June 2008

Congressman Jerry Lewis (R-CA) sought to bring a bill to allow offshore drilling to a vote in the House Appropriations Committee this morning.  The Democrat Chairman of the committee, David Obey (D-WI), was outraged and stated that voting on the bill was not “a productive use of time” and that “There are too many real things that Congress can do.” 

I cannot imagine a more “real thing” Congress can do right now than to pass legislation that will allow us to become more energy independent and lower the price at the pump.   The Chairman of the committee remarked that if Americans wanted this type of energy legislation then we should “get 35 additional Republicans elected” because until then the Democrats are “setting the agenda.”   

Today, the United States Supreme Court struck down Washington D.C.’s ban on handguns.  Congressman Davis lauded the Supreme Court’s ruling and stated that the “decision today affirms what we have known all along: that the Second Amendment guarantees the right of an individual to own a firearm.”  Congressman Davis has been very engaged in the fight to uphold the Second Amendment.  Earlier this year he joined more than three hundred members of the House and Senate in signing an amicus brief encouraging the Supreme Court to overturn the D.C. gun ban.  To read the statement of both Congressman Davis and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell please click on the link to the Kentucky Enquirer here. 

Willard Green, the president of the independent American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ (AAPG), sent a letter to House leadership offering warnings and several suggestions about how to lower the prices at the pump.  The AAPG is the world’s largest professional geological association with over 33,000 members in over 116 countries.  One of the main purposes of AAPG is to increase public awareness of petroleum and energy-related polices. 

In Mr. Green’s letter to House leadership he clearly lays out several do’s and don’ts on how to ease the price of gas.  He urges “caution” and says we should not pass policies that will “increase exploration costs, decrease the available time to properly evaluate leases, and restrict access to federal lands and the Outer Continental Shelf.”  These policies he warns “do not provide the American people with short-term relief from high prices and undermine the goal of increasing stable long-term supplies.” 

Mr. Green explains in the letter that “conservative and efficiency improvements are necessary responses” but “equally important” is the need to “increas[e] long-term supply from stable parts of the world, such as our very own federal lands and Outer Continental Shelf.”

Mr. Green uses the rest of the letter to explain the process we use to explore for oil and natural gas.  Hopefully the Democrat Leadership in the House will read this letter and heed the advice of one of our nation’s leading geologist.  To read Mr. Green’s letter please click here. 

Instead of providing real solutions to the rising cost of gas, the recent Democrat energy bill is nothing more than “election-year symbolism” according to a Washington Post editorial. The Democratic Congress is allowing the Chinese to drill oil off of the coast of Florida while Americans pay higher and higher fuel prices for foreign oil. Our dependence on foreign oil is unnecessary considering the vast fuel resources that could be taken advantage of in our own territory. According to Democrat Rep. Maurice Hinchey, Americans should “import as much [energy] as we possibly can”. This statement shows no concern for the high energy costs associated with foreign oil dependency.

House Republicans have offered a plan to lower gas prices by harnessing new technologies and taking advantage of domestic energy resources. In an article in Human Events, House Minority Leader John Boehner points out that while Democrats have been at the helm gas prices have risen by an average of “a dime per gallon per month”. These results, coupled with their refusal to discuss commonsense energy solutions are unacceptable. To read more about the Democrats in Congress “holding America’s rich oil and gas resources hostage” click here and here.

Recently, a Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll found that Congress has an approval rating of 13%, the lowest ever.  The American people are frustrated with the lack of results from the Democrat-controlled Congress.  The pollster explains that the American people want Congress to step up and find real solutions to the rising cost of gas, but they “sense that Congress has not done so”.  

The Democrats did propose a windfall profits tax, the same tax the Wall Street Journal said would result in “a substantial reduction in domestic oil production (about 5%), thus raising the price of gas at the pump; and a 10% increase in U.S. reliance on foreign oil.”  During these hard times we cannot afford policies that actually raise the price of gas.  

The House Republicans have proposed responsible legislation that pushes “for more U.S. oil and gas drilling”.  House Minority Leader John Boehner vowed that the Republicans “will fight for this issue every single day”.  Republicans have reached across party lines and met the Democrats half way on energy conservation and moving towards alternative fuels, but the Democrats are more interested in playing politics than governing. 

Please take the time to sign up on the Gas Price Petition below.  With your help we can push for a more energy independent nation, create more American jobs and lower prices at the pump. 

Kentucky’s federal delegation has been leading the way in fighting for solutions to help our country with the rising cost of gas and diesel fuel.  The Paducah Sun has an article reporting that Kentucky is pushing for the construction of a coal-to-diesel plant which would be the largest of the kind in the country.  Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said, “Greater use of coal-to-liquid fuel technology would take full advantage of this natural resource, which Kentucky has in abundance, while also benefiting our environment and creating jobs here at home.”  I could not agree more with Senator McConnell, we must use Kentucky’s natural resources to help us deal with the rising cost of energy.  More can be read below about the impact of this plant or you can click here.

This week the Democrats passed the largest tax increase in American history, all the while ignoring soaring gas prices.  Republicans have unveiled a comprehensive energy plan aimed at easing the price at the pump.  I hope you can take the time to sign the Gas Price Petition urging Democrats to take up this critical piece of legislation. 

The Department of Education has announced that several schools and agencies in Kentucky’s 4^th District will be receiving educational grants totaling nearly one million dollars.  Congressman Geoff Davis stated, “These grants will help our schools continue to keep our students safe while providing them with the important information they need to become healthy, responsible young adults.”  To read the entire story on KYPost.com please click here.   

At a time when families face soaring gas prices and rising health care costs, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives plans to vote on the largest tax increase in American history.   According to The Washington DC Examiner, this would “mean a minimum tax hike for every American taxpayer of about $3000.00 annually.”   Those feeling the brunt of this burden would be those making “as little as $31, 850 and couples earning $63,700 or more” according to The Associated Press.