DCCC hitting Chabot on energy vote after Chabot gave list of reasons for position on issue

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is continuing to hammer on U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot for his "no" vote on the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act.

Chabot had already explained his vote by saying he is "disappointed" in the "disingenuous" bill by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

The DCCC hit Chabot by saying he was rejecting a plan to help families afford their heating bill, which the DCCC said is expected to rise by $500 this year.

"Representative Steve Chabot spent months grandstanding about the need for a comprehensive energy plan that includes more domestic production of oil and gas, only to vote against that very plan just in time for winter," said DCCC spokesperson Ryan Rudominer. "Ohio's families who are worried about heating their homes this winter deserve better than more of the same painful George Bush-Steve Chabot-Big Oil status quo in Washington."

The DCCC provides the following background on the bill and issue:

• The Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act is an ‘all of the above' approach that includes responsibly opening up new offshore areas for domestic production to lower the cost of gas and home heating oil.

• It takes two critical steps to help lower the cost of home heating oil this winter:

• It temporarily releases nearly 10 percent of the oil from the government's stockpile in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Past releases have brought down prices by up to 33 percent.

• It uses new revenues from offshore production to strengthen the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps low income and elderly people pay their winter heating bills.

• Revenues from offshore production will also be used to help weatherize homes. A Harvard University study shows that 45 million American homes are under-insulated, which contributes to high costs for home heating. [http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/act-now-reduce-impact-rising/story.aspx?guid=%7b0D62AEA0-8079-4032-A993-D3811A7DE630%7d&dist=hppr]

• According to the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association, which represents state-run low-income energy assistance programs, the national average cost to heat a home with oil this winter will be $2,524, up from $1,962 last winter [AP; 9/17/08].

The Chabot campaign previously listed considerations that led Chabot to vote against the bill:

• By prohibiting drilling for oil within 50 miles of the U.S. coastline, the bill in effect bans 88 percent of known oil and natural gas reserves, based on statistics from the Minerals Management Service.
• There is no incentive for states to opt-in to the program because the bill precludes states from sharing in royalty payments for the oil and natural gas recovered off their shores.
• Additionally, the congressional moratorium on offshore drilling is set to expire September 30. Whereas, the bill passed by the House yesterday drastically limits new energy production.  
• The bill also fails to open more of the energy-rich parts of our country, like the Gulf of Mexico and portions of ANWR that contain billions of barrels of oil. Further, it does nothing to promote nuclear energy, boost oil-shale development or remove barriers to increased refinery capacity.