WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) today released the following statement expressing her extreme disappointment with Democrat-sponsored energy legislation that fails to achieve real energy security :

“Congress should be promoting domestic sources of energy that put our nation on a path to energy independence,” said Capito.  “Instead, this bill provides no incentive for domestic energy investment, hikes taxes by $21 billion dollars and will lead to increased energy prices for consumers.

“The goal of increased renewable fuel usage is one we all share, but this is an unrealistic one-size-fits-all solution with zero flexibility for states like West Virginia that lack access to reliable sources of renewable energy.  Local utilities will have to pay billions of dollars in renewable energy credits and invest billions more in thousands of new windmills, while West Virginians foot the bill with increased electricity costs.     

“The energy bill also ignores the promise of coal-to-liquids technology, and it seems contradictory to consider ‘comprehensive’ energy legislation that fails to include one of our most readily available sources of domestic energy.

“Few can find fault with increased CAFÉ standards that emphasize conservation and energy efficiency, but it is irresponsible to simultaneously ignore energy availability.”  

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