Ted Deutch: “It is no surprise that I oppose H.R. 4899. However, my amendment is not an attempt to sabotage the bill. It is an honest…”

“It is no surprise that I oppose H.R. 4899. However, my amendment is not an attempt to sabotage the bill. It is an honest attempt to fix a major drafting error within this legislation that could have drastic consequences on our Nation's district courts. My amendment would strike section 10702(a)(3) of the bill, which mandates that cases involving oil and gas leases ``take precedence over all other pending matters before the district court.'' I am grateful for the opportunity to explain the serious implications of this provision. The provision seems to be directed at concerns that individuals and communities, small businesses, other interests that are not party to the production of an oil and gas lease may file lawsuits to prevent or delay an oil and gas lease from moving forward. Now, I believe that people have an important interest in the production of oil and gas leases that could impact public health, property, and environmental injuries in the area of release. I don't support the principle of locking people out of the courtroom. In our Nation, where the courts protect and ensure that individual rights and private property rights are not violated, this provision eliminates court protections of these most basic rights. The bill, as drafted, is so broad that it does so much more than that, and here is where I hope that opponents and supporters of this bill can come together to fix this error.…”