The American Energy Act (H.R. 6566):

[darrels joy]

he American Energy Act (H.R. 6566):
Reducing the Price at the Pump through an “All of the Above” Energy Strategy

House Republicans have transformed their “all-of-the-above” energy strategy into a single piece of legislation: the American Energy Act. The bill – a product made possible by energy policies proposed by Members throughout the House Republican Conference – will increase the supply of American-made energy, improve conservation and efficiency, and promote new and expanding energy technologies to help lower the price at the pump and reduce America’s increasingly costly and dangerous dependence on foreign sources of energy.

Bipartisan passage of the American Energy Act would demonstrate to the world that America will no longer keep its rich energy resources under lock-and-key. Not only will it help bring down the price of gasoline now, but it will make needed investments in the alternative fuels that will power our lives and our economy in the future. Following is a brief summary of the American Energy Act:

To increase the supply American-made energy in environmentally sound ways, the legislation will:

• Open our deep water ocean resources, which will provide an additional three million barrels of oil per day, as well as 76 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, as proposed in H.R. 6108 by Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC). Rep. John Peterson (R-PA) has also worked tirelessly on this issue.

• Open the Arctic coastal plain, which will provide an additional one million barrels of oil per day, as proposed in H.R. 6107 by Rep. Don Young (R-AK);

• Allow development of our nation’s shale oil resources, which could provide an additional 2.5 million barrels of oil per day, as proposed in H.R. 6138 by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI); and

• Increase the supply of gas at the pump by cutting bureaucratic red tape that essentially blocks construction of new refineries, as proposed in H.R. 6139 by Reps. Heather Wilson (R-NM) and Joe Pitts (R-PA).

To improve energy conservation and efficiency, the legislation will:

• Provide tax incentives for businesses and families that purchase more fuel efficient vehicles, as proposed in H.R. 1618 and H.R. 765 by Reps. Dave Camp (R-MI) and Jerry Weller (R-IL);

• Provide a monetary prize for developing the first economically feasible, super-fuel-efficient vehicle reaching 100 miles-per-gallon, as proposed in H.R. 6384 by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT); and

• Provide tax incentives for businesses and homeowners who improve their energy efficiency, as proposed in H.R. 5984 by Reps. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), Phil English (R-PA), and Zach Wamp (R-TN), and in H.R. 778 by Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL).

To promote renewable and alternative energy technologies, the legislation will:

• Spur the development of alternative fuels through government contracting by repealing the “Section 526” prohibition on government purchasing of alternative energy and promoting coal-to-liquids technology, as proposed in H.R. 5656 by Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), in H.R. 6384 by Rob Bishop (R-UT), and in H.R. 2208 by Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL);

• Establish a renewable energy trust fund using revenues generated by exploration in the deep ocean and on the Arctic coastal plain, as proposed by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA);

• Permanently extend the tax credit for alternative energy production, including wind, solar and hydrogen, as proposed in H.R. 2652 by Rep. Phil English (R-PA) and in H.R. 5984 by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD); and

• Eliminate barriers to the expansion of emission-free nuclear power production, as proposed in H.R. 6384 by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT).
http://www.gop.gov/energy/americanenergyact/

[darrels joy]

Key Democrats Flip-Flop, Were for Bipartisan "Peterson-Abercrombie" Energy Bill Before They Were Against It
Democratic Co-Sponsors of Peterson-Abercrombie Bill Break Their Promise and Reject Bipartisan Proposal to Lower Gas Prices



Washington, Sep 17 - House Democrats say they want to “stimulate” the economy, but last night nearly every single one of them voted against the bipartisan energy bill authored by Reps. John Peterson (R-PA) and Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) to lower gas prices on behalf of working families and small businesses – including 24 Democrats who are cosponsors of the Peterson-Abercrombie bill. That’s correct, 24 Democrats flip-flopped, repudiated their past statements of support and cosponsorship for the bipartisan Peterson-Abercrombie bill by voting against it. And by rejecting the Peterson-Abercrombie bipartisan plan, Democrats proved once and for all that yesterday’s debate was about nothing more than providing political cover for vulnerable Democrats on the eve of an election – and not about passing “all of the above” energy reforms to make a real difference in lowering gas prices.
For example, Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-KS) – a cosponsor of the Peterson-Abercrombie bill – voted against it when given the opportunity:
- “I have been working with a large, bipartisan group of Representatives to develop a comprehensive, common-sense energy bill. Our [Peterson-Abercrombie] bill will provide sorely-needed relief for Kansas families. It will help create energy independence for America and millions of jobs to help stabilize our struggling economy.” – Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-KS), Press Release, 9/04/08

Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN) – a cosponsor of the Peterson-Abercrombie bill – once said “I hope this bipartisan bill will indeed be brought to the floor” but when given a chance, he voted against it:
- “I hope this bipartisan [Peterson-Abercrombie] bill will indeed be brought to the floor for a vote when we return to Washington in September,” Hill said. “It would provide immediate relief, while also bolstering development of new energy sources in order to move this country closer to energy independence.” – Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN), Press Release, 8/14/08

Rep. Steve Kagan (D-WI) – a cosponsor of the Peterson-Abercrombie bill – also voted against it:
- “Kagen, who signed onto the bill Tuesday, said the Abercrombie-Peterson bill ‘really is a comprehensive energy policy and a road map forward. ‘That bill has the balance in investing in renewable sources. It raises royalty (fees) from those who are drilling and it doesn’t limit drilling to four or five states,’ Kagen said.” – “Congress Sitting on Energy Hot Seat,” Herald Times (WI), 9/13/08

Speaker Pelosi and her leadership team have made no bones about their elaborate strategy of making it look like vulnerable Democrats are voting on real energy reform without actually doing it. But these Democrats took it a step further: They cosponsored a bill and pledged to support it and then rejected it when given an up-or-down vote. Here is a list of all 24 Democrats who where for it before they were against it:

Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI)	Rep. Phil Hare (D-IL)
Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA)	Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN)
Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK)	Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX)
Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-KS)	Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA)
Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)	Rep. Steve Kagen (D-WI)
Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA)	Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-PA)
Rep. Bud Cramer (D-AL)	Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-LA)
Rep. Henry Cueller (D-TX)	Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA)
Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL)	Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-TX)
Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-TN)	Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN)
Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN)	Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX)
Rep. Gene Green (D-TX)	Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR)

Yesterday, House Democratic leaders denied Republicans the opportunity to have a full debate and honest vote on the American Energy Act, the Republican bill that does “all of the above” to help working families and small businesses struggling with record fuel costs. This fight is not over. House Republicans will continue to fight for an honest debate and vote on the American Energy Act – legislationthat increases American energy production off our coasts, in the Inter-Mountain West, and on Alaska’s remote North Slope to help lower gas prices, encourages more efficiency and conservation, and accelerates the development of more alternative and renewable fuels through additional funding from increased drilling royalties. This is the bill the American people support and expect. How much longer will Speaker Pelosi block it?

http://republicanleader.house.gov/Ne...umentID=102685