Representing the
1st District of South Carolina
1st District of South Carolina
Congressman
Henry E. Brown, Jr.
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Representing the
1st District of South Carolina Congressman |
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Blog - Posting DetailXML Blog Postings via RSSThe Democrats' "energy" bill - "all of the above" or only "some of the above"?
You have probably heard in recent days that Speaker Pelosi and the Democrat Majority plan to take up a so called “energy bill” on the House floor next week. While no one outside of the Speaker’s Chambers in the Capitol has seen this energy bill, rumors about its contents have started to leak out in the press. From those reports, this is what we have been able to understand about this bill – legislation that is designed solely to provide political cover in the upcoming election instead of providing a true “all of the above” approach to lower gas prices:
1. The bill leaves out critical revenue-sharing with coastal states – meaning that while states like Louisiana and Texas receive federal royalty payments in return for permitting environmentally responsible energy production offshore, states like South Carolina would receive not a single red cent. The more than $2 trillion that would be received in royalties from this energy production would go straight into the federal treasury, opening the door for big government spending without helping coastal states.
2. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill permanently locks up more than 1 trillion barrels of oil from oil shale in the Inter-Mountain West.
3. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill permanently locks up more than 10 billion barrels of oil on Alaska’s remote North Slope – an area where energy production and wildlife have been safely coexisting for decades.
4. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill blocks more nuclear power production – clean, efficient, and less costly production that nations such as France have been safely using for years while the United States continues to fall behind. Companies in South Carolina are currently working diligently to get new nuclear power facilities permitted and under construction – will the Democrats’ bill stop those efforts cold?
5. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill does nothing to construct new clean coal energy production facilities – facilities that are a win-win, with benefits both to consumers and for the environment.
6. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill raises taxes – a new burden for overstressed consumers already paying high prices at the pump and preparing to pay higher home heating costs this winter. High energy prices are already taxing families, businesses, and non-profits, while forcing local governments to cut some services.
7. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill permanently prevents federal agencies from using unconventional and alternative sources of fuel at exactly the time when Congress should be encouraging the use of these fuels.
8. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill increases electricity costs on families, seniors, and small businesses by creating a new, heavy-handed electricity mandate. This will have a direct impact on South Carolina energy users, and represents an old idea that failed during 2007.
9. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill includes plans for exactly zero new refineries to be built on American soil. Is this the way to show our competitors around the globe that we are finally serious about achieving energy independence? Refinery construction is required to go through one of the most stringent permitting processes in the country, yet this legislation seems to not even open the door so such permitting can start.
10. The Democrats’ “no energy” bill defies the will of a solid majority of Americans who support the House GOP’s “all of the above” plan to increase American energy production, promote the use of alternative and renewable fuels, and encourage more conservation and efficiency.
Is this an “all of the above” energy policy? I don’t think so – instead it is more of the same. To find out about my solutions for our energy challenges, visit http://brown.house.gov/Issues/energy.html.
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