Power beat out process last week, as Democrats pushed through their No Energy Bill less than 24 hours after introducing it without any committee hearings or amendments.

Americans are in desperate need of relief from high energy prices and need Democrats and Republicans to work together and pass a comprehensive energy bill that expands domestic oil exploration and invests in renewable energy resources. The partisan Democrat energy bill, introduced late Monday night and passed along party lines on Tuesday, does nothing to improve our current energy situation.

The Congressional moratorium on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) expires on October 1. I voted against the Democrat energy bill (H.R. 6899) last week because it would vastly restrict exploration in the OCS, an area containing abundant amounts of oil and natural gas. The Democrat bill would only permit drilling along a narrow band further than 50 miles off the U.S. coastline, and only after a state’s legislature passes a bill allowing it. Most of our known OCS resources are much closer to our coasts and these areas would be permanently banned from drilling. Once a ban is enacted, two-thirds of Congress and the president would be required to overturn it.

The cost to produce American energy will not decrease if this Democrat bill becomes law. In fact, taxes on American energy companies would increase by more than $17 billion. Increasing taxes will not lower gas prices as those costs inevitably will be passed on to consumers.

Environmental extremists have repeatedly blocked industry efforts to drill in the U.S. These groups have already challenged 100 percent of leases in the Alaskan OCS, every single lease issued as a result of the 5-year national OCS leasing program, and thousands of leases in the West. This bill does nothing to prevent these frivolous lawsuits; therefore, extremists will continue blocking efforts to develop American energy resources.

Finally, this bill does little to develop our abundant oil shale resources, streamline the refinery process, or promote nuclear energy, and it continues to block access to the 10 million barrels of oil located in the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve.

I am a co-sponsor of a proposal introduced by Representatives John Peterson (R-PA) and Neil Abercrombie (D-HI). This bill, H.R. 6709, is a truly bi-partisan bill that, if passed, would bring relief to Americans by increasing domestic exploration and diversifying our nation’s energy portfolio. The bill would increase domestic energy supply by allowing drilling 25 miles off our coasts. More production means more American jobs and strengthening our manufacturing industry. The bill would also increase energy conservation by extending tax credits for renewable energy production and hybrid cars, and it improves energy efficiency by establishing tax credits for energy efficient buildings and homes. This is a bill that we can all get behind.