[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 106 (Friday, July 29, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1726-E1727]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 6, ENERGY POLICY ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. CAROLYN C. KILPATRICK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 28, 2005

  Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, despite the President's 
oversell, this bill does nothing to improve our energy independence and 
does little to provide for a cleaner environment. The bill does nothing 
to lower gasoline prices, which are at an all-time high.
  This bill is a corporate giveaway to the largest multinational oil 
companies, coal, utility

[[Page E1727]]

and other energy companies, who stand to receive a windfall of $14.5 
billion in tax breaks over 10 years. Taxpayers are going to subsidize 
billions in loan guarantees to these industries, so the energy industry 
can be free to fail without having to face little financial risk. That 
is a sweet deal.
  With oil selling at $60 a barrel, this bill provides royalty-free 
drilling rights to the multinational oil companies to drill on public 
lands. This is making a sweet deal even sweeter. When the American 
consumer fills his or her car with gasoline selling over $2.30 a 
gallon, they will be secure in knowing that the record profits they are 
paying for big oil are being subsidized further at the expense of their 
tax dollars. Taxpayers are being asked to donate more than $14 billion 
in tax breaks, most of them to the oil and gas companies, the 
utilities, the nuclear industry and the coal industry. That is sweet on 
top of a sweeter deal for Big Oil. The renewable energy and energy 
efficiency industries are left with little.
  The bill preempts the ability of state and local governments to block 
the siting of Liquefied Natural Gas terminal in densely populated urban 
areas. It will weaken environmental protections with new loopholes for 
the oil and gas industry. It will allow the process of hydraulic 
fracturing, which involves injecting diesel fuel into groundwater 
supplied and exempt other industry practices from the Clean Water Act, 
exemptions and the National Environmental Policy Act.
  This bill will authorize exploratory efforts to prepare for oil and 
gas drilling off the Outer Continental Shelf, including areas that are 
currently closed to drilling. One area that I am pleased to report is 
that the bill does ban drilling in the Great Lakes.
  This exercise is an unfortunate one. It is short on helping the 
nation's energy needs and long on subsidizing the oil and gas, nuclear, 
utility, and coal industries. Americans pay more than their fair share 
to support the record profit margins of the energy industry and now 
they are being asked to subsidize those record profits even more. This 
is a bad deal for American consumers. I urge my colleagues to join me 
in voting against the passage of this bill.

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