Today, during a Full Committee markup of the CLEAR Act (H.R. 3534), Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee voted against (21 to 27) a Republican amendment to protect jobs, lower energy prices and keep America less dependent on foreign sources of energy.  The amendment, offered by Rep. Bill Cassidy (LA-06), ensures that nothing in H.R. 3534 could result in “a net increase in unemployment; increased imports of oil and gas to the United States; and higher energy costs to American consumers.” Click here to view the roll call.

"This legislation will destroy jobs and increase energy prices,” said Rep. Cassidy.  “With ten percent unemployment, the country cannot afford any more injury from Washington.”

Background

With national unemployment still hovering near 10 percent, oil rigs leaving the Gulf, and tens of thousands of jobs already lost in the Gulf, Congress must ensure that any changes to current laws will not exacerbate the already dire economic situation.

The U.S. currently imports 20 million barrels of oil a day and that number will only increase as the Obama Administration imposes its latest moratorium on deepwater drilling.  We must ensure that American offshore energy production is the safest in the world, but Congress should not implement policies that compromise our national security by increasing our dependence on oil from dangerous, unstable foreign countries.

While global demand for oil has slowed during the recession, which has brought down the price of gas at the pump, this will not always be the case.  As the global economy recovers, the U.S. must continue to increase its own domestic energy supply with a diverse, all-of-the-above energy plan that includes alternative energy such as wind, solar, hydropower and nuclear along with oil and natural gas in order to reduce energy prices.

###

Print version of this document