but if it pases the senate... bush will veto! discuss
http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/16/news/economy/energy_bill/index.htm
http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/16/news/economy/energy_bill/index.htm
House aproves offshore drilling!
- Thread starter Chris.
- Start date
You oversimplified your statement. There's more to it than saying "House approves offshore drilling but Bush will veto it"
You're a dumbass. Oil companies could make MORE money drilling in the states.
Washington (Platts)--16Sep2008
The US House of Representatives passed an energy bill along party lines
Tuesday night that would open broad new areas of the Outer Continental Shelf
to oil and natural gas drilling.
The measure would also roll back tax incentives for major oil companies
and direct the savings toward renewable energy tax credit extensions.
The vote drew only Republicans. It came after a vote on a bipartisan
energy bill (H.R. 6709) that would have made all of the OCS available for oil
and natural gas production, released oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve,
and made investments in nuclear, coal and renewable technologies.
The Democratic bill (H.R. 6899), which will now be sent to the US Senate,
was crafted by Democrats under the auspices of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It faces
an uphill battle in the Senate, where it will be one of four competing bills
the leadership hopes to bring to the floor in the next week.
On the House floor, Republicans called the bill a useless exercise.
Partisan division in both chambers and a tight schedule mean the measure has a
slim chance of becoming law between now and September 26, when Congress is
scheduled to finish for the year. Republican members said on the floor
that Democrats were trying to provide their members political coverage because
drilling has proven to be so popular among US voters.
Democrats, in turn, suggested that Republicans were choosing a useful
political issue over good policy. Though the bill was drafted exclusively by
Democrats, its proponents billed it as a compromise.
"I don't think a single one of us is happy with every single provision in
this bill. I know I'm not, but I also know that that's the price of a good
compromise, and making good compromises is our business," Majority Leader
Steny Hoyer of Maryland said.
The Democratic bill would allow drilling beyond 100 miles from shore, and
50 miles from shore if adjacent states agree. The one offshore area that would
remain under federal moratorium is the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
The measure would also rescind a manufacturing tax credit for major
integrated oil companies, put $18 billion into extending renewable energy tax
credits that are set to expire at the end of this year, and pressure holders
of royalty-free minerals leases in the Gulf of Mexico to renegotiate with the
federal government to pay royalties.
The bill would also allow the Department of Interior to continue its
Royalty in Kind program only if doing so was in the fiduciary interest of the
federal government, and attempt to toughen ethics standards at DOI.
The measure revives a federal renewable energy standard that was cut from
last year's major energy bill, the Energy Independence and Security Act. This
would require private utilities to derive 15% of their output from renewable
industries such as wind, solar, and geothermal power. Efficiency measures
could be used to satisfy a portion of the standard.
The measure would step up development requirements for existing leases,
or require leaseholders to surrender them. It would require DOI to hold an
annual lease sale for Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve and provide that no
Alaskan oil could be sold outside the US.
The bill drew wide support from the Democratic caucus, even from members
of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and representatives of oil
states. Conservative Democrats saw it as a starting point.
"I wouldn't vote for this bill if it came back down and this was a
conference bill," said Representative Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, who
sponsored the Republican compromise amendment. Abercrombie was involved in
drafting H.R. 6899 and, in the end, voted against his own bill Tuesday night.
The Hawaii congressman asked his colleagues to support the leadership
measure. "The American people aren't going to say the Democrats showed up the
Republicans or the Republicans sure showed up the Democrats. They're going to
blame all of us," he said.
But Republicans expressed anger that Democrats had given them no chance
to participate in drafting the bill. The also protested that it would not
share revenues from fees and royalties with adjacent states, would ban
drilling within 50 miles of shore and lacked provisions for nuclear energy.
"We all know that its an political gimmick," said Alaska Republican
Don Young. "Its not going to become law."
cliff notes?
If he vetoes I'm voting him out this election cycle.
lolwut?If he vetoes I'm voting him out this election cycle.
translation? wats it mean for us?
Nothing because it will never make it into law. It would have to pass the senate and the president and only has until Sept. 26 to do so.
President Bush needs to stop treating the country as his own toy. That motherfucker works for us. We let him have a title. He is supposed to do what the majority of the country wants, and so far he is failing. His approval rating shows that.
He will veto any bill he doesn't like, because he feels like it. Can't wait for him to be gone.
He will veto any bill he doesn't like, because he feels like it. Can't wait for him to be gone.
its not gay. its a big issue. its been mentioned plenty of times before and has been denied since. so this is big news.
Yes. A! feeble attempt at humor. I guess I fail.
It doesn't have a shot. The only reason it made it through the house is because it was written by the dems, the GOP didn't have anything to do with it.