Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 2008
HEAVY DUTY HYBRID VEHICLE RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION ACT OF 2008 -- (House of Representatives - September 22, 2008)
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Ms. FOXX. I thank my colleague from Texas for yielding.
We are talking about the need to improve our ability to use the energy that we have in this country and certainly to get additional energy, and I want to call to the attention of people who are paying attention to this debate something that has come out in the press which we Republicans have been saying for a long time, and it has to do with the no-energy bill that passed the House last week.
I am going to hit some high spots, and, Mr. Speaker, then I would like to put the rest of the material into the Record.
Mr. Speaker, the Boston Globe op-ed by Jeff Jacoby, 9/21/08, the title, ``Speaker Pelosi's Bill, a Feint of Supporting Offshore Exploration That Would Actually Make Drilling More Difficult.''
``The bill permanently bans all drilling within 50 miles of the U.S. companies, which just happens to where most of the recoverable oil and gas reserves are.''
The Wall Street Journal editorial, ``Pelosi's Drilling Ruse.''
``The sudden pro-drilling makeover of the Pelosi Democrats has always had an air, a gale, really, of election-year convenience, and the House proved it Tuesday by passing an energy bill that would put any bunko man to shame. This confidence trick won't expand domestic oil and gas supplies even a bit. The real game was to give vulnerable Democrats political cover by letting them vote for more offshore drilling while making more drilling all but impossible, thus appeasing the party's green wing. The House bill shows that the Pelosi Democrats simply aren't serious about expanding domestic energy supplies.'' Wall Street Journal, 9/19/08.
The Oregonian from 9/17/08. This is a column by David Reinhard. ``Nancy Pelosi's Drilling Charade.''
``Pelosi's alternative energy choice? Snake oil. How lame is the energy bill that Speaker Nancy Pelosi had House Democrats pass through the House on Tuesday? Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu said before the vote that Pelosi's handiwork would be `dead on arrival' in the Senate.''
The title of that article is ``Pelosi's Bill is an Obvious Charade'' and appeared 9/17/08.
Some other editorials. The Augusta Chronicle. ``Nothing. That's what this Congress came up with after months of high fuel costs and concern over our dependence on foreign oil and after a summer recess in which Senators and Representatives could have listened to the American people but did not. Congress came up with nothing, a fake energy exploration that would only weaken America.''
The title of that was ``They've Blown a Ruse; Congress Fails Yet Again.'' Augusta Chronicle editorial, September 21, 2008.
Another one, the Northwest Florida Daily News editorial, ``Don't be fooled by House Democrats' disingenuous bill to lift the Federal Government's ban on offshore drilling ..... It's a bill intended to give voters the impression that Democrats favor offshore drilling--while maintaining their opposition to it.'' That's in an article called ``Drilling for Political Advantage,'' September 20, 2008.
It is refreshing to see that some of our newspaper folks are paying attention to what's going on in the House of Representatives and calling attention to it to the American public. Republicans did that all the month of August, calling attention to the fact that the Democrats refused to do anything to help hard-working Americans by lowering the price of gasoline. The American people deserve better than this.
I am going to give one more quote from the Wall Street Journal. ``This confidence trick won't expand domestic oil-and-gas supplies even a bit ..... As Congress runs down the clock for this term, the likelihood of reaching some grand pre-election energy bargain is vanishing fast. The House bill shows that the Pelosi Democrats aren't serious about expanding domestic energy supplies.'' That, again, was in the Wall Street Journal, September 19, 2008.
Republicans have a commonsense plan, it's called the American Energy Act. We believe in all of the above, conservation, alternatives, drilling for additional supply, using the money that would come from those leases to provide the alternative.
``Coming next week from Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats: legislation that allows oil and gas drilling on the moon! The bill would have the same result as energy legislation passed Tuesday--no increase in domestic oil production--and it certainly wouldn't be any less cynical *.*.* The Democrats' intent here is so transparent it's embarrassing. Americans know the country needs to use all its resources to power the future and speed economic recovery. That includes offshore oil drilling--where the oil is.'' (``Let's Drill for Oil--Where There Isn't Any,'' Las Vegas Review Journal Editorial, September 19, 2008)
``Pelosi, who opposes new drilling for American oil, allowed the vote only because this summer Democrats were on the wrong side of offshore exploration, which seven in 10 Americans favor. Unfortunately, the House-passed bill is nothing more than a fig leaf for Democrats as they prepare to face frustrated voters in November.'' (``Same Old Drill: `No-Energy' Bill Risks Voter Wrath,'' The Oklahoman Editorial, September 19, 2008)
``This way, Democrats can claim to be opening the way to offshore drilling *.*.* under the restrictions included in the bill, no real drilling is likely to happen.'' (``Drilling Bill Lacks Substance,'' Buffalo News Editorial, September 22, 2008)
``If House Democrats were looking to give Americans relief at the gas pump in the energy legislation passed on Sept. 16, they failed. In a jarring twist, the legislation offers a solution and then negates it. If Americans were hoping for at least half a loaf from this legislation, they were disappointed.'' (``Energy Legislation Less Than Half a Loaf,'' Reading Eagle Editorial, September 20, 2008)
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