April 11, 2003
Washington, DC -- Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) today called HR 6, the House Republican energy bill that passed today, a fulfillment of the fossil-fuel industry's wish list, pointing out that the bill allows polluting industries to continue to dig deep into the earth's finite natural resources while refusing to promote clean, renewable energy resources. The bill increases air pollution by providing tax subsidies to burn solid waste; allows companies to put diesel fuel in drinking water; permits oil and gas development on sensitive coastal lands; and exempts oil and gas drilling sites from water pollution requirements.
The Republican energy plan also provides $18 billion in royalty relief for oil and gas corporations and continues tax havens for companies that have moved offshore.
On the House floor, Lee spoke out against the Republicans' proposal to drill in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). "Instead of investing in the future by developing new, cleaner forms of energy," Lee told her colleagues, "this bill tells us that the answer to America's energy problems lies in the Arctic Refuge."
Lee called such a policy short-sighted: "If we drain every drop of economically recoverable oil out of this wilderness, it will be consumed in 6 months. That's hardly the answer. The Arctic refuge is a fragile ecosystem. If we allow drilling, we will not be able to go back and make it whole."
Lee also opposed drilling in ANWR as a "question of environmental justice and native rights." "Many native tribes oppose drilling," she said. "They know this land is sacred, and they know what drilling will do to it."
Instead of the outdated, fossil-fuel focus, Lee and other Democrats called for clean, renewable energy resources and investments in energy efficiency that would create jobs and improve energy security. Lee said, "We have other, better ways to meet our energy needs, and we need to reform our energy policy in its entirety, rather than continue to rely on technologies that enrich the oil companies while poisoning communities of color and destroying our public health and the global environment."
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Congresswoman Barbara Lee Calls Republican Energy Bill Irresponsible
Condemns Drilling in Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)Washington, DC -- Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) today called HR 6, the House Republican energy bill that passed today, a fulfillment of the fossil-fuel industry's wish list, pointing out that the bill allows polluting industries to continue to dig deep into the earth's finite natural resources while refusing to promote clean, renewable energy resources. The bill increases air pollution by providing tax subsidies to burn solid waste; allows companies to put diesel fuel in drinking water; permits oil and gas development on sensitive coastal lands; and exempts oil and gas drilling sites from water pollution requirements.
The Republican energy plan also provides $18 billion in royalty relief for oil and gas corporations and continues tax havens for companies that have moved offshore.
On the House floor, Lee spoke out against the Republicans' proposal to drill in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). "Instead of investing in the future by developing new, cleaner forms of energy," Lee told her colleagues, "this bill tells us that the answer to America's energy problems lies in the Arctic Refuge."
Lee called such a policy short-sighted: "If we drain every drop of economically recoverable oil out of this wilderness, it will be consumed in 6 months. That's hardly the answer. The Arctic refuge is a fragile ecosystem. If we allow drilling, we will not be able to go back and make it whole."
Lee also opposed drilling in ANWR as a "question of environmental justice and native rights." "Many native tribes oppose drilling," she said. "They know this land is sacred, and they know what drilling will do to it."
Instead of the outdated, fossil-fuel focus, Lee and other Democrats called for clean, renewable energy resources and investments in energy efficiency that would create jobs and improve energy security. Lee said, "We have other, better ways to meet our energy needs, and we need to reform our energy policy in its entirety, rather than continue to rely on technologies that enrich the oil companies while poisoning communities of color and destroying our public health and the global environment."
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