Press Releases
Markey: GOP Solyndra Report, Romney’s No-Wind Position Shows Clean Energy in Crosshairs
GOP Hypocrisy on Display Yesterday, Voting to Protect Nuclear, Fossil Fuel Loan Guarantees WASHINGTON (August 2, 2012) - Energy and Commerce Republicans today released their "report" on their specious probe into the solar firm Solyndra. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today excoriated the GOP for their coordinated, specific attack against clean energy, personified by this report and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's stated opposition this week to a key tax credit for the wind industry and other… Continue Reading
08.01.12
Markey: More than Half of U.S. Counties in Drought, While More than Half of House of Representatives Promote Climate Doubt
WASHINGTON (August 1, 2012) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture today reported that more than half of the counties in the United States are currently considered disaster areas due to drought. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today called on the members who make-up more than half of the House of Representatives and who question the science of climate change and have repeatedly voted against taking action to cut the pollution that causes global warming, which leads to longer, stronger droughts and other… Continue Reading
08.01.12
Markey, Grijalva, Luján: Republicans Playing Politics with Fire
Republicans reject efforts by Dems to address catastrophic wildfire risk across the country WASHINGTON, D.C. - (August 1, 2012) Today, Republican members of the House Natural Resources Committee voted against a series of amendments offered by Democrats to address catastrophic wildfire risk across the country and provide much needed relief to communities impacted by extreme weather events. The underlying legislation, sponsored by Republican Congressman Scott Tipton (R-Colo.), also included anti-… Continue Reading
07.31.12
Markey to IRS: Tar Sands Spills Are Tax-Free???
Treasury Giving Tar Sands Free Ride into Oil Spill Response Fund; Comes on Heels of Second Enbridge Spill of Canadian Oil WASHINGTON (July 31, 2012) - An ill-informed decision by the Internal Revenue Service saying tar sands is not actually crude oil is giving tar sands oil a free ride from paying a tax which funds an oil spill cleanup fund, even though tar sands oil has properties that cause it to be costlier when it spills, and is more corrosive, posing increased risks to pipelines during tra… Continue Reading
07.30.12
Markey: CNOOC-Nexen Merger Could Allow Chinese Government Company to Drill For Free Off U.S. Coasts
Lawmaker Calls for Blocking Planned Merger If Chinese Company Doesn't Agree to Pay Royalties WASHINGTON (July 30, 2012) - A merger between the Chinese government's state-run oil company CNOOC and the Canadian oil company Nexen could result in China drilling for free on U.S. soil, depriving taxpayers of millions of dollars in royalties for taxpayer-owned oil, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today revealed. In response to this potential merger and the loss of taxpayer money to the Chinese government's … Continue Reading
07.30.12
Markey: Michigan Enbridge Canadian Pipeline Incident Means More Canadian Oil Spilled on American Soil
Expanded Canadian Pipelines Will Bring More Risk, Says Lawmaker; Enbridge Becoming "BP of the Midwest" WASHINGTON (July 28, 2012) -- Another pipeline from Canada has spilled oil in the upper Midwest United States, calling into question the ability of pipeline companies and systems to safely deliver oil from Canada to the United States, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said today. The latest spill is in Wisconsin, where more than 1,000 barrels is estimated to have leaked from a pipeline operat… Continue Reading
07.26.12
Markey Introduces SAFE Seafood Act to Fight Fraud, Ensure Safety
Bipartisan Bill Would Protect American Consumers and Fishermen WASHINGTON (July 26, 2012) - In response to rampant seafood mislabeling and fraud that is hurting the bottom lines of fishermen and threatening the public health, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has now introduced the Safety And Fraud Enforcement for Seafood Act (SAFE Seafood Act, H.R. 6200). The bill will increase inspections, establish new labeling standards to give consumers more information about the seafood's origins, and give author… Continue Reading
07.25.12
Markey: GOP’s Sixth Drilling Package another Giveaway to Big Oil
House Republicans Refuse to Enforce Iran, Syria Sanctions on New Drilling Leases WASHINGTON (July 25, 2012) - House Republicans passed their sixth massive drilling package this Congress, offering yet another giveaway to the biggest, most profitable corporations in the world. The latest Republican drill-only bill would open up nearly all of America's coastline to drilling without putting a single new safety measure in place following the BP spill. Every House Republican also rejected a Democrat… Continue Reading
07.25.12
Markey: Increased Food Prices from Drought is a Climate Change-fueled “Extreme Weather Food Tax”
Increased Food Prices from Drought is a Climate Change-fueled "Extreme Weather Food Tax" WASHINGTON (July 25, 2012) - The harshest, most widespread drought since the Dust Bowl era will soon be felt at the grocery line, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said today, predicting an increase of 3-4 percent in food prices from the loss of crops on American farms and increase costs for American ranchers. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today made the connection between these increased prices at the checkout… Continue Reading
07.24.12
New Report Torches Republican Myths on Wildfire
Citizen Challenges of Minimal Impedance, Climate Change Influence Growing WASHINGTON (July 24, 2012) - Looking for a convenient scapegoat for the recent wildfires in the Western United States, House Republicans have predictably turned to endangered species as the cause of the destruction. A new report released today by the Democratic staff of the Natural Resources Committee, at the direction of Ranking Member Ed Markey (D-Mass.), torches the myth that citizen challenges to forest-thinning and o… Continue Reading
