|
WASHINGTON - Congressman Henry E. Brown, Jr. (R-SC), long-time supporter of an “all of the above” approach to meeting our nation’s energy needs, joined Congressmen John Peterson (R-PA), Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) and other bipartisan House members at a press conference this morning to introduce the National Conservation, Environment and Energy Independence Act (click here for summary). After the event, Brown issued the following statement:
“With this bill, a bipartisan group of House members are, once again, coming up with solutions to our nation’s energy challenge. Currently, our nation depends on foreign and in many cases unfriendly nations for over 60 percent of our nation’s energy needs. It is sad to see that nearly every other country in the world views its energy resources as a strategic asset; in the United States we have come to view ours as an environmental liability.
In the past two months, my colleagues and I have made several attempts to hold an up-or-down vote on American-made energy production as part of an “all of the above” solution to our energy challenge. This has been denied repeatedly and Democrats continue to defy the will of the overwhelming majority of the American population by refusing to do so.
Again today, the Democratic House leadership is proving they are out of touch with the needs of their constituents, by throwing in the towel and voting to skip town for more than a month without a vote to lower gas prices, increase the supply of American-made energy and promote energy independence.”
Looking toward September, the National Conservation, Environment and Energy Independence Act has been introduced as a comprehensive, environmentally responsible energy plan that has been in the works for the past three weeks. Peterson, Abercrombie, Brown and their colleagues joined forces to develop and promote this practical bipartisan energy plan that will not only increase offshore drilling, but will also focus on energy conservation and renewable energy.
The bill would relax current bans on offshore drilling, lifting the federal moratorium on leases more than 50 miles offshore. Drilling would be prohibited within 25 miles of land, and states would have a chance to opt out of allowing leasing between 25 and 50 miles of their coasts. The package would also lift bans on the development of oil shale, allow for the use of woody biomass from federal land and lift restrictions on military purchases of alternative fuels.
Revenues generated from new leases would be split between the federal government and producing states, with each receiving 30 percent. The remaining 40 percent, estimated at more than $1 trillion, would be used to fund new conservation and renewable energy research and initiatives. The funding provided under the bill will speed up the use of cleaner domestic energy resources and alternative fuels. The bill will also promote the use of energy–efficient products, increase research development, job training and the deployment of clean renewable energy.
Congressman Brown fought for the inclusion in the legislation of full funding for beach renourishment, dredging funding for the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway as well as preferential treatment for the distribution of royalty funds to go to coastal communities of energy producing states. For more information about Congressman Brown’s efforts to enact solutions to our nation’s energy challenge, visit his website: http://brown.house.gov/Issues/energy.html.
|
|
