Taking Responsibility for our Energy Future

Taking Responsibility for our Energy Future
As Americans continue to face a challenging economy and record-high gas prices – and the top five oil companies rake in huge profits every quarter – House Republicans are working to increase offshore drilling and continue the most egregious subsidies to the oil industry. This week, House Republicans passed 3 bills to expand offshore drilling nationwide—including off of our California coastline.

If we end the tax breaks to the big five oil companies, we could save $32 billion over 10 years. Last week, we gave our colleagues across the aisle a chance to vote to end these subsidies, but they said no. Eight times this year, we have given them a chance, and eight times they have voted against holding the oil industry accountable and providing relief to consumers.

On Wednesday, House Democrats introduced two new measures to responsibly and safely expand the production of American energy, and invest in our clean energy future.

The Increasing American Energy Production Now Act:

* Enacts the recommendations of the bipartisan BP Oil Spill Commission
* Sets benchmarks for oil and gas development on federal property
* Imposes fees on oil and gas companies who sit on drilling leases without producing any energy

The Building Our Clean Energy Future Now Act:

* Ends taxpayer-funded subsidies for the major oil companies
* Uses some of those funds to increase the use of American-made clean energy and reduce our dependence on foreign oil

America must take responsibility for our own energy future, and we must invest in clean, safe, renewable, and reliable alternatives to power our homes and businesses, and create jobs. This plan strengthens the production of American-made energy and offers a path toward energy independence and economic growth.

Working for a Fair Path to Citizenship
Last year, the Democratic House passed the DREAM Act with a bipartisan vote; it faced obstruction in the Senate, but would have given hundreds of thousands of young people brought to our country without a choice the chance to earn legal status.

With this week’s reintroduction of the DREAM Act in the House and Senate, we have another chance to take the first step towards enactment of comprehensive immigration reform. The DREAM Act strengthens our economy and our military, and honors our American values.

For the hundreds of thousands of young people who contribute to our country, and who are counting on us to bring them out of the shadows, we cannot allow another year to go by without the DREAM Act becoming law.

Please feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my Web site. I am also on Twitter https://twitter.com/NancyPelosi.