WASHINGTON – Responding to record-high gasoline prices, Congressman Spencer Bachus (AL-6) today demanded an immediate vote on legislation that would increase U.S. oil supplies and reduce dependence on foreign oil.
Bachus signed a discharge petition to force a roll call vote on an energy bill that would allow more domestic oil and natural gas exploration, open new refineries, speed the construction of nuclear plants, and promote clean coal and alternative energy. The measure is being blocked from consideration by the Democratic majority.
"High gas prices hit everyone in Alabama, and they’re a special hardship in rural communities where people don’t have the option of public transportation. The U.S. is too dependent on expensive foreign oil, but we have the power to declare our ‘energy independence.’ There are massive oil and gas resources that can be developed in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska. We’re taking a leadership role in alternative fuels in Alabama with the I-65 Clean Corridor Initiative. Nuclear and coal are two home-grown, dependable, and abundant sources of energy. The U.S. is lagging behind France, China, and India in the construction of nuclear power plants, so we need to put nuclear on a fast track. The American people want solutions now. They won’t accept a long, hot summer where Congress does nothing about record gas prices," Bachus said.
The petition signed by Bachus would require a vote on the No More Excuses Energy Act (H.R. 3089), legislation introduced in July of 2007 that has languished in committee under the majority’s control. Bachus is a cosponsor of the bill.
Congressman Bachus said he also plans to demand votes on six other energy-related bills that have been bottled up in committee. Among other provisions, the bills would permit exploration in selected areas of the Arctic Energy Slope and the deep seas, promote innovative technologies like coal-to-liquid fuel and oil shale, and repeal burdensome government regulations that are pushing up the price of gas.
Bachus said that in his travels in the Sixth District, high gasoline and energy prices are the top issue brought up by families and businesses. He added that in his role as Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, he plans to highlight the toll that high energy prices are taking on the national economy.