Yoho Votes To Lower Energy Costs For All Americans

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Ted Yoho (R-FL-03) voted in favor of the Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act of 2014- HR 4899. This bill will responsibly develop our domestic oil and natural gas resources. By expanding our domestic energy production, we will be addressing our rising energy costs and helping create good-paying American jobs. This in turn will strengthen our economy and improve our energy security. The Congressman released the following statement following his vote:

“The increasing cost of energy is hurting American families and standing in the way of job growth. Lowering these costs and getting America closer to energy independence is something I will always support. The energy resources we have been blessed with, both offshore and onshore, have been taken off the table due to the restrictions and red tape of the Obama Administration’s domestic energy policy and foreign policy. Every law, policy, and regulation of the federal government should be aimed at making America stronger and more competitive. This bill does just that.  I owe it to my constituents and the American people to do all I can to lower their energy costs and improve our country’s energy security.”

H.R. 4899 expands U.S energy production and provides families with relief at the pump:

• Increases Offshore Production. Since taking office, President Obama has restricted new offshore energy production, canceled lease sales, and locked-up over 85 percent of our offshore areas. In stark contrast to President Obama’s no-new-drilling, no-new-jobs plan, H.R. 4899 proposes a drill-smart, job-creation plan that would require the Administration to move forward with new offshore energy production in areas containing the most oil and natural gas resources – including the Atlantic Coast and Pacific Coast. It also requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct oil and natural gas lease sales that have been delayed or cancelled by the Obama Administration and implements a fair, equitable revenue sharing program for all coastal states. This would generate over $1 billion in new revenue over ten years according to the Congressional Budget Office and could create up to 1.2 million jobs long-term.

• Increases Onshore Production. H.R. 4899 would streamline government roadblocks and bureaucratic red tape that block and delay onshore American energy production. The bill would reform the leasing process for onshore oil and natural gas projects on federal lands to eliminate unnecessary delays; reform the process for energy permitting, once a lease is in hand, to encourage the timely development of our federal resources; set clear rules for the development of U.S. oil shale resources; establish common sense steps to create an all-of-the-above American energy plan using our vast federal resources; and modernize and update the bidding process for oil and natural gas leases by allowing Internet-based auctions.

• Increases Alaskan Production. The bill would ensure that oil and natural gas resources in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) are developed and transported in a timely, efficient manner. The NPR-A was specifically established as a petroleum reserve in 1923. According to conservative estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey, there are over 2.7 billion barrels of oil and 114.36 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the NPR-A.

###
Congressman Ted Yoho serves on the Foreign Affairs and Agriculture Committees. He represents North Florida’s 3rd Congressional District