RELEASE: Did Zack Space Even Read the Bill Before Voting?

Release:

Mt. Vernon, OH – Before even seeing the "Drill Nothing" Congress' latest sham no-energy "energy" bill, Rep. Zack Space (D-Dover) proclaimed in a press release that the legislation was "a huge victory for American energy independence" and said that "drilling must be" part of a strategy.

Either he didn't read the bill or he's hoping that no one in the 18th Congressional District will.

The Washington Post reported that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had this to say before the U.S. House of Representatives voted on the bill:

"We're not trying to give incentives to drill, we're giving incentives to invest in renewables and natural gas that will take us where we need to go." (Washington Post, 9/17/08)

So the person who drafted the bill in secret, away from the eyes of Americans, who overwhelmingly want a comprehensive energy strategy that includes exploring for oil and natural gas in Alaska, the Intermountain West and off our coasts, said that drilling wasn't actually part of the deal.

Here's what the bill doesn't do:

It doesn't give coastal states any incentives to allow drilling off their shores because the federal government will take 100 percent of the drilling profits.

It doesn't reduce the coal excise tax in 2013, instead pushing the reduction from $1.10 per ton from underground mines and 55 cents per ton from surface mines to 50 cents per ton for underground and 25 cents per ton from surface to 2018.

It does not promote the development of advanced clean coal and coal-to-liquid technology.

It does not repeal the prohibition on government contracting for alternative fuels, such as coal-to-liquids.

It keeps 10.4 billion barrels of oil in a remote Arctic coastal plain, 2 trillion barrels of American oil shale in the Intermountain West, and 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the ocean stuck under lock and key.

The bill does, however, provide $750 million in both 2008 and 2009 to big cities to subsidize public transit costs, leaving rural commuters and students to fight over just $100 million in each year.

Here's what others are saying about the "Drill Nothing" bill from the "Drill Nothing" Congress:

Rep. Gene Green (D-TX), co-sponsor of the bill: "I do not believe our bill goes far enough to address all of our domestic energy resources, especially nuclear energy …" (Speech, U.S. House of Representatives, 9/16/08)

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA): "It's dead on arrival in the Senate. … The Senate will never pass a bill without revenue sharing, in my view." (Congress Daily, 9/15/08)

Newark (Ohio) Advocate Editorial: "Too bad the bill has so many other stipulations on it that even if it became law it seems like it would do little good. … States affected would have to say yes to drilling – that makes sense. But the bill doesn't provide any financial incentives; the feds won't share with the states fees (taxes) they get from oil companies to drill." (9/18/08)

Charleston (WV) Daily Mail Editorial: "A drilling bill that does nothing. … Pelosi's plan is a slap in the faces of Americans. … Americans need to be as independent of foreign oil producers as possible. The public sees that. Yet Democrats refuse to pursue policies that will increase American oil production." (9/18/08)

Investor's Business Daily Editorial: "House Democrats have passed an 'oil drilling bill' that bans drilling where most of the oil is. … But Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling, the Republicans' Study Committee chairman, correctly called the bill 'a sham' with no provision addressing the dire need for construction of new oil refineries, 'no clean coal, no energy exploration in arctic Alaska, no nuclear energy and – if you read it – no exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf.'" (9/18/08)

The Waynesboro News Virginian Editorial: "Proving that both the gods and Congress are against us, Democrats step forward this week in the wake of Ike's battering of Texas with proposals to lift offshore drilling while leaving the shackles in place. … States would not get a share of royalties …" (9/18/08)

New Hampshire Union Leader Editorial: "Pelosi & Co.'s phony bill … Democrats in the U.S. House want you to think that they support expanded drilling for oil and natural gas. They don't. Their votes on Tuesday proved it. … This bill is a total fraud. The people will remember that Nancy Pelosi and her puppets blocked every proposal this year to expand drilling for oil and natural gas, adjourned for a five-week recess while oil was near $4 a gallon and only got around to acting at all on the issue a mere two weeks before the drilling ban was set to expire and seven weeks before the election. (9/18/08)

The Los Angeles Times Editorial: "House Democrats' push for expanded offshore oil and gas drilling was more about electoral positioning than drilling, aimed at convincing voters that the party shares their pain at the pump." (Editorial, 9/17/08)

Congressional Quarterly: "… Democratic leaders hope the legislation will provide political cover for moderate members of their caucus in competitive districts." (9/16/08)