GOP's Energy and Jobs Bill is Transparent

Considering the lack of information presented in the Republican-sponsored bill (American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act - H.R. 7), here are four claims they made that really stood out to me:

• use the revenues from oil production to repair infrastructure.
• permanently remove government barriers to energy production.
• lower energy prices for families and businesses by allowing increased production.
• create millions of new American jobs.

It almost sounds too good to be true. But if this were possible, why wasn't it ever done before? Is it just because of the proposed Keystone pipeline?

The Republican's "energy and jobs" bill is so transparent; it's all about more BIG OIL profits, not infrastructure, cheaper energy, or jobs. I once thought the Republicans were better liars...or maybe the American people are just getting a lot smarter.

I had a much better idea. I proposed an idea about the Keystone pipeline, funding a massive non-profit public works program to build an oil company that's operated and owned by our government (the people). Read more details.

The Speaker of the House John Boehner says, "Government doesn't create jobs, it's the private sector that creates jobs." That's simply not true. No matter what you think about "government", it (we, the people) has always been a huge "job creator". Read how and why.

Below is the full text of the GOP's pitch for their "energy and jobs" bill.

Original source posted by Speaker Boehner's Press Office

The House Republicans has just formally introduce a bill called the American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act (set to be H.R. 7), which would link new American energy production to high-priority infrastructure projects. Instead of more ‘stimulus’ spending or wasteful earmarks, the bill would permanently remove government barriers to American energy production and use the revenues to repair and improve America’s roads and bridges – both of which support long-term job growth. Republicans expect to move the bill through the House before the end of the year.

Energy Reforms to Create Jobs, Lower Costs Generate Revenue for Infrastructure

The American Energy Infrastructure Jobs Act is the latest measure in the House GOP American Energy Initiative, an ongoing effort to support job creation and lower energy prices for families and businesses by allowing increased production of American-made energy. This measure would help create millions of new American jobs by eliminating some of the unnecessary government barriers that prevent our country from utilizing its vast energy resources, and also provide a new revenue stream for infrastructure repair and improvement. Specifically, the American Energy Infrastructure Jobs Act includes:

• The Energy Security and Transportation Jobs Act, introduced by Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH), which would lift President Obama’s drilling ban on new offshore areas by requiring the administration to lease offshore areas estimated to contain the most oil and natural gas resources.

• The Protecting Investment in Oil Shale the Next Generation of Environmental, Energy, and Resource Security Act (“PIONEERS” Act), introduced by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CA), which would set clear rules for the development of U.S. oil shale resources and promote shale technology research and development.

• The Alaskan Energy for American Jobs Act, introduced by Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA) and Rep. Don Young (R-AK), which would open less than three percent of ANWR’s 19 million acres in the North Slope, an area that was specifically set aside by Congress and President Jimmy Carter, for oil and natural gas development.

Funding High-Priority, Job-Creating Infrastructure Projects With Less Bureaucracy No Earmarks

Rather than relying on ‘stimulus’ spending, higher taxes and short-term gimmicks, the American Energy Infrastructure Jobs Act would build on the natural link between energy production and infrastructure. The measure provides responsible infrastructure funding for the next five years, and links new energy revenue from production of American energy to the Highway Trust Fund. Specifically, the bill would:

• Fund High-Priority Projects. The bill would remove federal requirements that currently force states to spend highway money on non-highway activities, helping to ensure that our nation’s highways and bridges are repaired and properly maintained and that federal dollars are spent on our most critical infrastructure needs.

• Speed Up Bureaucratic Approvals. The bill would speed up bureaucratic approvals and streamline the project delivery process – the real hurdles delaying improvements to highways, bridges, and other projects – with reforms like concurrent review that will cut the project review and permitting process in half.

• Eliminate Needless Programs. The bill would eliminate and consolidate nearly 70 surface transportation programs that are either duplicative or not in the federal interest.

• Embrace More Private-Sector Involvement. The bill would reform financing programs to increase private sector involvement in infrastructure.

• Enhance Safety Programs. The bill would strengthen safety programs and gives states more flexibility to develop innovative safety initiatives that save lives.

• Include No Earmarks. Like every bill passed through the House since the American people entrusted Republicans with a majority, this one will have no earmarks in it.

One commenter left this message at the GOP website: "John Boehner is mathematically challenged. He is proposing a transportation bill that does not add up. It is a 5 year appropriation of $260 billion. The problem with this is, the highway trust fund revenues needed for this will be $50 to $60 billion short of this amount. Not hard to understand when you realize that the primary funding source is our gas tax, which has been at 18.3 cents a gallon for 2 decades. (Think about how much vehicle gas mileage has improved in this time.) Boehner’s answer is to throw in some giveaways to oil companies with the claim they will make up the difference. It is absurd. Industry estimates that the oil company royalties would only bring in $2 to $5 billion in 10 years - most of that at the end. On this even his party mate Jim Inhofe says, “You can’t very well use revenues you don’t have.” This strategy of Mr. Boehner's is taking something we badly need, like a transportation bill or a payroll tax deduction, and linking it to legislation that benefits his clients (oil companies), but which he is unable to get through congress on its own merits. It is offensive."

As I said before, I have a much better idea...stop giving oil companies taxpayer subsidies, start making them pay taxes, and have our government fund a massive non-profit public works program to build an oil company that's operated and owned by our government (the people) to directly compete with BIG OIL. Read the details.

The United States could have 100% of the world's oil supply - - 100 trillion barrels of crude oil just inches below the surface of our federal lands, and the big oil companies like Exxon-Mobil will still take possession of our natural resource the oil and sell it to anyone they can for "whatever the market will bear" for corporate profits. The cost of our energy would never be cheaper, and we would never have "energy independence" either, because as things are now, we would still be held hostage by the big oil companies.

If it's "transparency" we want in our government, we can certainly "see through" the Republican's "energy and jobs" bill. It is nothing more than a fallacy, fable, fib, farce, falsehood, fraud, myth, deception, and lie.

Or should I be more politically correct and say the Republicans are being a little "disingenuous"? Or should I say it like a politician would, "The Republicans misspoke."