Republicans Carry House Drilling Protest To 19th Day

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Nearly a dozen Republicans were in Washington on Tuesday for the 18th day of their drilling protest. They continued to hammer House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to hold an emergency session, and called Democratic proposals being pushed in Denver "empty rhetoric."

"The Democrat energy plan is to 'drive small cars and wait for the wind,'" Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said in her remarks before an empty House chamber. "This reminds me of the people of France who were starving, and the Queen was told that the people had no bread, and her response was to say 'let them eat cake.'"

Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) spoke about how the energy crisis has hit rural areas, where some towns have seen a 30 percent increase in their operating budgets and a 40 percent increase in their fuel costs.

"People say this is a good political issue for Republicans... we'll have plenty of time for politics in November, but right now we need to call Congress back right now and solve this problem in a bipartisan way," Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), who was one of a handful of Republican congressmen to start to floor protest on Aug. 1, just as Congress adjourned for the summer recess.

Reps. Rob Bishop (R-UT), Michael Burgess (R-TX), Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Ron Lewis (R-KY) all joined the protest. Reps. Thad McCotter (R-MI), Tom Price (R-GA), Mac Thornberry (R-TX) also left their districts to slam Pelosi about her refusal to allow a vote on drilling.

Republican congressmen have introduced the American Energy Act (HR 6566), a plan to lift the lift the legislative ban on coastal exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, tap oil shales, and promote renewable fuels. Proponents have dubbed it an "all of the above" approach, partly to deride Democratic efforts that depend heavily on using alternative energy sources.

Pelosi has repeatedly said that expanding oil exploration will "save Americans only 2 cents 10 years from now." She wants the government to release oil from the Strategic Oil Reserve to provide short-term relief and for oil companies to first explore the 68 million acres of land already leased to them.

But Republicans have cited increasing public support for offshore drilling. Their floor protest has made Pelosi soften her stance on the issue; she said in a Democratic radio address last week Democrats would introduce a bill allowing drilling in some portions of the OCS.

During an event in Denver on Tuesday, the speaker had to verbally fight off protesters chanting "Drill now!"

Pelosi responded, "Let's do some intellectual drilling right now." She repeated her accusation the the GOP was pushing a "cruel hoax" by saying drilling would end the energy crisis. She said the Democrats are pushing a proposal for "responsible drilling" and alternative energy that will have safeguards "to protect oil that is owned by the nation's taxpayers."

But House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said in a written statement Pelosi "unveiled yet another "energy plan'" that was full of "empty rhetoric" and has "no credibility with the American people."

"Speaker Pelosi adjourned Congress for a five-week break instead of allowing a simple up-or-down vote on the American Energy Act to reduce fuel costs," he said.