"This bill is a sham"

The House energy bill doesn't thrill Republicans. Witness this from the office of Rep. George Radanovich:

Congressman George Radanovich (R-Mariposa) took the House floor today to express his disappointment in the Democrats’ phony energy bill, written without any Republican input that will continue our dependence on foreign oil. He gave the following remarks:

“When President Bush lifted the presidential moratorium on the OCS, the price of oil dropped $12 per barrel immediately and has been falling ever since.

“I have said many times over the summer that if Congress passes an energy bill that increases the production of domestic energy, the markets will react with lower prices. That is the litmus test that Congress is delivering what the American people want.

“The Democrat energy bill will be received with a resounding thud—it won’t move the price of gas one cent because it provides no incentive for states to increase production.

“Unlike the comprehensive American Energy Act, the bill we are voting on today does not address oil shale production, lawsuit reform, streamlining the nuclear energy process, coal-to-liquid technology, increased refinery capacity or opening ANWR.

“However, the bill does include a drawdown of our strategic petroleum reserve, the fraudulent “use it or lose it” legislation, and an extremely costly renewable energy mandate.

“Maybe this majority ought to go back to suing OPEC to produce more oil because under this bill, that reliance is still there.

This bill is a sham.”