Press Releases
Markey, Blumenauer and Pascrell Introduce Bill to Close Tar Sands Tax Loophole
Treasury Dept. Agrees Tar Sands Gets Tax-Free Ride from Paying into Oil Spill Fund WASHINGTON (September 20, 2012) - Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and other House Democrats today introduced the Tar Sands Tax Loophole Elimination Act to close yet another tax loophole given to the oil industry, this time giving tar sands oil a free ride from paying into an oil spill response and cleanup fund. Rep. Markey introduced this legislation following an ill-informed decision by the Internal Revenue Service and… Continue Reading
09.19.12
Markey Asks CFTC for Expansive High-speed Trading Investigation Following Oil Price Crash
Monday's Oil Flash Crash Still Unexplained WASHINGTON (September 19, 2012) - Following a "flash crash" in oil prices on Monday, when oil prices dipped by more than $3 in just one minute, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today asked the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to expand its investigation into the event to include the larger effects of so-called "high-frequency trading" on the marketplace. While Tuesday's events still have yet to be fully explained, high-speed computer trading is a prime sus… Continue Reading
09.18.12
Markey: Chinese Oil Deal Would Expand Foreign Oil Company Access to Free Drilling in Gulf, Rob Taxpayers of Royalties
CNOOC-Nexen Merger Reveals Massive State-Owned Oil Company Control of Royalty-Free Leases; Congressman Asks Interior Dept. to Prevent Transfer of Free Drilling Leases to Chinese Company WASHINGTON (September 18, 2012) - An attempt by the state-owned Chinese oil drilling corporation to buy the Canadian company Nexen would expand state-owned holdings of drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico that do not require royalties to be paid to U.S. taxpayers, even though they are on public lands, Rep. Ed… Continue Reading
09.14.12
Markey: Forget “No More Solyndras”, Republicans Want “No More Clean Energy Solutions”
GOP Bill Still Gives Tens of Billions in Loans to Coal, Nuclear; Republicans Reject Markey Motion to Stop $4 Billion Tax Hike on Wind Energy WASHINGTON (September 14, 2012) - House Republicans today passed a bill to end a loan guarantee program, but not before $88.4 billion in loans are handed out to coal and nuclear interests, while voting to allow the bill to go forward even if taxes are raised on the wind industry by up to $4 billion, threatening 40,000 jobs in the next year alone. Rep. Ed M… Continue Reading
09.13.12
Markey Applauds Economic Disaster Declaration for New England Fisheries
Economic Disaster Call by Commerce Clears Way for Congressional Action WASHINGTON (September 13, 2012) - This morning the U.S. Department of Commerce declared an economic disaster in the New England groundfish fishery for the upcoming 2013 fishing season. Rep. Ed Markey (D -Mass.), who had called for such a declaration early last month, applauded the move. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has said that complying with plans to rebuild key cod, haddock, and flounder fish… Continue Reading
09.10.12
Markey, House Dems Provide Critique of Interior Fracking Rules
Regulations Important Step Forward, But Ignore Key Elements for Environmental Protection WASHINGTON (September 10, 2012) - Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and several other House Democrats today submitted comments critiquing the Department of Interior's proposed regulations for hydraulic fracturing extraction methods used on federal lands, calling the rules an important step forward, but still missing several key elements. This is the first update in regulations in more than thirty years for hydraulic… Continue Reading
09.05.12
Markey Statement on DOJ’s “Gross Negligence” Charge for BP
Markey Statement on DOJ's "Gross Negligence" Charge for BP Time for BP to Face Facts, Not Litigate Them, Says Congressman WASHINGTON (September 5, 2012) - In court filings, the U.S. Department of Justice has now said that BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill was due to their "gross negligence" and "culture of corporate recklessness". This opens up BP to the highest level of fines for the oil spilled into the gulf, which could eventually total more than $21 billion dollars for the more than 4 mi… Continue Reading
08.31.12
Markey Quizzes EPA, NOAA on Post-Isaac BP Oil Intrusion
One Million Barrels of Deepwater Horizon Oil Still Buried in Gulf WASHINGTON (August 31, 2012) - Now that Hurricane Isaac has relaxed its destructive grip on the Gulf Coast, the damage assessment and recovery phase will begin. Due to worries that 1 million barrels of oil spilled from the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster from 2010 still persist in the sediments and elsewhere near the Gulf coast, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today asked two U.S. government agencies about their plans to detect and clean … Continue Reading
08.23.12
Natural Resources Dem Staff Release Analysis of Romney-Ryan “Oil Above All” Plan
WASHINGTON (August 23, 2012) - The "oil above all" energy plan released today by GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney would reduce the safety of drilling operations, hand over control of taxpayer-owned land to oil companies, and protect $4 billion in tax subsidies for oil companies while allowing 40,000 American wind energy jobs to disappear in the next year. These impacts and others are detailed in an analysis of the Romney-Ryan energy scheme that was released today by the Democratic staff o… Continue Reading
