Back in August, Republicans in the House brought forward bill H.R.6566, the American Energy Act, which would not only open up offshore oil drilling, but also increase nuclear power and encourage alternative energy sources. It was informally called the "All of the Above" plan, and its intent was to increase pretty much all American energy production across the board. Knowing that all the Reps and many of the Dems would support it (and that 70-80% of Americans support it), Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to allow the bill to come up for a vote. The Reps tried to force the vote through a discharge petition, but couldn't get the necessary 218 signatures since the rank-and-file Dems weren't willing to violate Pelosi's instructions. As public pressure grew to do something about energy prices, Pelosi maintained her stance that no vote would occur on any bill that included more oil drilling. The Reps began stonewalling every other bill being discussed to force Pelosi to grant a vote. In essence, they shut down the House until Pelosi gave them a vote. Out of options, Pelosi convened the House session a couple days early, sending the House into their 5-week summer vacation without addressing the energy issue at all. The Reps, in protest of the strong-arm tactic and obvious political dodge, have manned the floor of the House every day since then, continuously calling for Pelosi to allow a vote on their bill. Now that the House is back in session, the battle resumes.
Pelosi has felt the political wind and is now saying she'll allow a vote on some drilling, but the plan that she's proposing is...well, let's just say, lacking. Not even the Dems are in agreement over the plan she's going to bring up for a vote, and it falls far short of what the Reps have been proposing for months. In addition to less drilling, the Dem plan is likely to include (details haven't been released yet) various 'green' requirements and other catches that Reps will not likely support, including bailouts of the Big 3 auto makers and repealing tax breaks for oil companies.
A statement from House Minority Leader John Boehner's office:
Here's the bottom line. Pelosi and the Democrats have so far prevented any meaningful reform of our energy policy, even to the point of preventing all votes on the issue despite public demand and skyrocketing prices. The Reps are solidly supported by the American people, so a vote will happen soon...the only question is on which bill that vote will take place. The Dems are now angling for PR purposes - they'll throw up a plan so bad that it will certainly fail, and then they'll whine that the Reps have been 'obstructionist'. On the other hand, the Reps have proposed a plan that will increase energy production of all kinds (oil, coal, nuclear, wind, solar, etc.) while maintaining environmental standards in a real effort to move America toward energy independence.While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and her Democratic colleagues have already outlined their latest "no energy" plan, House Republicans today will force Democrats to go on the record: Will Democrats allow a vote on an "all of the above" bill to help bring down prices at the pump or not? During this afternoon's consideration of legislation related to a "wild and scenic river" study, the Republicans will move to force a debate and vote on the American Energy Act (H.R. 6566), the House GOP's plan to reduce fuel costs by increasing production of American energy, using new drilling revenues to fund an innovative renewable energy trust fund, encouraging more efficiency and conservation, and promoting the use of more alternative fuels.
House Republicans are forced to make this move because Speaker Pelosi continues to block a vote on their comprehensive plan to lower gas prices through an "all of the above" strategy. Instead, in a cynical attempt to run out the clock until the next congressional recess without taking a real vote to bring down the price at the pump, the Speaker and her Democratic colleagues have trotted out their own "no energy" legislation that does practically "none of the above." For example, the bill locks up 80 percent of oil and gas in the Outer Continental Shelf and rejects the GOP plan to use hundreds of billions of dollars in new oil and gas revenue from being invested in development of renewable fuels.
As a matter of fact, the Democrats' bill is so bad, Rep. Jason Altmire – a freshman Democrat from Pennsylvania – admitted to Politico that most Democrats don't even support it, though he predicts most will hold their noses and support it once the Speaker lays down the law:
"'We've succeeded in putting a bill together with something for everyone to dislike,' Altmire joked as he emerged from the meeting."
"Still, Altmire said he would support the bill because he feels strongly that Congress must approve some legislation this year."
"'Like everybody, I'm not happy with everything that's in or not in,' he said. 'But I think, all told, it's going to have enough votes to pass.'"
The fact is, a bipartisan majority in Congress and a solid majority of the American people back the House GOP's "all of the above" strategy to help lower gas prices and bring down home heating costs during the winter. But Speaker Pelosi and her colleagues in the Democratic leadership are standing in the way of a simple, up-or-down vote on the plan – defying the will of the American people all the while.
Will rank-and-file Democrats buck the Speaker, listen to their constituents, and allow a debate and vote by supporting the Republican motion later today? Or will they fall in line behind her, as families, seniors, and small businesses back home struggle to make ends meet amid today's high fuel costs?
Call your Reps and urge them in the strongest possible terms to support H.R.6566, the America Energy Act, to achieve real energy independence. Chances are extremely high that if your rep is a Rep, he/she already does. If your rep is a Dem, it is still pretty likely that he/she supports it, but is reluctant to take the big chance of bucking Pelosi. The key with Dem reps is that they can realistically support the bill if their constituency is vehement enough about it. We've seen it in the past - Reps actually asking for their constituencies to make some noise to justify a break from their own leadership.
Make the call - it could be the one that puts your Rep over the line, and finally starts America toward real energy independence. If you're tired of high gas prices, high food prices, and dependence on foreign oil, make the call.
There's my two cents.
Sources:
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/house-dems-to-allow-vote-on-energy-bill-2008-09-09.html
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200809091732DOWJONESDJONLINE000660_FORTUNE5.htm
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/09/10/house-energy-vote-calling-the-dems-bluff-again/
No comments:
Post a Comment