[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 91 (Thursday, June 17, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H4600]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  OIL SPILL NOT AN EXCUSE TO KILL JOBS

  (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, the horrific environmental and economic 
damage in the gulf continues, but it seems like the administration 
wants to move on to other things before the leak is stopped and the oil 
cleaned up. The President spent a significant part of his speech 
Tuesday night talking about imposing new costs on energy and cap-and-
trade climate legislation.
  We all know how important it is to have less dependence on fossil 
fuels, especially from foreign sources, and encourage clean energy 
production. The question is whether we do that by imposing new costs on 
the American people because of global warming. We should not impose new 
taxes on energy just based on the hope that clean energy will become 
more cost feasible.
  I don't have to remind anyone that we have unemployment near 10 
percent. Making it more expensive to run factories and small businesses 
will not bring back jobs.
  We certainly need clean energy, and I've been proud to see sensible 
solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric projects move forward in my 
district. What we don't need are job-killing taxes on what BP chairman 
calls the ``small people'' that will make it even more difficult to 
recover jobs not only along the gulf coast but across our Nation.

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