March 29, 2011 Dear Colleague, House Republicans’ American Energy Initiative is an ongoing effort to expand American energy production to create American jobs and to stop the Obama Administration policies that are raising energy prices. As Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, I’m focused on increasing energy production offshore and on federal lands. Today, I am introducing three… Read more »

January 12, 2011 Earmark Moratorium Applies to Bills Referred to Natural Resources Committee   Dear Colleague: It is important for all Members to recognize that the moratorium on earmarks applies to matters and bills referred to the Natural Resources Committee. If you are preparing or writing a bill that falls within the jurisdiction of the Natural Resources Committee, please… Read more »

Read the full Dear Colleague HERE. CLEAR Act’s $22 Billion Energy Tax Kills American Jobs, Helps Foreign Oil, Costs Taxpayers Billions in Court Fees The CLEAR Act imposes a new energy tax costing $22 billion over ten years – with the taxes eventually climbing to nearly $3 billion per year. Specifically, it creates a new $2 per barrel of oil and 20 cents per million BTU of natural gas… Read more »

July 29, 2010 Democrats’ Offshore Oil Spill Bill Makes Significant Changes to Onshore Energy Leasing Increases onshore energy taxes, threatens onshore energy jobs Dear Colleague: In yet another example of House Democrats exploiting the oil spill to pass unrelated legislation, the CLEAR Act (H.R. 3534) makes fundamental changes to onshore federal energy leasing. This will not only… Read more »

CLEAR Act: "House Democrats should ask themselves if they are about to vote for a bill that is simply a setup to enact a cap-and-trade tax into law." White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs kept the dream of a cap-and-trade national energy tax alive this week by confirming that it’s still not too late to exploit the tragedy in the Gulf in order to push through this job-killing measure.… Read more »

Read the full Dear Colleague HERE. A hallmark of this Democrat controlled Congress has been the dramatic increase in spending, and they keep that tradition going strong with the CLEAR Act. The bill includes an over $30 billion increase in new, mandatory spending over the next 30 years for programs that are completely unrelated to the oil spill. Even more egregious, Democrats have added… Read more »

Although the House is expected to vote tomorrow on “oil spill” legislation (The CLEAR Act), things aren’t going as well over on the other side of the Capitol. According to The Hill: “Senate Democrats and Republicans appear on a collision course that would sink chances of passing oil-spill and energy legislation amid disagreements over both substance and process.” House Democrats must be… Read more »

Basic Facts on the CLEAR Act (H.R. 3534) The CLEAR Act is being sold as a response to the Gulf oil spill crisis, yet the bill itself stretches far beyond addressing this tragedy to include page after page of provisions that are unrelated to the oil spill, will kill American jobs, and are premature by acting before Congress has the full facts from the numerous ongoing investigations… Read more »

VOTE NO ON AMENDMENT #2 to SUPPLEMENTAL Amendment #2 Allows Interior Dept. to Divert Money Away from Border Patrol to Buy Up Private Land Democrats attach “extortion” provision to Troop Funding Bill Dear Colleague, Amendment #2 of the FY 2010 Supplemental Appropriations bill contains a provision allowing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to transfer funds to the Department of… Read more »

Read the full Dear Colleague HERE. May 24, 2010 Amendment to Tax Extenders Bill Aims to Improve Cobell Indian Settlement Agreement Reflects five improvements sought by Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (AK, CA, ID, MT, OR and WA) Dear Colleague:                 Today I filed an amendment with the Rules… Read more »