Stop Fred Upton from becoming chair of House Energy and Commerce Committee

For a Conservative Congress

Hat tip goes to FreedomWorks.com, which has sponsored a petition drive to stop the GOP from electing energy-squelcher Fred Upton to the position of Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. The following can be found at www.DownWithUpton.com:

As Congress reconvenes and the House GOP eyes its new majority, they first take on some important internal elections to name powerful Committee Chairs. One race is a particular threat. Fred Upton is considered a front-runner to become chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, where he would dictate the GOP’s legislative policy regarding energy issues such as cap-and-trade, oil drilling, and so-called “green” initiatives.

The bad news? On these issues, Fred Upton is FAR out of step with the Tea Party, the GOP and America as a whole.

• Upton was one of only 38 House Republicans to support the Democrats’ Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 that removed millions of acres of federal lands from oil and gas leasing, thus driving up energy costs for consumers.
• Upton was one of only 20 Republicans to vote against an amendment that would have reduced the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2010 funding to 2008 levels.
• Upton teamed up with Democrat Jane Harman to pass an invasive energy bill which mandates that only politically-favored “environmentally-friendly” light bulbs be used. That’s right, this guy thinks the Constitution gives him the power to tell you which light bulb you can use.

Please join me and Sign the Petition urging members of the House Republican Steering Committee to OPPOSE Fred Upton as chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce for the reasons stated.