Press Releases
Markey, Grijalva Assail House GOP’s Public Lands Assault
Republican Legislation Creates 100-mile DRONEZONES on Borders; Hands Over Alaskan National Forest; Approves Sea Lion Firing Squads WASHINGTON (June 19, 2012) - Kicking off their "Great American Giveaway" week, House Republicans today passed a dangerous public lands bill that includes dangerous anti-immigrant provisions while attacking America's environment, forests, and wildlife. The bill, H.R. 2578, passed the House by a 232-188 vote. Nineteen Republicans voted against the bill. The centerpie… Continue Reading
06.18.12
New Report Reveals Details of House Anti-Environment Record
Today Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Ed Markey released a new report that provides an updated analysis of the anti-environment record of the House of Representatives in the 112th Congress. In 2011 and in the first half of 2012, the Republican-controlled House voted 247 times to dismantle environmental and public health protections. "House Republicans are putting the interests of oil companies and other big … Continue Reading
06.11.12
Markey and 42 Dems to Salazar: Ban International Trade of Polar Bear Parts
Polar Bears Threatened by Increased Hunting, Temperatures WASHINGTON (June 11, 2012) - Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and 42 House Democrats today called on Interior Dept. Secretary Ken Salazar to advocate for the ban the international commercial trade of polar bear parts and stronger protections for the bears from trophy hunting. The iconic bears are already threatened by a loss of sea ice habitat from climate change, and now the market for polar bear parts and carcasses are on the rise. In the let… Continue Reading
06.06.12
Markey: Republicans Should Send “Thank You” Note to Obama, Not Love Letter to Big Oil
GOP "Energy Package" Would Hand Control of Public Lands to Oil Companies, Reduce Drilling Safety WASHINGTON (June 6, 2012) - Gas prices are falling. The United States produced more oil from federal lands onshore than since 2003. There are more drilling rigs operating now in the United States than in the rest of the world combined. America is producing natural gas at record highs, resulting in record low prices that are creating new manufacturing jobs. And under the Obama administration, America… Continue Reading
06.01.12
Markey Focuses on Fukushima Fish Fallout
Contaminated fish, debris off West Coast raise concerns about long-term impacts of Fukushima disaster on Pacific seafood WASHINGTON (June 1, 2012) - Responding to reports of fish and debris off the West Coast contaminated from the Fukushima nuclear meltdowns in Japan, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today sent letters to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) querying the agencies about their efforts to ensure seafood safety and protect… Continue Reading
05.31.12
Markey, 42 Dems Urge President to Protect Dolphin-Safe Tuna Label
Misguided WTO Ruling Puts Dolphins at Risk, Misleads Consumers WASHINGTON (May 31, 2012) - Today Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and 42 other Democratic members of Congress delivered a letter to President Barack Obama, urging the President to defend a U.S. law that has stopped the slaughter of millions of dolphins in the Pacific Ocean. Rep. Markey, the ranking member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, made the request after the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled earlier this month that U.… Continue Reading
05.31.12
Markey, Wyden to Obama: You Have the Authority to Limit American Natural Gas Exports
Democrats Ask Obama to Put Interests of U.S. Energy Consumers Over Energy Company Profits WASHINGTON (May 31, 2012) - Two of Congress's leading voices on U.S. energy policy today called on President Barack Obama to use his existing authority to limit the export of America's energy resources. In a letter, Representative Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, and U.S.. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a senior Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources… Continue Reading
05.30.12
Markey, Boren Call for Hearing on High Levels of Rape in Indian Country
WASHINGTON (May 30, 2012) -- Responding to a New York Times investigative report that found the rate of sexual assault of Native women is more than twice the national average, with even greater disparities in rural Alaskan villages, Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Dan Boren (D-Okla.) today called on the Republican leadership of the Natural Resources Committee to hold a hearing on this important matter. Rep. Markey, who is the Ranking Member of the committee, and Rep. Boren, who is the Ranking Me… Continue Reading
05.30.12
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