Just as predicted, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Democrats have decided to skip town without even voting on an oil spill response bill, leaving their House Democrat colleagues to defend their recent vote on the job-killing, new-$22-billion-energy-tax-imposing CLEAR Act (H.R. 3534) during the August recess. This is just another example of House Democrat leadership forcing… Read more »

Today during floor debate on the CLEAR Act, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) emphasized the lost jobs, increased spending and higher taxes that would result from passage of the bill.  He also questioned why an “oil spill response bill” would include a $22 billion energy tax and $30 billion in spending if BP is 100% accountable for paying for the… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) delivered the following statement on the House floor today regarding the Democrats’ CLEAR Act - a bill that would kill jobs, raise taxes and increase spending: Click here to watch the floor speech Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my… Read more »

Statement of Republican Policy Amendment to H.R. 3534, the CLEAR ACT Republican Leader John Boehner America Facing Higher Energy Costs, Fewer Jobs Under Dems’ Energy Bill Boehner: Dems Exploit Gulf Tragedy for Job-Destroying Tax on American Energy House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence Pence Warns of Democrats’ New Job-Killing Energy Bill… Read more »

Gulf Coast Can't Afford CLEAR Disaster By Rep. Bill Cassidy Friday, July 30, 2010 Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) Two man-made disasters have hit the Gulf Coast: the BP oil spill and the President’s moratorium on energy production. A third disaster is scheduled for a vote in the House today. Two hundred twenty-six… Read more »

Gulf Coast Can't Afford CLEAR Disaster The Hill Op-Ed Friday, July 30, 2010 By Rep. Bill Cassidy Two man-made disasters have hit the Gulf Coast: the BP oil spill and the President’s moratorium on energy production.  A third disaster is scheduled for a vote in the House today. Two hundred twenty-six days before the Deepwater Horizon rig collapsed, the Consolidated Land, Energy,… Read more »

A massive federal power grab is included in the Democrat’s CLEAR Act in the form of a provision that requires the federal government to take over energy permitting in state waters. This is in response to the oil spill that occurred in federal waters and was supposed to be regulated by the federal government? It has absolutely nothing to do with states. The mismanagement, corruption and… Read more »

In a move that could further deteriorate the Gulf’s economy, the CLEAR Act would set unlimited liability on offshore operators.  While there is bipartisan agreement on the need for Congress to address and adjust existing liability caps, the unintended consequences of completely eliminating the cap could cost hundreds of thousands of American jobs. Small, independent oil and gas producers… 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… Read more »

The CLEAR Act stretches far beyond the Gulf oil spill and offshore drilling by creating Regional Coordination Councils to implement marine spatial planning or “ocean zoning.”  This could lock-up large portions of the ocean to fishing, energy production and other recreational activities.  The mandatory zoning of oceans could deal a further significant blow to the Gulf region’s economy that… Read more »