Steven Holt: “I wanted to point out a curious, but revealing, point about this amendment. In order to get the bill to score properly…”

“I wanted to point out a curious, but revealing, point about this amendment. In order to get the bill to score properly to fit with the policy of the Republican Conference, it was necessary to cut $5 million out of the authorization in the bill. So where did they go? To cut $5 million out of renewable energy and let the tens of millions of dollars of authorized funds for the oil and gas to sit untouched. But I would really like to address something else that the gentleman said that has to do with the whole reason we are here today on this bill instead of doing that important work that Mr. Hoyer spoke of earlier. The gentleman talked about how we have to increase the supply of oil so that we can drive down prices at the pump and talked about how the policies of President Bush were responsible for the undeniable increases in onshore oil production. They say that gas was as much as $4 a gallon in 2008. You know whose fault that was. And then, in 2009, it was $2 a gallon. Did the supply in the United States change that much in 1 year? No. This shows quite clearly that it is not because of the amount of drilling on public lands. That has nothing to do with it. It has a scant effect on the price at the pump. It is amazing, Mr. Speaker. When confronted with something uncomfortable, the Republicans always have a convenient excuse. Gas prices were $4 a gallon in 2008. Oh, that is because Nancy Pelosi was Speaker of the House. Gas prices plummet later that year to half that amount.…”