the land we love.”
The Energy Policy Act of 2006 is being crafted today in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Committee is expected to reconvene next week to continue consideration. The legislation is similar to the House bill passed twice in the 108th Congress, most recently on June 15, 2004 by a vote of 244-178.
“A comprehensive national energy policy is critical to our nation’s economy and our national security. Energy expenditures account for about 7% percent of our total economy and influence pricing in the much of the rest of the economy,” Wilson said.
Wilson sponsored the compromise in 2003 to limit the land that could be impacted by drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to just 2,000 acres of surface disturbance, an area about the size of an airport within an area the size of South Carolina.
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