08.23.12
Markey: Romney Energy Scheme Means More Taxpayer Funds, Lands for Big Oil, Less Safety, Security for Americans
Romney Would Preserve $4 Billion in Tax Breaks for Big Oil Every Year, End America's Wind Energy Progress Right Now WASHINGTON (August 22, 2012) - The energy agenda unveiled by GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney would hand over America's lands and coasts to oil companies and preserve more than $4 billion in tax subsidies every year, even as it cuts key incentives to produce more American-made wind energy. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, today d… Continue Reading
08.22.12
Markey Praises Approval of New Rules to Combat Conflict Minerals, Require Transparent Payments to Foreign Nations for Resources
Congressman Led Bipartisan Effort Pushing for Approval of Rules to Reverse "Resource Curse" WASHINGTON (August 22, 2012) - Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, today praised the Securities and Exchange Commission for approving rules designed to address the so-called "resource curse", where natural resources are wasted by ineffectual or corrupt governments or for other reasons. Two rules were approved today by a majority of the SEC's Commissioner… Continue Reading
08.21.12
Ryan’s Wrongs: Natural Resources Committee Democrats Release Analysis of Ryan Budget Cuts to National Resources Programs
National Parks, Wildfires, Native American Health, Fishing All Impacted by Destructive Plan WASHINGTON (August 21, 2012) - The budget proposal devised by Republican Vice Presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) would potentially close National Parks, cut off valuable water resources to the West, slash clean energy funding, encourage more destructive wildfires, and put the health of Native Americans at risk. These impacts were detailed today in an analysis released by the Natural Resources… Continue Reading
08.17.12
New Report: Drought’s Impact on Energy Production and Water
Drought's Impact on Energy Production and Water New Markey report connects the dots between climate change, energy production and water needs Washington, D.C. (August 17, 2012) - New polling shows Americans' concerns about the drought and the extreme weather events that have punished our nation this year are on the rise. Their concerns are real: Nuclear power plants are shutting down over water concerns. Farmers and ranchers are suffering from fewer crop yields and higher feed prices. Familie… Continue Reading
08.16.12
Markey, Waxman, Luján, Pallone Urge Progress, Continued Resources for Study of Public Health Impacts of Uranium Mining on Navajo Lands
Markey, Waxman, Luján, Pallone Urge Progress, Continued Resources for Study of Public Health Impacts of Uranium Mining on Navajo Lands Renewed interest in uranium mining on tribal lands demands understanding of possible health risks say lawmakers WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Reps. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for an update on progress of the Navajo Birth Cohort … Continue Reading
08.16.12
Markey Commends Offshore Drilling Safety Rule, Calls for Action in Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee and the leading investigative force in Congress during the BP spill, released the following statement after the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) today announced the issuance of a final offshore drilling safety rule. The rule makes final the safety reforms put in place in the wake of the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. "I commend the Obama administration for … Continue Reading
08.16.12
Markey: President Obama Right to Consider Using SPR to Relieve Consumer Pain at the Pump
Markey: President Obama Right to Consider Using SPR to Relieve Consumer Pain at the Pump Washington, D.C. (August 16, 2012) - Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass), top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, today commended the Obama administration, who media report is considering releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in an effort to address rising gas prices. In February, Rep. Markey urged the Obama administration to release oil from the SPR and enhance its flexibil… Continue Reading
08.08.12
Markey: Time to Blow Out Global Warming with Wind Power, Clean Energy
July 2012 Is Hottest on Record Tweet !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Washington (August 8, 2012) - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) today announced that July 2012 was the hottest in the contiguous United States since recordkeeping began in 1895. Drought conditions expanded to cov… Continue Reading
08.06.12
Markey, Blumenauer Commend DOJ Settlement with Gibson Guitar for Lacey Act Violations
Lawmakers led effort with biggest names in music industry to protect law that prevents importation of wood from protected forests Medford, MA (August 6, 2012) - Reps. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Oreg.) today applauded the settlement between the Department of Justice and Gibson Guitar Corp., who today entered an agreement resolving a criminal investigation into allegations that the company violated the Lacey Act by illegally purchasing and importing ebony wood from Madagasc… Continue Reading
08.02.12
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