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Tonight between 6 and 7 I'm going to the floor to talk about gas prices with some friends from the 30 Somethings, you can watch us on CSPAN. Before that I wanted to give you an idea of whats on my mind.
Many Congressional Republicans blindly voted for or supported Bush’s party line on energy policies that were written by oil company lobbyists under the cover of darkness in the Vice President’s office. Now they want you to believe that the Democratic majority, which has been in office for a year and a half, is responsible for the rise in gas prices?
This Congress has an actual plan to overturn the failed policies of the past. We are taking both short-term steps to try and bring down gas prices, and long-term steps toward ending our dependence on foreign oil. Misleading Congressional Republican attacks on this Congress’ record are a distraction from the hard work that needs to be done to help Americans at the pump. It’s time for them to step up and become partners in the solution, rather than play political games on an issue that strikes to the heart of our national security.
The new argument will tell us that opening up new areas for oil and natural gas development is the way to solve our problems. I oppose it for the following reasons:
(1)There are 68 million acres onshore and offshore in the U.S. that are leased by oil companies—open to drilling and actually under lease—but not developed.
(2)80 percent of the oil available on the Outer Continental Shelf is already open for leasing—but the oil companies haven't decided it’s worth their money to drill there.
(3)Drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge wouldn’t yield any oil for 10 years—and then would only save the consumer 1.8 cents per gallon in 2030.
(4)Although oil drilling technology has improved since the infamous Santa Barbara oil spill disaster in 1969 , drilling on the OCS still presents serious environmental risks, and should not be undertaken unless all other alternatives have been exhausted.
(5)All told, the U.S. has only 1.6 percent of world's known oil supply anyway. But every day, Americans use a quarter of the world’s daily oil consumption. The bottom line is,we CAN'T drill our way out of this problem. Even if we could immediately access all of the U.S. reserves, it would amount to a mere drop in the bucket when compared to long-term needs.
Also, this was me earlier today on a local radio show talking about this problem.
Here in Congress, my colleagues and I have been working hard to push the Green-based initiative on behalf of the American people. Even within our halls, we’ve launched a program called “Green the Capitol”. This program sets us to be the World’s first carbon neutral legislative body, reducing our energy consumption by 50 n a 10-year time frame, reduce waste by using only completely compostable items, and that’s only a few to mention.
Outside our walls, just a few weeks ago, the House passed H.R. 6049 (The Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act) to not only extend, but also expand tax incentives for renewable energy, retain and create hundreds of thousands of green jobs. The bill also closes loopholes allowing U.S. corporations and executives to avoid U.S. taxes by shipping jobs and investment overseas.
Keeping in the spirit of “going green”, I had an opportunity to check out GM’s new Fuel-Cell Vehicle, based on the Chevrolet Equinox. This car produced zero emissions, using NO gasoline. It also had quite a bit of pickup, with an ability to go up to 100mph. There was very little noise from the engine, and the drive was fantastic. The unfortunate part is that these cars will be hard to come by until production meets demand, plus the fact that there aren’t a whole lot of stations to recharge these cars. I’m very excited, however, to see how this technology will positively impact the auto industry as years go by.
Yesterday I had an opportunity to participate with local veterans in three different events in my District. The morning started off at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Trumbull County Veterans Memorial in Warren. The memorial will honor our brave men and woman who from our community who have fought honorably for our country. I then attended a flag presentation with the American Legion at the Campbell Memorial High School. Finally I finished at VFW Post 6488 & Ladies Auxiliary in Youngstown, where I spoke and honored former Mahoning County Coroner Dr. Nathan Belinky, who survived one of the most brutal events of World War II, the Bataan Death March.
Last week was a good week in Congress to reflect on how our nation can give back to those men and women who put everything on the line for us. We came to an agreement on a $1.3 billion tax relief package for military families which included allowing service members in combat to get the Earned Income Tax Credit. The measure also expanded veterans’ homeownership opportunities and provided foreclosure relief for those returning home from the field. We also passed a series of measures to address the health care needs of veterans and provide a cost-of-living adjustment for service-connected disability compensation rates for veterans, among others.Since last January, Speaker Pelosi and the new majority have committed ourselves to being the most veteran friendly Congress in a generation. We believe that, “supporting our troops,” isn’t just some slogan; it is a commitment to ensure they have the tools and training they need in the field, but also every opportunity to succeed in civilian life when they come home.
A New GI Bill for the 21st Century
The New GI Bill for the 21st Century: Passed by the House and Senate:
Restores a full, four-year college education for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans – on a par with the educational benefits available after World War II.
Makes Iraq and Afghanistan veterans a part of an American economic recovery, just as the veterans of World War II helped grow and strengthen the American middle class.
Makes military service more attractive and improves the quality of military recruits as we work to strengthen and rebuild our military stretched thin by the Iraq War.
