Press Releases
Markey Asks Federal Regulators to Investigate Gasoline Price Gouging in New England
Abnormalities in Fuel Prices Raise Questions, Congressman Writes to Federal Trade Commission WASHINGTON (October 12, 2012) - Even as crude oil prices have receded from summer highs, gasoline prices in New England and in other parts of the country have not, raising price gouging and manipulation as potential causes of this abnormality in the fuel market, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) charged today. In a letter sent to the head of the Federal Trade Commission today, Rep. Markey asks the agency to inv… Continue Reading
10.11.12
Markey: API’s Pro-bribery Lawsuit Encourages Corruption
Oil Industry Group Sues SEC to Block Dodd-Frank Foreign Payments Disclosure Rule WASHINGTON (October 11, 2012) - The American Petroleum Institute, the oil industry's front group, has filed a lawsuit against the Securities and Exchange Commission to block a rule requiring oil companies to disclose payments above $100,000 to foreign governments. The rule is an attempt to end corruption and bribery in the oil industry's dealings with foreign nations. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on … Continue Reading
10.11.12
Markey, Keating, Frank Disappointed by Interior Dept. Rejection of Massachusetts-Mashpee Wampanoag Gaming Agreement
WASHINGTON (October 12, 2012) -- Several members of Massachusetts' House delegation today expressed disappointment in the decision by Department of the Interior Secretary Salazar issued a decision today to reject the agreement between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe to establish a gaming site in Taunton. The compact reached between the government of Massachusetts and the sovereign Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe was done in good faith, and was expected to generate milli… Continue Reading
10.11.12
Markey Calls for Full Undersea Survey Following Gulf Oil Sheen Sourced from BP's Macondo Well
Congressman Asks for Spillcam Return for Survey WASHINGTON (October 10, 2012) -- Following confirmation that an oil sheen in the Gulf of Mexico has origins from BP's blown-out Macondo well, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today called for a full undersea survey of the Macondo site carried live on the internet so independent scientists can examine the activities as they happen. "One can only hope that the nightmare well has not come back to haunt the people of the Gulf. The federal government should o… Continue Reading
10.11.12
Markey, DeLauro, Welch Back CFTC Appeal of Dodd-Frank Position Limits Case
Wall Street Fights to Keep Commodities Casino Alive WASHINGTON (October 11, 2012) - One day after the head of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission backed an appeal of a court's decision to block a key rule in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform legislation, three key House Democrats threw their own weight behind appealing the ruling. The rule in question deals with "position limits" that would control the amount of contracts Wall Street traders and others could hold in key commodities like … Continue Reading
10.09.12
Markey: Obama Achieves Promise of Clean Energy on America’s Lands
10,000 New Megawatts Permitted for 3 Million Homes; Largest Wind Project in U.S. Announced in Wyoming WASHINGTON (October 9, 2012) - Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today praised President Obama and the Department of Interior for reaching the president's goal of permitting 10,000 new megawatts of clean energy on America's public lands with the announcement of a massive new wind project in Wyoming. Along with strong private sector investment in wind and solar energy, America's clean energy sector is gr… Continue Reading
10.04.12
Debate Response on Energy: Romney Flubs Public Lands Energy Production
WASHINGTON (October 3, 2012) - Tonight, Governor Romney once again flubbed his statistics on President Obama's energy record. Governor Romney said energy production was down on public lands, but the reality is that on "government land" onshore, oil production is higher than at any point under the Bush administration going back to 2003, according to the Energy Information Administration. Overall, oil production is higher than under the last three years of the Bush admin. Under President Obama, hi… Continue Reading
10.03.12
Markey Challenges 47 House Republicans Who Won’t Worry About Wind Jobs
47 GOP Members Push to Raise Taxes on Wind Industry, End 40,000 American Jobs; Markey Asks them to Support Ending Tax Breaks, Loan Guarantees for Oil, Nuclear and Coal Sectors WASHINGTON (October 3, 2012) - Following the sentiment of their GOP standard bearer to not worry about certain segments of America -- and with eerie numerical symmetry -- 47 House Republicans last week wrote to Speaker John Boehner to oppose the extension of the Production Tax Credit for wind energy. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mas… Continue Reading
10.01.12
Markey Statement on Court Decision Vacating CFTC’s Position Limits Rule
Washington DC (September 28, 2012) - Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, released the following statement after the District of Columbia district court issued a decision vacating the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) position limits rule. Rep. Markey has been a leading Congressional champion for full funding for the CFTC, who monitor, regulate and help prosecute speculative manipulation. The CFTC is charged with implementing the fi… Continue Reading
10.01.12
Markey Statement on SCOTUS Decision to Reject Roadless Rule Appeal
WASHINGTON (October 1, 2012) - Following today's decision by the Supreme Court of the United States to reject an appeal of the Roadless Rule that protects 50 million acres of America's forests, Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), the Ranking Democratic Member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, released the following statement: "It's been a long road since this decade-old conservation proposal was put forward, but today's announcement by the Court means that millions of acres of … Continue Reading
09.25.12
Deadly Connection: Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Reps. Markey and Waxman Release New Report Detailing Climate Change's Impact on Our Weather WASHINGTON (September 25, 2012) - After record-breaking heat, destructive wildfires, droughts and storms punished communities across the United States this year, two House Democrats are asking Congress to recognize the steep cost of climate change's steroidal effect on extreme weather. Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) today released a report that details the scientific links betwe… Continue Reading
09.24.12
Markey: Rising Sea Temperatures + Ocean Acidification Spells Big Trouble for Coastal Economies
Recent Scientific Reports Reveal Additional Evidence of Climate Change Costs WASHINGTON (September 24, 2012) - Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) pointed to two studies published today in the Environmental Science and Technology and Nature Climate Change, saying that they piled more proof on the already massive mountain of evidence that global warming has very serious consequences for our ocean resources and the millions of Americans who rely the ocean for their livelihoods. Increasing carbon diox… Continue Reading
09.21.12
Markey: Republicans Manufacture War on Coal, Miss Real Energy Revolution
GOP "Polluterpalooza" Bill is Capstone of Do-Nothing, Anti-Environmental Congress; Republicans Reject Markey Renewable Energy Standard, Oil Savings, Health Amendments WASHINGTON (September 21, 2012) - Closing out the most unproductive and anti-environmental Congress in modern history, House Republicans today passed one last giveaway to the fossil fuel industries that are flooding money into GOP campaign coffers and election advertisements. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natur… Continue Reading
09.20.12
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