Daniel Inouye: “after much deliberation, I have decided to oppose the conference report to H.R. 6, the Energy Policy Act. The conference…”

“after much deliberation, I have decided to oppose the conference report to H.R. 6, the Energy Policy Act. The conference report before us today is a serious departure from the comprehensive and balanced approach to energy policy passed by the U.S. Senate earlier this year by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 84 to 14. The Senate bill carefully weighed many competing interests and struck a fair and even-handed balance that would have strengthened our national security, safeguarded consumers, and protected the environment. The conference report has tipped the studied balance of the Senate bill drastically in favor of short-term business interests. Regrettably, I am not surprised by the sweeping changes made to the Senate bill because the conference report was prepared by the Republican leadership behind closed doors, without the participation of their Democratic counterparts. Under these circumstances, one cannot be surprised that balance was lost, and a flawed conference report emerged. Upon review of the bill, I was initially pleased to note its positive aspects. My completed review of the conference report, however, revealed that these few beneficial provisions were far outweighed by the many items injurious to the American people as a whole. The conference report erodes the careful web of environmental protections that safeguard the public health and our natural resources.”