U.S. House passes controversial energy measure that would speed global warming

Environment America

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House has approved a controversial energy bill (H.R. 8) that would ease the approval process for oil and gas pipelines; increase the nation’s energy consumption; and, following the adoption last night of an amendment offered by Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), lift the nation’s decades-old ban on oil exports.
 
Environment America executive director Margie Alt issued the following statement from the 21st Conference of Parties in Paris:
 
“While world leaders seek to forge an international agreement to slow global warming, the last thing Congress should do is try to speed it up by lifting our oil export ban.
 
“To avoid devastating climate impacts—from wildfires to drought to extreme storms—we must keep fossil fuels in the ground and transition to a 100 percent clean energy future.
 
“We’re disappointed that Congressional leaders continue to side with the polluters over future generations, but as my staff and I observe the U.N. conference in Paris, we’re heartened by the actions the United States and nearly 200 other nations are poised to take to stem the climate crisis.”