Press Releases
Markey Statement on Reports of DOJ BP Flow Rate Investigation
Congressman Led Efforts to Reveal True Rate of Spill, Releases Timeline of Flow Rate Issues WASHINGTON (May 29, 2012) - A report by the Wall Street Journal indicates that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating BP for possibly lying to Congress about the rate of oil flowing out of the company's blown-out Macondo well during the Gulf spill in 2010. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who was the leading force pressing BP to reveal the true size and extent of the spill, today pledged his support fo… Continue Reading
05.24.12
Markey: Reforms Needed to Protect Taxpayers from Paying for Uranium Mine Cleanups
Markey: Reforms Needed to Protect Taxpayers from Paying for Uranium Mine Cleanups New GAO Report Finds Weaknesses in Federal Oversight of Uranium Mining WASHINGTON (May 24, 2012) - The Government Accountability Office (GAO) today released a report that found weaknesses in how the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and other responsible agencies oversee uranium mining on federal land. The report found that taxpayers are at risk of picking up the tab for mine cleanups that can stretch into hund… Continue Reading
05.23.12
Markey, Blumenauer: Musicians “Can’t Get No Satisfaction” with Guitars Made of Illegal Wood
Markey, Blumenauer: Musicians "Can't Get No Satisfaction" with Guitars Made of Illegal Wood Mick Jagger, Sting, Lenny Kravitz, Bryan Adams, Lana Del Ray join Dave Matthews Band, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Jack Johnson, fun., Maroon 5 and many others in defense of Lacey Act. WASHINGTON DC (May 23, 2012) - Pledging to keep the instruments they love free from illegally-harvested wood, some of the biggest names in the music industry are taking aim at the effort in Congress to eliminate the law … Continue Reading
05.17.12
Markey Statement on Commerce Dept. Action against Chinese Solar Market Manipulation
WASHINGTON (May 17, 2012) -- Today, the Commerce Department announced that solar panels imported from China will face duties ranging from 31 to 250 percent as a result of Chinese solar technologies being illegally dumped into the U.S. market. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee and a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, praised the Obama administration for defending American manufacturers from manipulative Chinese practices. The pric… Continue Reading
05.15.12
Markey, Holt to Push GOP, Oil Cos. to Use Idle Wells
Interior Dept. Report Highlights Oil Company Inaction; Natural Resources Dems to Raise Issue at Legislative Session Tomorrow WASHINGTON (May 15, 2012) - An updated report issued today by the U.S. Department of Interior again highlights the fact that oil companies are leaving fallow millions upon millions of acres available to drilling, even as the oil industry and their partners in Congress push for new taxpayer-owned lands be turned over to ExxonMobil, BP and others. Tomorrow Republicans on th… Continue Reading
05.08.12
Markey: Yemen Natural Gas Ties to New England Should be Eliminated
Recent Terrorist Events Highlights Need to Develop Domestic Natural Gas Infrastructure, Says Congressman WASHINGTON (May 8, 2012) - Recent terrorist activities emanating from Yemen calls into question whether New England should be importing significant amounts of its natural gas from that country, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) wrote today in a letter sent to the head of the Department of Energy. Al-Qaeda affiliates in Yemen have recently attacked natural gas pipelines there, disrupting supplies due … Continue Reading
05.04.12
Markey Statement on Draft BLM Fracking Rule
Updates Old Regulations; Chemical Disclosure before Drilling Still Needed WASHINGTON (May 4, 2012) -- Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the Ranking Democratic Member on the House Natural Resources Committee, responded to a proposed rule issued today by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) relating to hydraulic fracturing on public lands. The current regulations governing hydraulic fracturing on public lands have not been revised in more than 30 years, despite the increasi… Continue Reading
05.03.12
Markey Asks for Hearing on Warming Arctic’s Implications for U.S. Economic and Military Interests
As Sea Ice Retreats, U.S. Economic, National Security Concerns Advance WASHINGTON (May 3, 2012) - Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today asked Republicans on the Natural Resources Committee to hold a hearing on the economic, environmental and national security issues in the Arctic region because of the loss of sea ice from global warming. In a letter sent to Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), Rep. Markey cites a study released this week by the non-partisan Center for Climate and Energy Solutions that rai… Continue Reading
04.30.12
Markey, Frank, DeLauro Go After Wall Street Oil Investment Products
New Legislation Would Disallow Speculation in Energy Commodity Index Funds WASHINGTON (April 30, 2012) - Several top House Democrats are pushing legislation that would help hand back control of investments in oil and other energy commodities to airlines, trucking companies and other legitimate investors, and help dull the expensive impacts speculators are having on our oil and other energy prices. The legislation would tell Wall Street speculators that they can no longer invest in these financi… Continue Reading
04.27.12
IMPACT Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Eben Burnham-Snyder, Rep. Ed Markey, 202-225-6065 Karen Lightfoot, Rep. Henry A. Waxman, 202-225-5735 Patrick Malone, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, 202-225-4811 House Dems Move to End Oil Subsidies, Protect Clean Energy Jobs, As Four Oil Majors Report 3-Month Profits of $26 Billion IMPACT Act Would Preserve Wind Energy Tax Credit, Provide Manufacturing Incentives, Push Heavy Duty Natural Gas Vehicles WASHINGTON (April 26, 2012) - Several top House Democrats today in… Continue Reading
04.25.12
Markey, Miller: Are Oil, Other Commodity Funds Violating Pension Laws?
