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ask.heather@mail.house.gov
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In Washington DC
442 Cannon House
Office Building
Washington, DC
20515
202-225-6316 Phone
202-225-4975 Fax |
In Albuquerque
20 First Plaza NW
Suite 603
Albuquerque, NM
87102
505-346-6781 Phone
505-346-6723 Fax |  |
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Congresswoman Heather Wilson, First Congressional District of New Mexico
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| Energy & Commerce Committee Passes Energy Bill |
April 14, 2005 |
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Wilson Says Balanced Energy Strategy Can Lead to Lower Fuel Prices
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, today said the energy bill which passed the Committee late Wednesday will help reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil.
Wilson emphasized the increasing importance of establishing a balanced, long term energy policy that will work toward lower fuel prices by reducing America’s dependence on foreign supplies. Wilson advocates a comprehensive strategy that includes energy exploration, encouraging conservation and development of renewable energy.
“When this committee considered comprehensive energy legislation three years ago oil was selling for around $20 dollars a barrel. Last 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 was considered over the past few days and passed today in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The House twice passed energy legislation 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 prices 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.
Wilson Amends Bill to Allow Tribal Energy Resource Development
An amendment offered by Rep. Wilson is included in the legislation and will improve energy development (including electricity generation and renewable projects) on Indian lands. The amended legislation would authorize tribes to enter into agreements with the Secretary of Interior on the development of their energy resources.
These agreements, called Tribal Energy Resource Agreements, would allow Indian tribes the freedom to develop both traditional and renewable energy resources with rights similar to private land owners.
Tribal lands comprise about five percent of U.S. land, but hold an estimated 10 percent of all energy reserves in the United States, including 30 percent of known coal deposits in the West, five percent of known American onshore oil deposits and 10 percent of known onshore natural gas deposits.
The Department of the Interior estimates that only a quarter of oil resources, and less than one-fifth of gas resources on Indian lands have been developed, and the amendment helps limit delays in getting the required federal approvals. If a Tribe has an Energy Resource Agreement, tribes could pursue and approve energy development without obtaining prior approval from the Secretary of Interior on each individual project.
Participation by tribes would be voluntary and the tribal regulations must include a tribal environmental review process that allows for public comment. If petitioned, the U.S. Interior Secretary could review a tribe`s compliance with its own energy regulation and either suspend or rescind the agreements or the regulations.
The amendment would also establish an Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs within the Department of Energy and would authorize a federal grant and low-interest loan program to aid tribes in developing the necessary energy infrastructure and expertise.
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