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Posted on 11/04/2011 7:49:55 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday he will soon introduce legislation that would pay to fix the nation's crumbling infrastructure by increasing domestic energy production.
Money for roads, bridges and water projects would be financed through existing royalties and other taxes paid by companies allowed to expand domestic oil and gas drilling. The bill would make it easier for those companies to obtain drilling permits and make it easier to build nuclear power plants.
"This is a new, devoted revenue stream," Boehner, R-Ohio, told a group of reporters. "As American-made energy production increases, so too does the revenue for infrastructure projects."
Just an hour or so after Boehner's announcement, Senate Republicans blocked a $60 billion infrastructure bill proposed by Democrats that would have paid for the infrastructure projects with a .07 percent tax increase on those earning $1 million a year or more. The proposal had been part of President Obama's $447 billion job creation package, which failed earlier in Congress.
"This infrastructure bill is the kind of bold new action that we need as a nation right now," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said of the Democratic bill.
Senate Republicans, however, refused to back the bill in part because it would raise taxes.
Obama has been bashing Republicans for blocking legislation, including the infrastructure bill, that the president said is needed to create thousands of jobs. Republicans are hoping to blunt those attacks by offering an alternative that would accomplish the same goals without the tax increase.
Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., say they agree with Democrats that the nation's infrastructure needs more money. But Boehner called his plan "a better way" to pay for it.
Boehner told reporters that he never voted for an infrastructure spending bill during two decades in Congress because the legislation was traditionally loaded with pork-barrel pet projects of individual lawmakers.
This bill, Boehner said, would exclude such earmarks and add "reforms" that would prevent the money from being spent on what he called frivolous projects, including "baseball parks, parking garages, all kinds of examples I've seen over the years."
The bill, Boehner said, "is the opposite of a stimulus bill, by linking infrastructure to energy reform and permanently removing barriers to job growth instead of just spending money on short-term fixes."
Boehner said he hopes to pass the bill by year's end and will probably do so easily in the House where Republicans have a 24-seat majority and are eager to present an alternative to Obama's plan.
"I will support anything that allows us to raise revenues for this country and not have it come through raising taxes on Americans," said Rep. Allen West, R-Fla.
Senate Republican leaders are on board with the proposal, House GOP aides said. Boehner's biggest obstacle will be Senate Democrats who are unlikely to approve any bill that might allow more off-shore drilling or allow drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Instead, many congressional Democrats want to raise revenue by eliminating billion-dollar tax breaks for oil companies.
Rep. Henry Waxman of California, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and an opponent of expanded drilling, had little enthusiasm for Boehner's proposal.
"Why doesn't he raise taxes on the oil companies first?" Waxman suggested.
sferrechio@washingtonexaminer.com
outstanding....a great idea that will box obama into a corner...
Outstanding idea!!
Drill here, drill now, pay less, get new roads and bridges!
Outstanding idea!!
Drill here, drill now, pay less, get new roads and bridges!
one of the first comments from rino-progressive boehner that i agree with.
Brilliant. Thanks for posting.
Sounds good but ...
Get more money in DC. Spend more money in DC. Whatever happened to the idea that we would spend less and start paying down the debt?
Thurston! My smelling salts!
Boehner has finished wringing out his hankie and is actually playing political hardball!
Is a pubbie actually growing a pair? Did John’s endocrinologist prescribe him that testosterone cream recently?
Hmmmm, he is the right age to be patronizing those high-priced rejuvenation clinics. If so, to paraphrase Abe Lincoln: Whatever he’s smearing on his inner thighs, send him a case of it.
Somebody should explain it to the liberals like this as well. Road projects (if asphalt) require petroleum based products to manufacture. And we are dependent on foreign sources of oil. If we are going to increase the demand for more petroleum based products with his “jobs bill”, we should at least offset the increased demand with some home grown supply.
Hee hee. :o)
Sheesh! Good idea.
It's a win/win for both sides. The tax slaves are saved from the extra burden, and the freeloaders get to drive their tax payer paid cars with cheaper tax payer paid gasoline on repaired bridges paid for by capitalism. The tax payers will even get a break on the freeloaders tax payer paid heating bills!
ROFL!
It’s a gimmick, but it’s a pretty good one, if you ask me.
It makes a point that the ‘rats will have a hard time ignoring.
LOL.
Because that would raise prices on consumers, Mr. Waxman, 99% of whom are not "rich"?
Mr. Beohner's plan will result in increased supply, thereby lowering prices at the pump.
>> Is a pubbie actually growing a pair?
Don’t get TOO excited. Boner prolly hired a *staffer* who came equipped with a spine and ‘nads, in addition to a brain.
Whatever works!
Put some clown shoes and that a$$hat and push him out into a minefield.
He hasn't got the brains god gave a liberal.
For the moment only, the NYT will probably lash him back into a state of whimpering acquiescence.
let’s just hope this is the beginning of the norm versus the exception to the rule....
and now we will hear from the distinguished senator and majority leader (soon to be former) from the great state of Nevada...../s
It will have all the heads exploding over at DU.
And for that alone the Speaker deserves a medal.
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