Broadly supported by all major veterans’ organizations, including the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
Largest Increase in Veterans Health Care in History
FY 2009 Budget Resolution (H.Con.Res. 312, S.Con.Res. 70; PASSED BY HOUSE & SENATE & FINAL AGREEMENT will be voted on in June)
Provides blueprint for another historic veterans’ budget increase – 11 percent above last year and $3.3 billion more than the President’s budget.
Invests $39 billion more over 5 years than the President’s budget.
Rejects President’s plan for $2.3 billion in new enrollment fees and drug co-payments increases on 1 million veterans.
Strongly supported by major veterans organizations, including the American Legion, the Independent Budget (AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States), and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
Key increases include:
Medical services, administration, facilities and research -- 28 percent ($8 billion) increase
Non-recurring maintenance at VA facilities to prevent a Walter Reed-like tragedy – 240 percent ($600 million) increase
Focusing on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury
Required the VA to spend at least $2.9 billion on mental health care – 32 percent more than in FY06.
Added $100 million in the Iraq supplemental (5/07) for mental health care.
Strengthened polytrauma centers providing care for those with multiple injuries and related psychological impairments and functional disability, such as TBI and amputations.
Required that current level I polytrauma centers and the centers of excellence for Mental Health and PTSD will be fully staffed and operational in FY2008
Focusing serious attention on the nearly 400,000 claims backlog by hiring additional claims processors
Added 3,100 new VA claims processors -- 400 new hires funded through the FY 2007 Joint Resolution, 800 new hires in the FY 2008 Iraq Supplemental, and 1,800 new hires in the FY 2008 Omnibus.
With new processors, VA projects 11 percent (84,528) more claims will be processed in 2008 compared to 2006.
Supporting our rural veterans who live far from VA facilities
Increased the travel reimbursement from 11 cents/mile to 28.5 cents/mile. (First increase since 1979, when gas was 95 cents/gallon.)
THIS IS ALL ON TOP OF LAST YEAR’S VETERANS AFFAIRS APPROPRIATIONS WHICH PROVIDED THE SINGLE LARGEST INCREASE IN THE VA’S HISTORY
Provides blueprint for the largest veterans’ budget increase in history – more than $6 billion above 2007.
Invests $32 billion more over 5 years than the President’s budget.
Rejects President’s plan for new enrollment fees and drug co-payment increases on 1 million vets.
Addressing the Serious Challenges in Military/VA Care
FY 2009 Iraq Supplemental (H.R. 2642; PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
Provides $2.2 billion over the President’s request to fully fund military quality of life initiatives – including funding for military hospital construction, BRAC requirements, and military child care centers.
Prevents Walter Reed type problems by providing military hospitals with an additional $982 million over the President’s request for military hospitals.
Provides an additional $939 million over the President’s request to meet Base Realignment and Adjustment Commission (BRAC) requirements – funding improvements at military bases, benefiting our military families, as certain bases are realigned and closed.
Yesterday, I was surfing around a couple of well known blogs and I found a great piece on the failure of the Congress to address the energy crisis. The thrust of the post was that Congress isn’t doing enough. I agree, we need to do more but at the same token you have to break ground on a construction site before you build the building. We’ve barely scratched the surface on what needs to be done to combat the rising cost of fuel, or our dependence on oil, but since taking Congress we have done ten times more than our counterparts. House Democrats have been leading the effort to help deliver gas price relief and encourage the use of renewable energy.
Congress took decisive action last week to bring down the price of gas, passing legislation to suspend the filling of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) through the end of the year. After initially opposing the proposal, the President announced Friday he will comply and signed the bill into law this week. From day one, this Congress has been fighting to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, bring down record gas prices, and launch a cleaner, smarter energy future for America that lowers costs and creates hundreds of thousands of green jobs.
Below is a list of bills we’ve worked on to reduce fuel prices and build a clean energy infrastructure:
Enacted legislation to increase oil supply by temporarily suspending the fill of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the nation’s crude oil stockpile. (H.R. 6022)
Gave the Federal Trade Commission new authority to crack down on people manipulating wholesale energy markets to keep prices high. - Energy Independence and Security Act. (H.R. 6)
Approved the Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act (H.R. 6074) to hold the OPEC monopoly accountable for price fixing that flouts the free market and artificially drives up the cost of crude oil.
Passed the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act (H.R. 1252) to investigate price gouging by retailers who may be using the cover of high prices to unfairly inflate their rates even further.
Enacted the landmark Energy Independence and Security Act (H.R. 6) that raised vehicle fuel efficiency for the first time in 32 years and increased the renewable fuels standard.
Passed the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Act (H.R. 5351) to end unnecessary subsidies to oil companies making record profits and invest in clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Approved the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act (H.R. 6049) to renew and expand tax incentives for renewable energy.
Passed the Food and Energy Security Act (H.R. 2419) that promotes the development of biofuels, including those from non-corn sources.
