Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong opposition to this resolution, which would waste resources, waste money, pollute our air, and worsen the impacts of climate change. When it comes to regulations that we should keep on the books, the BLM Methane Waste Prevention Rule is a no-brainer. Currently, oil and gas companies are venting, flaring, or leaking hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of natural gas each and every year. People who are sitting at home may wonder: Why would a company simply waste or burn off such a valuable resource? The answer is simple: They want the oil, and they want it now. To them, the natural gas that goes along with the oil is just a nuisance; so they burn it off or they don't make the effort that is required to ensure that their equipment isn't leaking. The problem is, when they are operating on public lands, this isn't their natural gas to waste. They cannot waste this. This belongs to the American people. So when that gas is simply burned off or is allowed to escape, the royalties that are owed to the American people are gone with the wind; and instead of generating electricity or heating our homes, this wasted resource generates pollution and heats our planet. For people who live near oil and gas wells, this is not just a climate problem.…”