House Republican Whip Roy Blunt News

Blunt: House Republican Petition Would Bring Crucial Refining Bill to the Floor, Relief to Americans at the Pump

WASHINGTON, June 18 PRNewswire-USNewswire — House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) joined Republican leaders today in filing a formal petition to force consideration of vital energy legislation authored by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) - a bill that would expand America's capacity to convert oil into gasoline, and ultimately lower prices at the pump for all Americans.

Blunt issued the following statement:

"Not only is our country importing 10 million barrels of crude oil every day, we're also importing 1.3 million barrels of refined gasoline. That's a number that should be near zero — because we have the knowledge and expertise right here at home to refine those products, get them to the pump, and create thousands of good-paying American jobs in the process.

"Unfortunately, we haven't sited a new refinery in this country since 1976 - even as our nation's demand for energy has risen and the number of existing refineries has shrunk dramatically. The bill introduced by Rep. Pitts last year would've changed that landscape and taken meaningful steps to expand our refining capacity. Characteristic of this Congress, Democratic leaders didn't even schedule a hearing on it.

"The petition introduced by Rep. Phil English today on his home-state colleague's bill will allow American refineries to operate on idle military bases - areas perfectly suited to host them. In the process, the petition will help accomplish what no Democrat in Congress has yet been able or willing to do: bring forth a real energy bill for the American people."

NOTE: The Expand American Refining Capacity Act, authored by Rep. Pitts (Pa.), would create a process whereby three military bases slated for closure under the Base Realignment and Closure Commission would be identified as suitable for locating new oil refineries. For more information on the House GOP's comprehensive plan for lowering gas prices, please visit http://GOPLeader.gov/energy or http://republicanwhip.house.gov/

SOURCE House Republican Whip Roy Blunt

Send this news item to a friend.

Print This Page