Republicans Call for House's Return

Press Release

Republicans call for House's return

Musgrave and others want lawmakers to vote on an oil drilling bill.

By Anne C. Mulkern

The Denver Post

Continuing to push the energy issue, two dozen Republicans, including one from Colorado, occupied the House chamber Monday and demanded that Congress return from a summer break to vote on an oil drilling bill.

The Republicans want Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to call the House back into session from the five-week break that began Friday.

"I'm back here today because I believe our work was not done," said Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Fort Morgan.

The Republicans invited tourists to fill the House chamber as witnesses, Cox News reported. The Democratic majority has turned off microphones and C-SPAN cameras.

Pelosi's office in a statement said that Republicans have rejected numerous energy proposals including tax credits for renewable energy, releasing some oil from the strategic reserve and a bill aimed at cracking down on speculators.

The Republican plan, Pelosi said, would ruin beaches, give oil companies more record profits and do nothing to immediately lower gas prices.

Musgrave was in Colorado over the weekend but returned Sunday night to the Capitol.

In a call with reporters, Musgrave said that she supports increased drilling and renewable energy. But she has opposed a Democratic proposal to fund those by ending tax incentives for oil companies.

"I don't think that's going to bring us any relief," she said.

She discounted projections that new oil drilling would do little to lower gas prices, since that oil would not be available for five to 10 years.

"I think it would lower the prices because we saw what happened with the president lifting the ban (on offshore drilling)," she said. "The prices came down immediately."

Musgrave has a bill that would allow new offshore drilling and put a third of profits toward renewable energy research and development.

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