Vote Against the Bilirakis Amendment to Gut H.R. 4761
• The Bilirakis Amendment would effectively gut the purpose H.R. 4761. The bill is designed to increase production of American made energy to fuel the American economy. Bilirakis undermines the goal of H.R. 4761 by putting as much as 50 percent of potential new energy production from DOER off-limits to use. Supporters of American energy independence and H.R. 4761 should vote this amendment down.
• The United States is in a severe energy crunch. The number of natural gas rigs in production is at its highest point in history and yet domestic natural gas production has declined for four consecutive years. The problem is that production from permitted areas is falling and the solution is to permit exploration in new areas. H.R. 4761 does just that.
• The Bilirakis amendment would remove as much as 50 percent of the acreage that the base text of H.R. 4761 would potentially open for energy production. H.R. 4761 potentially opens 150 miles of ocean to exploration — from 50 miles off shore to the 200-mile international boundary that marks the end of the US OCS. Bilirakis would cut that total in half by permitting exploration in a 75 miles band — from 125 miles to 200 miles.
• The nation’s appetite for natural gas is growing rapidly and Florida is the fastest growing consumer in the nation. Florida’s natural gas consumption for power generation will nearly double in the coming decade. We need to add to the nation’s natural gas reserves, not subtract from them.
• New supplies of natural gas are needed to keep pace with new sources of demand. Alternative sources of energy, including ethanol and hydrogen, and the materials that makes cars, homes and appliances more energy efficient, are made with or from natural gas.
• Florida’s West Coast, presumably the area that Rep. Bilirakis is most eager to protect, will already receive generous protections as a result of adoption of the Miller amendment. The Miller amendment codifies the so-called Military Mission Line and will effectively prohibit new energy exploration up to 234 miles west of Tampa. The West Coast of Florida does not need the protections called for in the Bilirakus Amendment.
• The Bilirakus Amendment is quite literally a giant step in the wrong direction. If you are for more energy independence and for alternative sources of energy then vote against this amendment.
By voting YES on H.R. 4761, the U.S. House of Representatives can reverse a more than 25-year ‘Just Say No’ energy policy. We can safely access the abundant supplies of American energy on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Some estimate that the OCS has enough oil to meet demand for 20 years and enough gas to heat our homes for 20 years. Congress holds the key to ending the current energy crisis in the U.S. VOTE YES ON H.R. 4761 — AMERICA IS COUNTING ON YOUR VOTE. |