Charles Boustany: “It's ridiculous. And these taxes are indiscriminate; they hit oil companies, those drilling for oil, but also natural…”

“It's ridiculous. And these taxes are indiscriminate; they hit oil companies, those drilling for oil, but also natural gas. And there are many--even our friends on the other side of the aisle will admit that natural gas usage is a very important transition strategy as we look at our energy needs going into the future whether for transportation fuel, electricity generation. Those taxes proposed by the administration will put a lot of these gas companies out of business. And keep in mind, 97 percent of the natural gas used in this country is produced here in this country by these small companies. A given rig will employ 65 people on one rig. So, if a company that has--let's say they have to cut back 50 rigs. Do the math. You're talking 3,000-plus jobs.”