Oklahoma Delegation United Against Obama Backdoor Energy Tax

Press Release

The Oklahoma Congressional delegation today stood in unity against President Obama's backdoor cap-and-trade energy tax with all of the members of the Oklahoma Congressional delegation supporting the Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011, introduced today by U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Representative Fred Upton (R-MI-6), Chairman of the House Energy Committee, has introduced the House version of the bill. U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) is an original cosponsor in the Senate and Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK-1), Vice Chair on the Energy and Power Subcommittee, is an original cosponsor in the House.

The bill stops the Obama EPA's back-door cap-and-trade regulations from taking effect, and thereby:

Protects jobs in America's manufacturing sector;
Protects consumers from higher energy costs;
Puts Congress in charge of the nation's climate change policies; and
Ensures that the public health provisions of the Clean Air Act are preserved.

Boren said: "The EPA has gone unchecked for far too long. Administrator Jackson has tried to legislate rather than take direction from Congress that is elected by the people. I am proud to join my fellow colleagues from Oklahoma in signing on to legislation that will allow the people to have a voice in their government."

Inhofe said: "As the price of gasoline nears $4 a gallon, consumers can't afford to pay for the Obama EPA's back-door cap-and-trade regulations, which will inevitably mean higher prices for gasoline and electricity. The Energy Tax Prevention Act protects consumers and their budgets. Further, the Energy Tax Prevention Act also imposes accountability. It takes power away from unelected bureaucrats and puts it where it belongs: in Congress, where the people can and should decide the nation's climate change policy."

Sullivan said: "As the Vice Chairman of the Subcommittee that will review this bill in the House, I look forward to working with Chairman Upton and Senator Inhofe to move this legislation forward to strip the EPA of its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, something the Clean Air Act was never intended to do. The Obama Administration is determined to push a job killing national energy tax on the American people -- which would be particularly devastating to a leading energy producing state like Oklahoma -- and I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the Inhofe-Upton bill and to join my colleagues in this important effort to rein in an out of control EPA."

Cole said: "With the volatile situation in the Middle East threatening catastrophic gas price increases, the last thing we need to do is raise energy costs ourselves through crippling regulations. The EPA's plan to implement cap and trade circumvents both Congress and the wishes of the American people. The Energy Tax Prevention Act would prevent this terrible policy from destroying jobs and raising energy costs, and I join Sen. Inhofe and the entire Oklahoma congressional delegation in strong support of this important legislation."

Lucas said: "The EPA's rush to regulate greenhouse gases is nothing more than a national energy tax, and the effects will be far-reaching to businesses, consumers, and even more so to rural America. Whether it's the fuel in the tractor, the fertilizer for the crops, or the delivery of food to the grocery store, agriculture uses a great deal of energy throughout production. I am proud to join my colleagues in this effort."

Lankford said: "We cannot penalize traditional energy sources while we wait more than 20 years for sufficient quantities of alternative energy sources to come online, yet the EPA seems to think that depriving American oil and natural gas producers of jobs and more capital will somehow help power our cars and heat our homes. These back door cap-and-trade regulations and taxes are not the key to prosperity. It is in the best interest of our state and our country for Congress to reclaim its authority from unelected bureaucracies and begin to craft a domestic energy policy that utilizes all the tremendous resources our nation possesses."