Ask Labor Dept. Whether Wall Street Products Putting Pensions at Risk WASHINGTON (April 24, 2012) - While the influence of Wall Street speculators on the recent spikes in the price of oil is well-documented, little-known financial products known as commodity index funds may be inflating the price of commodities like oil and wheat while also endangering people's pensions. Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and George Miller (D-Calif.) today raised their concerns over commodity index funds with the head o… Continue Reading
04.24.12
Markey Statement on BP Criminal Charges Regarding Flow Rate Evidence
Congressman Revealed BP Underestimated Spill Size in Early Days of Disaster WASHINGTON (April 24, 2012) - Just a little over two years after the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill began, the first criminal charges were filed today against a former BP engineer for deleting texts regarding the rate of oil spilling from the blown-out Macondo well. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) revealed that the company was underestimating the size of the spill in the early days of the disaster, and pushed to create the Spill… Continue Reading
04.24.12
As Coal Exports Rise, Markey Asks for GAO Review of Federal Coal Leasing Program
American Taxpayers Must Receive Full Value of Domestic Minerals Before Sent to Foreign Markets, Says Congressman WASHINGTON (April 24, 2012) - Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the Ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, today asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct its first review of the government's coal leasing program since 1994. Rep. Markey's request comes as U.S. coal companies lay the groundwork to ship hundreds of millions of tons of federally leased coa… Continue Reading
04.20.12
Markey Quizzes FDA, NOAA on Seafood Safety on 2nd Anniv. of BP Spill
Recent Reports from Gulf Indicate Genetic Defects in Seafood; Gov’t Monitoring, Analysis of Safety May be Inadequate WASHINGTON (April 20, 2012) - Two years after the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history began, the effects are still being felt today. Marshes are still oiled. Businesses are still recovering. And in particular, the safety of Gulf seafood is still a concerning issue and in need of constant monitoring and analysis. Responding to the concern about Gulf seafood and the need t… Continue Reading
04.19.12
House Democrats Call for Action Cleaning Abandoned Uranium Mines on Navajo Nation Land
WASHINGTON (April 19, 2012) - Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) joined six House Democrats calling for “urgent action” to clean up hundreds of abandoned uranium mines that pose extreme public health risks to residents of the Navajo Nation Reservation, in letters Thursday to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Energy (DOE) and Indian Health Service (IHS). Reps. Ben Ray Lujan and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico; Ed Pastor and Raul Grijalva of Arizona; Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Dale Kilde… Continue Reading
04.18.12
Markey: EPA’s New Fracking Safeguards Won’t Let Natural Gas Industry Escape Regulation
Congressman Has Pushed for More Oversight of Natural Gas Drilling WASHINGTON (April 18, 2012) - Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today praised the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their new rules that would clean up natural gas drilling practices. Rep. Markey, the Ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, has pushed the natural gas industry to improve their drilling safety performance, including reducing the release of pollution that harms our air and climate. In February of t… Continue Reading
04.17.12
Markey Praises Obama’s Crackdown on Wall Street Speculators
Markey Praises Obama's Crackdown on Wall Street Speculators 'Crude Oil Casino' Driving Up Prices for American Drivers WASHINGTON (April 17, 2012) - Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who has recently pushed for full funding and authority for the cops policing Wall Street speculators, praised President Obama today for his tough proposals to crack down on the manipulation of the marketplace, especially in crude oil. Wall Street speculators have used tensions with Iran to drive up oil prices, even as supp… Continue Reading
04.17.12
BP Spill Commission Report Card Highlights Need for Markey Safety Legislation
Republicans in Congress Have Blocked Reforms WASHINGTON (April 17, 2012) -- Nearly two years after the start of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the independent BP Spill Commission today released a report card on the actions that have been taken -- and not taken -- to implement the Commission recommendations. The report card, which notes that that Congress has not yet enacted any legislation to respond to the explosion and spill, highlights the need for passage of legislation authored by… Continue Reading
04.16.12
Markey: Sabine LNG Export Facility Approval Would Help Export U.S. Manufacturing Jobs
Markey: Sabine LNG Export Facility Approval Would Help Export U.S. Manufacturing Jobs WASHINGTON (April 16, 2012) -- Following the approval of a new natural gas export facility in Louisiana by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) continued to express deep concern over the trend towards the wholesale export of America's natural gas. This export tax will increase electricity and heating prices for American consumers and threaten the steel, plastics, fertilizer an… Continue Reading
04.13.12
As Iranian Talks Begin, Markey, 50+ Dems Press Obama to Keep SPR Option Open
As Iranian Talks Begin, Markey, 50+ Dems Press Obama to Keep SPR Option Open Oil, Gas Prices Still High; SPR Provides Leverage against Wall Street Speculators, Iranian Leaders WASHINGTON (April 13, 2012) - With international talks set to begin today with Iran related to Tehran's attempts to produce nuclear weapons, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and more than 50 of his House Democratic colleagues are pressing President Obama to keep the option open to aggressively deploy the Strategic Petroleum Rese… Continue Reading