How They Voted: Clean Energy Gets a Jumpstart from the House!
congresswatch | Energy | Statewide
During its first few weeks in the new session of Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives passed (by a vote of 264 Yea - 163 Nay) the Clean Energy Act of 2007 (HR 6), as part of its "Six for ‘06" bills up for consideration during the House’s first 100 legislative hours.
H.R. 6 garnered strong support from a variety of environmental and conservation organizations. The bill states its purpose as: “To reduce our Nation's dependency on foreign oil by investing in clean, renewable, and alternative energy resources, promoting new emerging energy technologies, developing greater efficiency, and creating a Strategic Energy Efficiency and Renewables Reserve to invest in alternative energy, and for other purposes.” (read the actual legislation here)
This legislation is a solid first step toward a balanced energy future that steers the U.S. toward more reliance on efficiency and clean technologies, by closing tax loopholes for big oil companies, and recovering royalties from oil and gas produced in public waters.
H.R. 6 establishes a "clean energy fund" that creates incentives for, and investments in, energy efficient and renewable power technologies. These funds promote the:
Representative Denny Rehberg voted against H.R. 6! Contact Rep. Rehberg and ask him to explain why he voted against H.R. 6 - and why he is ignoring America’s need for clean, reliable energy. Ask Rep. Rehberg what he plans to do to help solve the Nation’s energy crisis.
Now it is up to the Senate to follow the House’s lead. Please contact Sen. Max Baucus and Sen. Jon Tester and urge them to support a balanced energy future for the U.S., by supporting this bill in the Senate.
During its first few weeks in the new session of Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives passed (by a vote of 264 Yea - 163 Nay) the Clean Energy Act of 2007 (HR 6), as part of its "Six for ‘06" bills up for consideration during the House’s first 100 legislative hours.H.R. 6 garnered strong support from a variety of environmental and conservation organizations. The bill states its purpose as: “To reduce our Nation's dependency on foreign oil by investing in clean, renewable, and alternative energy resources, promoting new emerging energy technologies, developing greater efficiency, and creating a Strategic Energy Efficiency and Renewables Reserve to invest in alternative energy, and for other purposes.” (read the actual legislation here)
This legislation is a solid first step toward a balanced energy future that steers the U.S. toward more reliance on efficiency and clean technologies, by closing tax loopholes for big oil companies, and recovering royalties from oil and gas produced in public waters.
H.R. 6 establishes a "clean energy fund" that creates incentives for, and investments in, energy efficient and renewable power technologies. These funds promote the:
- construction of wind and solar energy power generation facilities
- manufacturing of more energy efficient appliances, equipment and buildings
- purchase of hybrid and fuel efficient cars and trucks
According to the League of Conservation Voters, (www.lcv.org) financial resources for this fund will derive from the elimination of more than $13 billion in subsidies and tax breaks that benefit the same oil and gas companies that made record profits over the past few years. The bill also provides a strong incentive for oil companies to renegotiate offshore drilling leases signed in 1998 and 1999 that provided unlimited royalty relief to them. It repeals several royalty relief provisions authorized in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and strikes several recently enacted tax loopholes.
Representative Denny Rehberg voted against H.R. 6! Contact Rep. Rehberg and ask him to explain why he voted against H.R. 6 - and why he is ignoring America’s need for clean, reliable energy. Ask Rep. Rehberg what he plans to do to help solve the Nation’s energy crisis.
Now it is up to the Senate to follow the House’s lead. Please contact Sen. Max Baucus and Sen. Jon Tester and urge them to support a balanced energy future for the U.S., by supporting this bill in the Senate.
For more information about this issue, please visit:
| League of Conservation Voters | http://www.lcv.org |
| The Wilderness Society | http://www.wilderness.org |
| Sierra Club | http://www.sierraclub.org |
| National Wildlife Federation | http://www.nwf.org |
| Natural Resources Defense Council |
