Energy/Environment

The House on Tuesday night rejected three Democratic amendments to a bill that would set firm deadlines by which the Department of the Interior would have to accept or reject Gulf of Mexico drilling permits.

The first amendment to H.R. 1229, from Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), would require safety reviews of all drilling permits to ensure they comply with all safety and environmental laws. Republicans said this is duplicative and unnecessary, and it was rejected in a 167-245 vote in which three Republicans voted for it, and 15 Democrats voted against it.

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) on Tuesday accused the Obama administration of favoring political allies when making decisions related to the granting of federal disaster aid.

In comments on the House floor, Gohmert cited the administration's decision not to declare Texas as a major disaster area due to wildfires there, and argued that this decision was based on politics.

"We know that you can have 500,000 acres burn and be a disaster area," Gohmert said. "You can have two million in Texas — they won't come to your help because this administration is partisan and bitterly so. But it's time for this administration to quit playing political games and help people where they need it in our own country, on our own coast."

Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) said Tuesday that the Obama administration had an "irrational" reaction to last year's Deepwater Horizon oil spill, by slowing oil drilling permits and hurting U.S. energy production and jobs.

"The cost of the irrational reaction by this administration to what is in essence a mechanical failure of a blowout preventer is horrific as measured in unemployed families, higher energy prices, lost business to shops throughout that region, and lost royalties to nation's Treasury," McClintock said on the House floor. "It's said that the economic damage done by this administration's response to the oil spill could be far greater than that done by the oil spill itself, and I believe it."

House Democrats on Tuesday indicated they would continue to press an alternative plan for lowering gas prices that relies not on more drilling for energy resources, but on reduced oil consumption and a shift to renewable energy.

"Energy independence is going to depend on reducing our oil consumption and shifting to domestic forms of energy like wind, solar, biofuels and gas," Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said on the House floor shortly after noon.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) signaled Monday that the Senate would soon turn to a controversial piece of legislation to do away with billions of dollars in tax breaks for large oil producers and increase breaks for clean-energy producers.

As Reid welcomed Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) to the Senate Monday afternoon. he noted the upper chamber would soon have opportunities to "make tough choices" and referred to the upcoming energy legislation.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday accused Democrats of trying to use the same failed plans that President Carter used in the 1970s to address the energy crisis, and said they should focus on increased domestic energy production to lower gas prices rather than taxing energy companies.

"Just like Carter before them, today's Democrats are using the crisis of the moment as an excuse to push their own vision of the future with a windfall profits tax on energy companies," McConnell said on the Senate floor.

House Republicans and Democrats introduced separate energy bills on Thursday that reveal the parties are still split on how to lower gas prices.

Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) introduced the Taxpayer and Gas Price Relief Act, H.R. 1748, which incorporates many of the ideas Democrats raised in Thursday's debate on a bill requiring the administration to conduct a handful of offshore lease sales. (The House adjourned until next week after passing that bill, and the Senate is also out until next week.)

The House on Thursday passed H.R. 1230, which would require the Department of the Interior to conduct four specified lease sales for offshore oil drilling.

Members approved the bill in a 266-149 vote. While several Democrats objected to the bill on the House floor, 33 Democrats supported it in the final vote, and only two Republicans voted against it.

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) on Thursday promised that his committee would soon take up legislation that would adjust revenue sharing among states for oil drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

Hastings made the pledge on the House floor in a colloquy with Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), in which he said changes to OCS revenue sharing would "absolutely be a focus and a priority."

"The committee will continue to move forward on an array of bills that will be introduced in advance as part of the American energy initiative," Hastings said. "Coming soon will be bills focused on expanding renewable energy, offshore production, onshore production, hydropower, coal, critical minerals and revenue sharing.

The White House said drilling legislation on the House floor would “undercut” reforms established after the BP spill.