Griffin: House Passes Bills to Alleviate Propane Shortage, Expand American Energy Production, Encourage Efficiency

Press Release

Congressman Tim Griffin (AR-02) issued the following statement after the House passed several energy related bills this week:

"During harsh winter weather and freezing temperatures, Arkansans have been affected by the national propane shortage and many are worried about the rising cost of heating their homes. I hope the Senate will act quickly on these bills that will help provide relief to all Americans. Expanding American energy production will help grow jobs and make energy more affordable for workers and families. Resources like natural gas and coal are critical to fulfilling our country's energy needs, and while the EPA's excessive and overly burdensome regulations simply do not reflect the reality of folks' pocketbooks, wherever possible we must take reasonable steps to ensure we use our natural resources efficiently and wisely, in environmentally responsible ways."

Rep. Griffin is a cosponsor of The Home Heating Emergency Assistance Through Transportation (HHEATT) Act (H.R. 4076), which would provide regulatory relief to truck drivers delivering propane and other home heating fuels by extending through May 31, 2014, the Department of Transportation's 30-day emergency exemption allowing for longer drive times.

Rep. Griffin is also a cosponsor of the Electricity Security and Affordability Act (H.R. 3826), which would "require that any greenhouse gas standards set by EPA for new coal-fired plants can be achieved by commercial power plants operating in the real world, including highly efficient plants that utilize the most modern, state-of-the-art emissions control technologies," according to the Energy and Commerce Committee. The bill would also allow Congress to "set the effective date for EPA's expected regulations for existing fossil fuel-fired power plants" and "ensure any proposed new greenhouse gas regulations for existing plants would be subject to congressional oversight and review."

Rep. Griffin supported the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act (H.R. 2126), which would "require federal agencies to coordinate with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), DOE, and EPA to develop performance goals for evaluating the efforts of agencies in improving the maintenance, purchase, and use of energy-efficient and energy-saving information technology." It would also require "federally-leased buildings without Energy Star labels disclose their energy usage data" and exempt "certain thermal storage water heaters from regulation under new DOE efficiency standards that are scheduled to go into effect in April, 2015."

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