[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 68 (Tuesday, May 5, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H5104-H5105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CAP-AND-TRADE EXEMPTIONS

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, in the past, my colleagues on the other side 
of the aisle railed against the Bush administration for an energy 
policy they say was written by energy lobbyists and rewarded oil and 
gas industry companies. Now that they control both the Congress and the 
White House, that type of behavior which they railed against now seems 
to be acceptable.

[[Page H5105]]

  The cap-and-trade legislation being considered in the Energy and 
Commerce Committee is based on a blueprint of a plan put forward by a 
coalition of outside groups called USCAP. USCAP claims to favor 
government regulation of greenhouse gasses; yet, one of the leading 
members of the group will receive a generous exemption in the 
legislation to build new coal power plants without the onerous 
restrictions that will prevent others from building.
  The majority are allowing industry members to write legislation that 
benefits them in exchange for supporting their cap-and-tax plan that 
will raise energy prices for all Americans. That is hypocritical and 
it's unethical.

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