Bingaman on Passage of H.R. 6
January 18, 2007
06:40 PM
Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
On Passage of H.R. 6 – The Clean Energy Act of 2007
January 18, 2007
“I congratulate the House of Representatives for acting to remedy the problems caused by the leasing mistakes in the Gulf of Mexico in 1998-1999 and the subsequent lack of action to address those mistakes. I support the principle behind the House bill that funds recovered for taxpayers should be used for energy programs and other purposes consistent with laws we have passed through the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in previous Congresses.
“The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, which I chair, today held its first hearing to investigate the causes and scope of the royalty problems in the Gulf of Mexico. The Committee will look at the House bill, as well as other ways of fixing the problem, and how we will use the funds that we will collect by making our oil tax and royalty programs more effective and fairer to all.
“To expedite matters, I have asked that the House bill be placed directly on the Senate Calendar. I will be working on a bipartisan basis to develop an overall amendment to the House bill that will avoid legal pitfalls and provide a better financial footing for the energy and natural resources programs that are crucial to America’s economic, energy, and environmental future.”
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