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CAES Open Letter to Representatives on OCS Energy Legislation
Dear Representative,
As leaders of the Consumer Alliance for Energy Security, a broad-based, national grassroots organization of consumers, small businesses, manufacturers, farmers and institutional energy users, we commend you for the House’s action on H.R. 4761.
The actions taken in June by the House on H.R. 4761 and in August by the Senate on S. 3711 prove that Congress can address the nation’s crippling energy crisis. Both bills provide expanded access to U.S. energy supplies on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) that can help mitigate the negative impact the current U.S. energy crisis is having on consumers, businesses and governments alike. It is time to finish the job. We have come too far to go away empty handed.
Both H.R. 4761 and S. 3711 would create greater long-term supply certainty than is currently contemplated by the Minerals Management Service (MMS). Both bills will open more than 8 million new acres to energy development in the Gulf of Mexico. The MMS five-year plan might open 2 million new acres. Recent discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico prove that there are greater supplies of American energy than previously estimated.
We write to you today to urge you to complete your work, come to an agreement and send an OCS energy bill to President Bush this month. U.S. consumers can’t win unless a bill is signed by the President. Signing legislation into law that would safely access America’s energy supplies on the OCS is critical to our nation’s security, economy and jobs.
Since the year 2000, we’ve lost more than 3 million good manufacturing jobs as a result of higher U.S. energy prices. The U.S. pays the highest prices in the world for natural gas. And we are the only industrialized nation to put significant amounts of our own abundant energy supplies off limits to exploration. It hurts our global competitiveness, costs jobs and hurts your constituents.
In the face of declining natural gas production, consumers are hungry for a solution to our energy crisis. Both bills break new ground. We believe the pieces are in place to complete legislation that will bring large new quantities of natural gas to market, benefiting U.S. consumers. Congress has a historic opportunity to strengthen America’s energy security and economy. Time is running out. We strongly urge you to get the job done.
Sincerely,
John Engler | Donna Harman, Senior Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs | Jack Gerard | David N. Parker |
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