High Gas Prices Demand Action From Congress

Press Release

U.S. Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI) today made the following statement in support of increasing the supply of American energy and bringing down gas prices for American working families and small businesses.

"High gas prices demand action from Congress, and we need to put all energy options on the table. We need more production of American energy, more energy from alternative fuel sources and an increase in innovative solutions like coal-to-liquids technology. House Leadership needs to stop preventing expanded American energy production."

Walberg supports H.R. 2208, the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Act. The bipartisan bill, introduced by Representatives Rick Boucher (D-VA) and John Shimkus (R-IL), would bring down pump prices by encouraging the use of clean coal-to-liquid technology to produce alternative transportation fuels. The bill would authorize the Secretary of Energy to help with coal-to-liquid projects that produce innovative transportation fuel, which would increase production of clean American energy.

Walberg also introduced a discharge petition in June to bring the No More Excuses Energy Act, legislation to increase U.S. energy production and invest in alternative sources of energy, to the House floor for a vote. House rules state that a discharge petition must have 218 signatures (a simple majority) in order to bring a bill to the floor for a vote. 153 members have signed the petition so far.

"Just as with the Manhattan Project or the race to the moon, breaking our dependence on foreign oil should be a national priority. We need a comprehensive plan that increases energy production in the United States and creates good-paying, American jobs. Both coal-to-liquids technology and the No More Excuses Energy Act are part of the solution to our current energy crisis."

The No More Excuses Energy Act (H.R. 3089):
- Encourages new refinery construction and makes federal lands available for refinery construction.
- Reduces green house emissions by encouraging the capture of CO2 from marginal oil wells.
- Boosts alternative energy development by extending the Wind Production Tax Credit for 10 years.
- Lifts the Congressional Moratoria on exploring the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), potentially providing 17 billion barrels of oil.
- Opens the ANWR to responsible exploration, potentially producing nearly a million barrels per day for several decades.
- Encourages investment in a much-needed industrial base for building modern nuclear power plants.

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