Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) today voted against a reckless energy policy, which would open up our nation's coastline to oil drilling without the proper safety and environmental regulations in place. The Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act (H.R. 1230) passed the House on a vote of 266-149.
"The lesson learned from the tragic and disastrous Deepwater Horizon explosion over a year ago was the importance of safety and environmental rules," said Davis. "Lax enforcement resulted in the loss of eleven lives and the worst environmental crisis in decades. Before moving forward with the proposed lease sales, we must make sure with the regulatory part is right."
In response to the disaster, President Obama suspended drilling until a review of the regulations and the enforcement of those rules took place. The bill approved by the House would ignore those rules and allow drilling to move forward on leases in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Virginia.
In addition to voting for safety and environmental protection, Davis voted for a Democratic proposal to eliminate tax breaks for the five largest oil companies -- saving $31 billion over ten years. The bill, which was opposed by the majority, would also ensure that oil companies are paying the royalties they owe to the American taxpayers and hold the oil industry accountable for price gouging.
Source: http://www.house.gov/susandavis/press/pr050511.shtml
