Link to Press Release
Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today welcomed a proposal by Speaker of the House John Boehner to fund the transportation bill through increased energy development, and hopes this will help lead to further action in the House.
"I welcome Speaker Boehner's plan to fund a transportation bill through the increased development of our vast domestic energy resources," Senator Inhofe said. "As a recent
Congressional Research Service report shows us, America's combined recoverable oil, natural gas, and coal endowment is the largest on Earth, and developing these resources is critical to our economic and national security interests. While Speaker Boehner's idea may be a long-term revenue source for transportation infrastructure, we need to focus on the immediate problem of how we will fund a multi-year highway bill.
"The bottom line is this: The highway bill is a crucial jobs bill and we need to get to conference as soon as possible - and if this is how the House is able to move the bill forward then I applaud them. But we need money now for transportation; we can't afford to wait."
