Senate Overwhelmingly Rejects Democrat-Led Effort Against Domestic Energy Jobs

Link to Press Release Read/Watch Senator Inhofe Floor Statement Watch Inhofe-Sanders Debate American Energy Policy Washington, D.C. - Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today led the fight against a Democrat-led effort to punish workers in America's oil and natural gas industry. By a vote of 35 to 61, the Senate soundly defeated the Sanders amendment (SA. 4318) to the Tax Extenders Bill that would have imposed a multi-billion tax increase on America's domestic energy producers.

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"This was a vote about American jobs, plain and simple," Senator Inhofe said. "Those who voted for a multi-billion dollar tax increase on American energy production were callously disregarding the livelihoods of the hardworking men and women who help fuel this country. "I am pleased to see an overwhelming majority of my colleagues join me in defeating this effort. In addition to reducing our dependence on foreign oil, a strong domestic oil and gas industry pays state and federal taxes, royalties to land and mineral owners, and keeps jobs and dollars on American soil and in American pockets. "The bottom line is that we must hold BP and those accountable for the catastrophe in the Gulf. They must be the ones who pay the price of the disaster-not an entire industry that helps produce American energy and American jobs."

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