Press Releases
House Dems to Push New Oil Reserve Strategy
WASHINGTON - House Democrats will push a new strategy to deploy and enhance the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve to provide short-term relief from high prices, and long-term security for the nation's oil reserve. The details of this new strategy will be announced at a press conference tomorrow with lead author Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and co-sponsors Lois Capps (D-Calif.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.). WHAT: House Democrats introduce new oil reserve strategy WHO: Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Ranki… Continue Reading
03.06.11
Markey Pushes House Support for Oil Reserve Option
WASHINGTON (March 7, 2011) - When Middle East unrest disrupted oil supplies and began to push oil prices higher, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and other House lawmakers first raised the option of using the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to prevent price spikes and protect consumers. With continued strife expanding and escalating in key oil producing countries, Rep. Markey today expanded his push to garner support in the House to release oil from the reserve to calm prices, circulating a letter amongst h… Continue Reading
03.02.11
Markey, Holt Press EPA for Robust Fracking Study
WASHINGTON (March 3, 2011) - Responding to yet more revelations from a investigative series in The New York Times on natural gas extraction, Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, and Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.), the top Democrat on the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, today sent a letter to Lisa Jackson, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking whether her agency had excluded plans to study radioactivity in the… Continue Reading
03.02.11
Markey, Holt Legislation Tells Oil Companies: Use Your Drilling Leases
WASHINGTON (March 3, 2011) - Two Democratic Congressmen will today introduce legislation that would compel oil and gas companies to produce on the drilling leases they already own, instead of continuing the practice by the oil and gas industry to "squat" on their leased lands without producing. The legislation, the United States Exploration on Idle Tracts Act, or USE IT, is authored by Reps. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, and Rush Holt … Continue Reading
03.02.11
Markey Statement on Upton and Inhofe Bill
WASHINGTON (March 3, 2011) - Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today issued the following statement on the Upton-Inhofe bill that would increase pollution and promote the importation of millions of barrels of foreign oil per day by negating advanced fuel economy standards: "Along with the threats to public health this bill presents, it would curtail American clean energy innovation and eliminate fuel economy advances that would save millions of barrels of oil per day. "The bill represents an imp… Continue Reading
02.28.11
Markey: Oil Closes at Highest Level in 29 Months, Yet ZERO Republicans Vote Today to End Oil Tax Breaks
WASHINGTON (March 1, 2011) - Oil prices reached their highest levels in 29 months today, ensuring continuing sizeable profits for oil companies, yet a bill offered by House Democrats today to revoke unnecessary tax subsidies received a grand total of zero Republican votes. Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), whose legislation along with Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) was the basis for today's offering on the House floor, said this dichotomy showed the true priorities of House Republicans intent … Continue Reading
02.27.11
Republicans' Anti-environment and Anti-energy Actions Detailed in New Report
WASHINGTON (February 28, 2011) - The Democratic staff of the House Natural Resources Committee today released "Dirty Work," a comprehensive report on the anti-environment and anti-clean energy attacks in H.R 1, the House Republicans' recently-passed yearly spending bill. The report, created at the direction of Democratic Ranking Member Ed Markey (D-Mass.), shows the skewed priorities and irrational attacks from House Republicans, highlights provisions in H.R. 1 which would affect existing enviro… Continue Reading
02.27.11
Markey, Holt Query Interior Dept. on Fracking
WASHINGTON (February 28, 2011) - Today, Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, and Rep. Rush D. Holt (D-N.J.), the Ranking Democrat on the Natural Resource Committee's Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee asked Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for more information about the practice of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," on federal lands. The New York Times recently published an investigative report on the practice … Continue Reading
02.25.11
Radioactive Natural Gas Fracking Could Create New Era of "Love Canals"
WASHINGTON (February 26, 2011) - Responding to an investigative article published today by The New York Times on the high incidence of radioactive materials and other contaminants in the wastes produced from natural gas extraction, Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, immediately questioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its oversight of these extractive practices. The Times article shows that the radioactively contaminated wastewat… Continue Reading
02.24.11
Markey: Oil Companies' Bucks Insufficient for "Orphaned" Wells
WASHINGTON (February 25, 2011) - A report released today on "orphaned" and "idle" oil and gas wells raises serious questions as to whether the proper policies exist to protect the environment and American taxpayers from oil companies simply abandoning oil wells without proper cleanup. In response to the report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, sent an oversight letter to the Bureau of Land Manage… Continue Reading
02.23.11
House Dems to Obama: Consider Using Strategic Oil Reserve