07.24.12
Markey: GOP’s Dubious Drilling Debate Streak Sets New Records for Repetition
Natural Resources Dems Release Big Oil Vote Count Website as GOP Nears 100 Hours of Drilling Debate Time WASHINGTON (July 24, 2012) - House Republicans have stalled Congress with nearly 100 hours of debate on oil drilling bills, passing 11 drilling bills out of the Natural Resources Committee and turning them into 6 massive packages of giveaways to Big Oil. Today's Republican "Oil Above All" monstrosity, the sixth package to be voted on in the House this Congress, opens up America's coasts to d… Continue Reading
07.24.12
Markey on Interior Dept. Solar Plan: Let’s Develop the World’s Best Solar Resources
Let's Develop the World's Best Solar Resources WASHINGTON (July 24, 2012) - Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, today praised the Interior Department's final Environmental Impact Statement for solar energy development on public lands across Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The plan identifies 17 priority solar energy zones that are proximate to current and future transmission corridors and which could be developed with… Continue Reading
07.19.12
Markey Releases Report on Increase in Coal Exports
"Our Pain, Their Gain" As Mountains Destroyed to Ship Coal Abroad WASHINGTON (July 19, 2012) - An analysis of coal mine data released today shows that coal exports have exploded from Appalachian operations over the last few years, with some mines exporting 100 percent of their coal abroad. The report, prepared by the Democratic staff of the Natural Resources Committee, at the direction of Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), calls into question the benefits to America to allow destructive mining practices… Continue Reading
07.18.12
Markey Calls for Caution on Coal Ash Disposal in Mine Shafts, Mountaintop Recovery
Toxic Coal Waste Could Taint Water if Safety Rules Too Weak, Congressman Tells Interior Dept. WASHINGTON (July 18, 2012) - Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today called on the Department of Interior to ensure the protection of communities in their current consideration of the rules that will govern the potential disposal of coal ash in abandoned mine shafts and to fill and reshape mountaintops destroyed by mining operations. In a letter sent to Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Rep. Markey … Continue Reading
07.18.12
Markey: Greenland Iceberg Another Blockbuster in Summer’s Global Warming Extreme Weather Season
As Batman Rises, Icebergs Fall and Romney and GOP Ignore Climate Warnings WASHINGTON (July 18, 2012) - A section twice the size of the island of Manhattan has broken off of the Petermann glacier in Greenland due to warmer ocean temperatures in the latest event in what has been a dangerous, destructive and troubling season of extreme weather. Heat waves have gripped the United States, breaking records. Extreme storms have knocked out power and cost lives. Wildfires have consumed parts of the Wes… Continue Reading
07.18.12
Markey Statement on Exoneration of Climate Scientists in Email Hacking Incident, Failure to Find Real Culprits
WASHINGTON (July 18, 2012) - British investigators closed their investigation today to find the culprits who stole and distributed emails from East Anglia University related to work and discussions of climate change science. The investigators found that the hacking incident was not conducted within the university, and abandoned efforts to bring the real culprits to justice. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the co-author of the only climate change bill to pass Congress and the top Democrat on the Natur… Continue Reading
07.17.12
Markey Praises Passage of HEARTH Act
Markey Praises Passage of HEARTH Act WASHINGTON (July 17, 2012)-- Today the Senate passed by unanimous consent H.R. 205, the HEARTH Act, which allows Indian tribes to lease their lands for residential, business and other economic development purposes without federal oversight under certain circumstances. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the Ranking Member of the Natural Resources Committee, praised the passage of the bill, which was authored by Rep. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). "Passage of HEART… Continue Reading
07.12.12
GOP Mining Bill Brings U.S. Back to “Stone Age”
Gravel, Sand, Clay Count as "Strategic Minerals"; Latest GOP Giveaway Cheats Taxpayers, Provides Windfall for Mining Industry WASHINGTON (July 12, 2012) - House Republicans today passed their latest giveaway to highly profitable companies - this time to the mining industry - while allowing the industry to skirt tax and royalty payments to the American people. The bill would short circuit proper environmental review and therefore provide a financial windfall for large companies mining for gol… Continue Reading
07.02.12
Markey on Interior Dept. Wind Energy Announcements: “New England One Step Closer to Being Wind Energy Pioneer”
Tax Credits, Transmission Key to American Wind Energy, Yet GOP Attempting to Kill Both WASHINGTON (July 2, 2012) - The U.S. Department of Interior today announced the permitting of a huge wind energy facility in Wyoming as a responsible and job-producing way of using America's public lands, and the advancement of more offshore wind energy in New England by releasing an environmental assessment for a planned offshore wind area. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources… Continue Reading
07.02.12
Markey: How Will Mitt Romney Etch-a-sketch Away Extreme Weather?
Climate Change Supercharging Storms, Wildfires, Yet GOP Prez Candidate Disavows Former Position on Global Warming WASHINGTON (July 2, 2012) -Wildfires in the West, fueled by record heat and extensive drought, have displaced tens of thousands of Americans. Deadly heat waves have blanketed tens of millions of Americans, and Friday's massively destructive "derecho" storm has left millions without power. Scientists say that these events fit into the larger pattern of an unstable climate supercharge… Continue Reading