Jim Inhofe: “I wanted to come and talk about the Democratic bill called the Consumer-First Energy Act. We go through the same things…”

“I wanted to come and talk about the Democratic bill called the Consumer-First Energy Act. We go through the same things over and over. We have an energy bill that has no energy in it. I said this on the floor last December. We keep talking about energy, and every time we try to expand energy, try to expand the supply, it dies right down party lines. The Consumer-First Energy Act does nothing to increase access to America's extensive oil and gas reserves. It does nothing to promote nuclear energy. It does nothing to increase our refining capacity, something I have been trying to do for a long period of time. It does nothing for electricity generation or transmission and does nothing for the utilization of clean coal technology. Instead this act increases taxes on America's oil and gas producers, which means we are going to be paying more at the pump--we know that-- and increases Government bureaucracy. A cornerstone of the bill establishes criminal penalties of up to $5 million and 5 years in prison if a fuel supplier sells his product at an 'unconscionably excessive price.' But the agency responsible for its enforcement, the Federal Trade Commission, says this legislation is unnecessary and even counterproductive.”