From the Chairman
Although President Obama has talked lately about an “all of the above” energy strategy, he doesn’t actually have one. Right now, his energy policy can be summed up as: cash for cronies at Solyndra; restricting access to America’s abundant energy resources; and preventing construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which could bring our economy thousands of new jobs and transport 830,000 barrels of oil a day.
Oil production on private and state-owned land – land beyond the federal government’s grip – grew 14% last year. At the exact same time, production on federal land fell 11%. Gas prices have nearly doubled since Obama’s inauguration, and energy analysts predict that more Americans than ever before will pay $5.00 per gallon this year.
The President’s response to soaring gas prices is to shrug his shoulders and say, “There’s not much we can do.” And his Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has actually called for raising gas prices to European levels. Italians currently pay about $9.00 per gallon!
This isn’t the energy policy Americans deserve. Aggressively increasing our energy production will help lower gas prices and create more jobs. To do it, we must unlock more areas for exploration, cut through the red tape that slows production, and green light common sense projects like the Keystone XL pipeline.
The smart and responsible path to American energy security is clear, and the Republican Study Committee’s Jobs Through Growth Act shows the way. We quite literally cannot afford to wait.
God Bless,
Congressman Jim Jordan
Chairman, Republican Study Committee
RSC Media Activity – RSC members work hard to ensure that the conservative viewpoint is well-represented in all corners of the media. Visit our Media Center for more.
- · Rep. Tom Graves (GA-09): Let States Keep Highway Funds; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 20.
- · Rep. Renee Ellmers (NC-02): Flip-flop or Not, Freedom Attacked; The Fayetteville Observer, February 20.
- · Rep. Ted Poe (TX-02): Government is Now a Villain to Religion; Human Events, February 24.
- · Rep. Sam Graves (MO-06): JOBS Act Will Boost Small Business; The Washington Examiner, February 24.
Outlook – A quick look at what’s on the horizon.
- · On Monday, the House will debate H.R. 1433, the Private Property Rights Protection Act. This bill preserves the constitutional protections for private property jeopardized by the Supreme Court’s 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of New London.
- · On Tuesday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will release a new report on waste & duplication in government programs. A similar report released one year ago found up to $200 billion worth of wasteful and duplicative spending.
- · Also on Tuesday, the House will vote on H.R. 665, the Excess Federal Building and Property Disposal Act.
- · On Wednesday, the Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Health will markup legislation to repeal one of the most controversial aspects of ObamaCare – the Independent Payment Advisory Board.
· Sec. of Energy Steven Chu, Attorney General Eric Holder, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Sec. of HHS Kathleen Sebelius, Sec. of State Hillary Clinton, and Sec. of Defense Leon Panetta, HUD Sec. Shaun Donovan, and Interior Sec. Ken Salazar will appear before various committees in the House and Senate this week.
RSC Reports
- · RSC Staff recently compiled a Policy Brief detailing the President’s FY 2013 Budget.
- · Stay up to date on budget and spending news with reports from the RSC Budget and Spending Task Force.
- · Check out the RSC Sunset Caucus’ work to shrink the size of government and the Repeal Task Force’s work to eliminate bad laws and regulations.
- · House rules now require sponsors of legislation to provide a Constitutional Authority Statement that explains how Congress has the constitutionally-derived authority to enact their proposals. Click here to see liberals’ highly questionable attempts.
· Read the RSC Money Monitor to track how bills passed by the House affect budget authorizations, mandatory spending, and federal government revenue.
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