Congressman Geoff Davis : Serving Kentucky's Fourth District

The House of Representatives recently passed three bills to increase domestic energy production:

• H.R. 1229, Putting the Gulf Back to Work Act would end the Obama Administration’s de facto moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico in a safe, responsible, transparent manner by setting firm time-lines for considering permits to explore for domestic sources of energy. This would provide certainty and allow employers to hire and workers to get back on the job.
• H.R. 1230, Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act would require the Obama Administration to move forward promptly to conduct offshore lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Virginia that the Obama Administration has delayed or canceled.
• H.R. 1231, Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act would lift the President’s ban on new offshore drilling by requiring the Administration to move forward in the 2012-2017 lease plan with energy production in areas containing the most oil and natural gas resources.

These three bills each passed the House with my vote, and are just a first step in the American Energy Initiative. Together they would allow and encourage more domestic energy production.  This would increase our own supplies of oil and gas and lessen our dependence on foreign sources of fuel, while simultaneously encouraging economic growth and job creation.

To address our long-term energy needs, we must also continue to encourage investment in both alternative fuels (such as oil shale and coal-to-liquid technology) and renewable energy (wind, solar and biomass).  Furthermore, we must improve traditional energy sources by promoting refinery expansion, nuclear technology, electricity infrastructure and new technology to make burning coal cleaner.

America should take responsible and critical steps to make energy production cleaner and more environmentally friendly without imposing burdensome additional taxes on families and small businesses. 

My guiding principles for a national energy policy will encompass the following three steps:

• Responsible Use of America’s Resources.  In order to effectively reduce our dependence on foreign oil, I support environmentally responsible exploration of our oil resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), the Gulf Coast, the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and the Mountain West. 
• Explore Alternative Fuels while Encouraging Efficiency and Conservation.  We must use new, cutting-edge technology to diversify our energy resources, keep costs down and alleviate our dependence on foreign countries.  I support increasing incentives for efficiency and conservation, developing our alternative resources like cellulosic ethanol and coal-to-liquids technologies, increasing the number of nuclear, coal-fired and natural gas power plants, and exploring the potential of solar and wind power plants.
• Invest in Future Fuels.  We must implement safeguards and make necessary changes now so that we are not faced with another energy crisis in the future.  America needs to invest strategically in energy research so that the fuels of the future, like hydrogen, are safe, clean and affordable.

I will continue fighting for a commonsense energy plan that will put our country on a path to a cleaner, more reliable energy future.

 
Cap and Trade; a National Energy Tax

In June of 2009, the House of Representatives narrowly passed H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act. This bill proposed a cap and trade system to regulate greenhouse gas emissions through what would effectively be a national energy tax.  The Senate did not pass related legislation, effectively ending the bill’s chances of being passed in the legislative process for the time being.

Since that time, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an endangerment finding, stating that carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases represent a public health threat. The EPA has proposed many onerous regulations that will raise prices for consumers and hurt the ability of employers to create jobs.

I oppose efforts to impose these backdoor policies through regulation, and am supportive of efforts to ensure that the EPA cannot circumvent the will of Congress, which has already rejected cap and trade.

Energy prices are a major factor in determining the cost of living and the cost of doing business in a particular location. One of Kentucky’s principle competitive advantages for economic growth is the low cost of our electricity. More than ninety percent of Kentucky’s electricity is produced from coal, allowing Kentucky to have the fourth lowest electricity costs in the U.S. To view a map of how cap and trade legislation would impact Kentucky and other States, click here. 

The Kentucky House and Senate each adopted a resolution that declared their strong opposition to cap and trade legislation. You can view the resolutions here.  Additionally, the legislation was opposed by several organizations, including the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the Kentucky Electric Co-Ops.  You may also read the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s letter by clicking here.

Whether passed by Congress, ordered by the EPA, or imposed by an international treaty, no one denies that climate change legislation will fundamentally alter the foundation of America’s energy and economy and cost billions of dollars in new taxes that families and businesses in coal States like Kentucky will bear the brunt of.  For these reasons and others, I remain stridently opposed to this national energy tax. 

Actions I Have Taken to Oppose Cap and Trade recently in Congress:

• Voted in favor of H.R. 910, the Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011, which would prohibit the EPA from regulating the greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, under the Clean Air Act for the purpose of addressing climate change.
• Voted no on H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, to establish a cap-and-trade national energy tax.
• Joined thirty-one of my colleagues in asking President Obama not to sign an international treaty at the Copenhagen Climate Conference that would put a cap on U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
• Introduced H.R. 10, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, which would require that Congress must affirmatively approve every new Major Rule proposed by the executive branch before it can be enforced on the American people.  This would prevent current and future administrations from bypassing Congress to impose cap and trade policies through regulation.

I will continue to oppose cap and trade and other job-killing energy policies as I fight for a commonsense energy plan that will put our country on a path to a cleaner, more reliable energy future.

Click the video to watch Congressman Davis slam cap and trade energy tax legislation on the House floor.

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