WASHINGTON (February 24, 2011) - When the first Gulf War drove oil prices skyward in 1991, deploying oil from America's strategic reserve brought them back down by 33 percent. When President Clinton used the oil bank in 2000, prices dropped by 19 percent. And following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, releasing oil reduced prices by 9 percent. With turmoil spreading across the Middle East, light sweet crude oil spiking above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2008, and summer driving season fast … Continue Reading
02.22.11
New Boiler Pollution Standards Save Lives, Money
WASHINGTON (February 23, 2011) - The Environmental Protection Agency today released new common-sense, cost-effective and health-protecting rules to reduce the amount of pollution created when power plants, industrial facilities or other facilities burn coal or biomass in boilers. These new pollution standards will save businesses money over previous iterations and more than 5,000 lives a year from reduced mercury and other pollution. The new standards also stand in stark contrast to House Republ… Continue Reading
02.17.11
Republicans Side with Big Oil, Reject $53 Billion in Taxpayer Savings
WASHINGTON (February 18, 2011) - Just as they have done all week during the debate on the yearly government spending bill, Republicans in the House rejected eliminating egregious loopholes and tax breaks given to the oil companies, voting down an amendment that would have recovered up to $53 billion in taxpayer funds from oil companies. The amendment -- offered by Reps. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), George Miller (D-Calif.) and Lois Capps (D-Calif.) -- was voted down by a… Continue Reading
02.16.11
Markey Assails BP for Challenging Gulf Families' Settlements on Same Day as New Commission Report Details Company Mistakes
WASHINGTON (February 17, 2011) - On the same day that a new report from the commission studying BP's oil spill said that BP did not properly assess the risks of the site nor manage the drilling process effectively, the oil giant is attacking the compensation fund for Gulf of Mexico victims as being too generous. Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) chastised BP for this position today, and called it emblematic of a larger discussion happening right now in Congress on the priorities of keeping tax bre… Continue Reading
02.15.11
Markey, Hinchey, Miller Call for End to Big Oil's Free Drilling
WASHINGTON (February 16, 2011) - Even as Republicans propose cutting services to seniors, children and the neediest American families in their new spending bill, they are leaving $53 billion in potential deficit-reducing funds on the table by protecting oil companies from paying their fair share to drill in the Gulf of Mexico. To fix this special interest loophole and recover billions of dollars from oil companies to reduce the deficit, Reps. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) … Continue Reading
02.13.11
President's Budget Ends Sweetheart Deals for Big Oil, But Still Cuts Key Programs for Nation's Poor
WASHINGTON, D.C.(February 14, 2011) - President Obama's budget released today ends billions of dollars in giveaways to the biggest oil companies and increases research into cancer and other diseases, but still makes cuts to key programs needed to help our nation's poorest like low-income fuel assistance, Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) said today. Rep. Markey has pushed for increased funding for the National Institute of Health and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and has introduc… Continue Reading
02.13.11
Markey Attacks Tea Party Republicans for "Scorched Earth" Spending Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 12, 2011) - After going back to the drawing board several times in order to appease demands of its extremist Tea Party caucus, House Republicans have released their latest proposal for the so-called continuing resolution (CR) spending bill to fund the federal budget. The resulting bill consists of an extreme and arbitrary package of cuts that would slash federal support for public safety, health care and research, public broadcasting, food safety and inspection, and ot… Continue Reading
02.09.11
House Democrats Unveil $40 Billion In Cuts To Wasteful Big Oil Subsidies
Today, Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Ed Markey, John Conyers, Jim Moran, Lois Capps, Peter Welch and David Price and others introduced legislation to cut the budget by ending roughly $40 billion over five years in wasteful subsidies to the oil industry. The "Ending Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act" (H.R. 601) eliminates subsidies that have worsened the deficit, weakened our energy security, undermined our ability to drive investment in sources of renewable energy, and damaged the environment. "The oil indust… Continue Reading
02.07.11
Reps. Markey, DeLauro, Green Push for Heating Help During Harsh Winter
WASHINGTON - Wild weather and political unrest have driven the prices for oil and natural gas higher this winter, even as demand for heating assistance has remained elevated during America's economic recovery. On Wednesday, Reps. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Gene Green (D-Texas) will call for full funding of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help vulnerable Americans who cannot afford to heat their homes during these frigid winter months. … Continue Reading
02.06.11
Markey, Holt Praise Obama Administration Wind Energy Announcements
WASHINGTON (February 7, 2011) - Following announcements by the Obama administration's Interior and Energy agencies on promoting the future development of wind energy off America's shores, Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee and a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.), the Ranking Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee's Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, issued statements praising the admini… Continue Reading