Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, two summers ago, the EPA released a regulatory agenda which included the consideration of redesignation of ozone attainment in the Permian Basin. This wholly discretionary action would impose new regulatory burdens, new regulations on the U.S. oil and gas industry, which will only worsen the cost-of-living problems that we already have and the high energy problems that we are already experiencing. A nonattainment redesignation will have considerable, almost an unbelievable, negative local impacts that cannot be overstated. In rural America, the energy industry generates high-paying jobs for working families and is the driver of the Texas and New Mexico economies. Additionally, the industry annually contributes over $20 billion to State of Texas local coffers to fund public education, emergency responders, hospitals, conservation projects, and more. If the EPA finalizes this redesignation, most rural communities in this area will face substantial economic hardship. Somebody is going to have to make up that money. By the way, it is not just Texas and the Permian Basin. If you ever travel there, if you are in the airport, you will see people traveling to and from the Permian Basin because of the jobs there. They are going to the basin for the jobs. They are flying back to the East Coast. They will work a couple of weeks on and take a week off and go back to the East Coast, so it is not just the Permian Basin that is going to be affected.…”