Great news! Yesterday, four more Republicans—Reps. Cory Gardner (CO), Scott Tipton (CO), Rep. Mike Coffman (CO), and Larry Bucshon (IN)—withdrew as sponsors of H.R. 1380, the New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act (a.k.a., the NAT GAS Act, a.k.a., “The T. Boone Pickens Earmark Bill,” a.k.a., the “Pickens-Your-Pocket Boondoggle Bill”), legislation that was manufactured by billionaire T. Boone Pickens in order to make himself even richer. The bill would subsidize the use of natural gas as a fuel for the transportation sector, in particular for the trucking industry. Pickens is a gas tycoon, and it goes without saying that legislation to increase demand for gas is good for his bottom line.
Pickens counted on his long history of GOP fundraising to win Republican votes for this boondoggle, and shortly after the introduction of H.R. 1380, it appeared he would get the support of conservatives in the House, as nearly 80 Republicans signed up to sponsor the bill. (They joined almost 100 Democrats.)
To be sure, the bill flies in the face of conservative principles, which is why the House GOP’s initial support engendered a political backlash among non-profits. This reaction seems to have had an effect, starting with the defection of Rep. Stevan Pearce (R-NM) in mid-May. Since then, seven more Republicans dropped their support. These Representatives, who are listed below, deserve big kudos.
Republicans who deserve credit for bucking the T. Boone Pickens Billionaire Bailout:
Rep Thompson, Glenn [PA-5] – 4/6/2011(withdrawn – 5/26/2011)
Rep Gardner, Cory [CO-4] – 4/6/2011(withdrawn – 6/13/2011)
Rep Tipton, Scott [CO-3] – 4/7/2011(withdrawn – 6/13/2011)
Rep Griffin, Tim [AR-2] – 4/12/2011(withdrawn – 5/26/2011)
Rep Bucshon, Larry [IN-8] – 4/13/2011(withdrawn – 6/13/2011)
Rep Pearce, Stevan [NM-2] – 4/14/2011(withdrawn – 5/10/2011)
Rep Coffman, Mike [CO-6] – 5/3/2011(withdrawn – 6/13/2011)
Rep Akin, W. Todd [MO-2] – 5/12/2011(withdrawn – 5/23/2011)
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Do you really think these republican congressmen are withdrawing support because of environmental reasons? They only care about other lobbyists and voters that may be more important. Isn’t natural gas less polluting than diesel?
Stupid Fools, This bill would provide JOBS here in America. Jobs building a fueling infrastructure, jobs mining shale gas, jobs manufacturing engines, jobs making tools to service the new infrastructure, jobs building pipelines, jobs building storage,etc. and all here in the U.S. In addition the savings in utilizing our own resources would offset the subsidies cost as opposed to buying foreign oil. The Republican agenda is to keep unemployment high in order to steal back the whitehouse. I actually hope you succeed, then you will inherit the revolution and rioting that will result. Keep favoring the rich to your own damnation.
Get with it Global Warming People. There is no current competition for vehicular fuel in this country. $4.00 per gallon of gas is here to stay. We now have an opportunity in front of us to buy, install use tax credits and reduce fuel costs in a big way. IT JUST MAKES SENSE. We do this and freight dependent corporations will be able to reduce their costs and have more money available to better our current economic conditions. Natural Gas is the answer. SUPPORT IT……. For your children’s sake. The USA only spends $600,000 a minute on FOREIGN OIL. Do the math, if we had 25% of that spent on CNG that is produced, sold and purchased here, all the money would be used here in our economy. That amounts to $31.536 billion dollars a year we could reinvest in our economy. Makes those tax credits look cheap.
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