The Absurd Report

Earlier this month the House of Representatives voted on an energy bill called the Drill Responsibly in Leased Lands (Drill) Act. The good news, for those of us who actually want to do something to lower gas prices, is that it failed.

The bad news is that Democrats will try again before the November elections. We can expect more legislation that claims to increase production, but in reality offers a framework of heavy regulation, litigation and union rules that could prevent new energy supplies from getting to market. And we can expect legislation that would likely hamper current oil and gas exploration.

Consider the details of Drill. It would not have opened new lands to energy exploration. Instead, it would have increased the number of lease sales in the National Petroleum Reserve — the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s (ANWR’s) sister territory on Alaska’s North Slope — from one lease sale every two years to one every year. The problem here came in the fine print. The bill would have mandated that leasing be done in an undefined, “environmentally responsible” way.

We know from experience that such ambiguous language leads to lawsuits and delays. Further, the bill authorized the construction of new pipelines, but would have mandated that they be built in an “environmentally responsible manner” using labor agreements that earmarked all the work for labor union members.

The Democrats’ focus on the National Petroleum Reserve is also striking.

Read more from The Wall Street Journal

Tags: Democrats' Energy Charade

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