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Rep. Blackburn: Energy bill shows Dems 'giddy for going green'

A Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee says the energy bill passed by Democrats is a "no energy bill" that demonstrates they have an "insatiable appetite for going green."

By a 235-181 vote, the Democrat-led House approved an energy bill that requires cars, light trucks, and SUVs to average a fuel-efficiency standard of 35 miles per gallon by 2020. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) was instrumental in crafting the more than $21 billion tax package, which will be offset by repealing certain oil and gas subsidies. The bill will also require utilities to produce 15 percent of their electricity from alternative sources such as wind and solar energy.

The White House has stated that President Bush will veto the bill, which needs 60 votes to pass the Senate. But Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), who opposed the bill, says the Democrats are "giddy for going green."

"What we are finding out is that the average American family is going to be spending more of their green, $2,000 more, to pay for the lack of action that we see from the Democrats on energy," she comments. "One of the things that we do know also is that they are trying to pull more of that green out of the taxpayers' pockets and put it into the government coffers."

The Republican congresswoman notes that the current costs of oil (about $90 per barrel) and gasoline (about $3 per gallon) are both "substantially" more than they were when Democrats assumed control of Congress. "The American public does have a reason to be very concerned," she says.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) has stated that Americans do not want the bill, including a provision that awards a $240 tax credit to people who regularly ride their bike to work.