Politics

Pelosi Statement on Senate Republicans Blocking Legislation to Lower Gas Prices, Invest in Renewables

By Office of the Speaker

Washington, D.C. ? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today in response to Senate Republicans blocking consideration of the Consumer-First Energy Act and the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008:

?Senate Republicans have once again shown themselves to be unwilling to break free of the costly, failed Bush energy policies of the past. They have again adopted President Bush?s ?drill and veto? policy that is driving up the price of oil, diesel, and gasoline and leaving us dangerously reliant on Middle East oil.

?President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Senate Republicans have shown no leadership on energy issues for seven years, which is why we face a growing energy crisis. If Republicans will not lead us to a cleaner, more independent energy future for America then they should at least get out of the way.

?The House will soon put forward new, innovative legislation to help tackle high energy costs and make us more energy independent.?

Background

The legislation the Senate was considering would have been another critical step toward lowering energy prices, providing for cleaner, renewable alternatives that would make our nation more energy independent and secure, and creating hundreds of thousands of new green collar jobs.

In just the last few months, Congress successfully pressed the Bush Administration into investigating oil market price manipulation, passed a Farm Bill that boosts home-grown, advanced biofuels production, halted deliveries to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to increase oil supply in the market, and passed legislation that invests in clean, renewable, and efficient energy technologies, including tax incentives for plug-in hybrid cars, energy efficient homes and appliances.

Full post as published by The Gavel on June 10, 2008 (boomark / email).