Kevin Roberts: “I rise today to ask for support for my amendment to promote progrowth energy and tax policy, and especially consistency…”

“I rise today to ask for support for my amendment to promote progrowth energy and tax policy, and especially consistency for the remainder of this year. My amendment addresses a significant tax policy concern. Within the Tax Code there is a long list of provisions simply known as tax extenders. Some might ask why I am offering an amendment on tax extenders to a bill dealing with the Federal highway program. In a nutshell, here is why: These provisions are used by millions of families, individuals, and business taxpayers. But these provisions expired over 2 months ago, causing utter chaos in regard to--well, really, what it caused was the lawyer-CPA full employment act. At present, the Senate leadership has no plans to consider these expired tax provisions. That is not right. The base of this amendment includes most if not all of the expired energy tax incentives addressed in the amendment offered by my friends on the other side of the aisle. It is your amendment. In my amendment, however, we increase these energy production incentives. With spiking gas prices hammering families and businesses, this is precisely, it seems to me, the time to have a policy which will increase our supply of energy. To begin with, addressing the oil supply issues, my amendment would cut redtape and open more Federal land for more oil and gas exploration and drilling. We are all painfully aware of the President's rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline application.…”