Energy Policy Act of 2005
ENERGY POLICY ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - April 21, 2005)
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, the Republican leadership acts as if there is one set of rules for Republicans and another set of rules for the rest of us. Well, it has taken more than 4 hours, but they have finally, reluctantly recognized that at least on this occasion a Democrat, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps), has a right to offer an amendment, a good amendment that strikes a provision in this bill that protects polluters and penalizes taxpayers.
For people who are not familiar with the rules of the House, here is what is going on. In 1995 the Republicans passed a law called the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. The purpose of the law was to prevent the Federal Government from passing bills that impose unfunded mandates on our State and local governments. At the time, they touted this law as a sign that they would run the government differently and show more respect to local governments. They issued thousands of press releases patting themselves on the back for this legislative accomplishment.
Well, here is the problem. According to the Congressional Budget Office, not the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps), not the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), not the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), but according to the Congressional Budget Office, the MTBE provision in this bill is a big, fat unfunded mandate. That is the bottom line. The other side can spin it all they want, but CBO says this is an unfunded mandate.
To my friends who want to protect the polluters, I say, come up with the money to pay for it. Do not pass it on to communities that are already strapped for cash. Do not pass the buck. Cleaning up the MTBE drinking water contamination could cost our local communities as much as $29 billion.
Thanks to the Capps amendment, you will have the opportunity to go on record as to whether you favor or oppose this unfunded mandate.
To my friends who sometimes vote against things claiming that they are mere partisan procedural votes, this is different. This is not a procedural vote. This is an amendment to strike out language that gets MTBE producers off the hook for polluting our drinking water and sticks average taxpayers with the bill.
So this is a different vote from the vote we had yesterday.
Let me say to my friends in the Republican leadership, you could have avoided the scene we saw on the House floor today. The gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) brought her amendment to the Committee on Rules Tuesday night and asked for an opportunity to consider this amendment on the House floor. But the heavy hand of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) and the Republican leadership denied her. I am happy that we have the opportunity to right that wrong.
This vote is clear. You either favor unfunded mandates or you do not. You either want to reward polluters at taxpayers' expense or you do not.
Vote for the Capps amendment.
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