WASHINGTON, D.C. (WGNO) — Majority Leader Steve Scalise led the House of Representatives to pass HR1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, Thursday.
Scalise said Louisiana can help lead the way to become energy independent. However, the bill passed with a vote of 225 to 204 with the majority of Democrats voting no.
According to Congressman Troy Carter, there was not enough focus on negotiations before the bill was voted on. Sen. Bill Cassidy said that could help Republicans in the future.
“I don’t think the democratic White House is going to embrace HR1, Steve’s bill, but I do think it gives us a negotiating tool,” Cassidy said. “Now, if you want to get what you want, we maybe need to get some of what we want.”
Leader Scalise told WGNO in an exclusive interview at the U.S. Capitol what he wants most out of the bill.
“I was also able to include language that gave parody and revenue sharing to states like Louisiana,” Scalise said. “States that develop oil onshore get 50% of the revenue that the federal government receives, offshore it’s only 37.5%. So, that disparity is something we’ve been trying to fix for a long time.”
Sen. John Kennedy introduced the HR1 companion bill to the Senate.
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