LINDER OPPOSES SENATE-MODIFIED VERSION OF H.R. 6
Washington, D.C. - Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Senate-modified version of H.R. 6, an omnibus energy policy package, by a vote of 235-181. Among those legislators who voted against the final compromise legislation was Representative John Linder (GA-07).
"Total energy independence in the next ten years must be our goal. Anything short of that is a failure for the American people, and this bill will not reach that objective."
The final package contains a wide-ranging number of energy policy-related proposals including: requires that fuel economy standards for new cars and trucks be increased to 35 miles per gallon in 2020; repeals roughly $21 billion of existing tax relief for oil and gas companies; mandates that the Federal government substitute energy-efficient light bulbs for incandescent light bulbs; and, requires that all commercial buildings in the United States use "no net energy" by 2050.
"We are to coal what the Middle East is to oil, yet this bill does not even discuss the benefits of converting coal to liquid or allow us to explore our opportunities with oil shale. Instead we have a Government Command and Control bill' that produces no new energy, contains a $21 billion tax increase on oil and gas companies, which will simply be passed through to consumers in the form of higher energy prices. This is truly a misguided bill full of empty solutions, such as establishing tax incentives for people who will buy a bike to ride to work. What is truly unfortunate is that this Democrat-controlled Congress wasted this opportunity to move toward true energy independence by utilizing our abundant domestic energy resources. This bill offers no effective solutions."