House Passes Comprehensive Energy Legislation
On April 21, 2005, the full United States House of Representatives approved by a widely bipartisan vote of 249-183 legislation that would establish the nation's first energy policy in decades (H.R. 6). Representative Todd Platts voted in favor of this legislation.
H.R. 6 would invest significant amounts in the research and development of renewable and alternative energy sources. For example, $4 billion would be provided for the development of cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells and hundreds of millions for hybrid vehicles, "Clean Cites and School Buses" funding would be provided for state and local governments to acquire alternative-fueled cars and buses, and grants would be provided to the owners of facilities that depend on "biomass"-ie., renewable, organic sources like crops and animal waste-for energy needs. In addition, H.R. 6 would require a 20% reduction in federal building energy use by 2015, require at least 7.5% of all energy used by federal agencies to come from renewable sources, nearly triple the use of ethanol in fuel by 2012, and provide tax incentives for energy efficient homes.
Other provisions in H.R. 6 would: address supply disruptions which have occurred in certain regions of the country due to the government-mandated use of specialized gasoline formulations; streamline the process for creating new oil refineries in areas with high unemployment (no new oil refineries have been built in the United States since 1976); and allow faster tax depreciation for certain investments in energy infrastructure. Finally, H.R. 6 would permit oil and natural gas exploration on 2,000 acres-out of a total of 19.6 million-in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Department of Interior would be required to ensure through regulations and leasing conditions that the energy exploration has no significant adverse impact on the environment.
At the time of OPEC's first oil embargo over 30 years ago, America was 30% dependent on foreign oil. Today, that number has doubled to an all-time high of 60%. Meanwhile, gas prices and other energy costs have risen across the nation.
Representative Platts referenced taking a tour of a large employer in the 19th Congressional District whose natural gas bill had more than doubled in recent years, increasing its cost to manufacture its goods by more than $10 million. "Such an increase dramatically impacts this company's ability to remain competitive in today's world economy," Representative Platts said. "Only a comprehensive approach to energy-one that promotes conservation and alternative energy sources while also recognizing the role that traditional energy sources play in our economy-can increase energy supplies enough to make a difference to America's consumers, employers, and national security."
An amendment was offered to the bill to increase fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks from 25 miles per gallon to 33 miles per gallon (H. Amdt. 73), thereby decreasing America's total gasoline consumption by 10% overall. This amendment failed by a vote of 177-254. Representative Platts voted in favor of this amendment. His statement on the House floor in favor of the amendment can be found at www.house.gov/apps/list/speech/pa19_platts/conserve.html.
H.R. 6 is now pending in the Senate. Both the House and the Senate passed comprehensive energy legislation last session, but a final compromise agreement could not be reached.
Web Page Highlights http://www.house.gov/platts
Shuster-Platts Legislation to Honor Local Heroic Soldier
Representatives Bill Shuster and Todd Platts introduced legislation to Name the "Randall D. Shughart U.S. Post Office Building."
The Month in Review
The following is a list of some key votes taken by the United States House of Representatives during the month of April of 2005:
MTBE Liability (Roll Call 129)
The House voted 213-219 against a motion to strike a "safe harbor" provision in H.R. 6 (above) for the manufacturers of MTBE, a gasoline additive which has been found to contaminate ground water. The "safe harbor" provision would completely shield MTBE manufacturers from liability in defective product liability lawsuits. Supporters of the motion to strike argued that the costs for cleaning-up MTBE leaks would otherwise fall on local water suppliers. Representative Platts voted in favor of the motion to strike and therefore against including the MTBE "safe harbor" in the bill.
Ethics Rules (H. Res. 240)
The House adopted 406-20 a resolution restoring three House ethics rules which were eliminated by the Rules Committee when Congress re-convened at the beginning of the year. Significantly, the restored ethics rules require an automatic subcommittee investigation in the event that the Ethics Committee-which consists of five Republicans and five Democrats-remains deadlocked over a complaint after 45 days. Representative Platts voted in favor of this resolution.
The Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (H.R. 748)
The House voted 270-157 to pass a bill prohibiting anyone from taking a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion in violation of a state parental consent law. Currently, 23 states (including Pennsylvania) enforce laws that require the consent or notification of at least one parent, or court authorization, before a minor can obtain an abortion. Representative Platts voted in favor of this resolution.
Budget Resolution (H. Con. Res. 95)
The House voted 218-214 to adopt a budget resolution which proposes to decrease non-entitlement, non-security related spending by 0.8%. The budget resolution sets an overall spending goal; it does not dictate specific funding or program decisions. Representative Platts voted in favor of this resolution.
Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection (S. 256)
The House voted 302-126 to pass a bill to prevent debtors with incomes above their state median from misusing Chapter 7 of the bankruptcy code, under which debts are erased altogether. S. 256 would not prevent anybody from filing under Chapter 13 of the bankruptcy code, in which a new repayment plan can be ordered. Representative Platts voted in favor of this legislation, and President George W. Bush signed the measure into law on April 20, 2005.
Disaster Mitigation Payments (H.R. 1134)
The House voted without objection to approve a bill which makes disaster mitigation payments tax exempt. President Bush signed the measure into law on April 15, 2005.
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