South Texans, including many Bee Countians, are intently following the federal energy legislation being debated in Washington, D.C.

Oil and gas has long played in important role in the economy of this region, providing numerous jobs and a valuable segment of the tax base for our counties and schools.

U.S. Rep Rubén Hinojosa’s office, contacted Thursday, said the congressman was still weighing his options and determining which way to vote on this energy legislation. Last month Hinojosa released the following statement:

“The energy bills that the 111th Congress will take up and debate this summer are important pieces of legislation that will help our country reduce our dependence on foreign oil and develop new sources of energy.

“At this time, I have not taken a position on the ‘cap and trade’ legislation we will be debating. I am currently still performing my due diligence, studying the various options on the table, measuring their impact on my constituents, and evaluating what is in the best interest of the people of United States and my district.”

According to a story by Robert Schroeder appearing in MarketWatch, U.S. House lawmakers are getting closer to a vote on a sweeping energy bill that would cap greenhouse gases, with a vote possible on Friday (June 26), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said.

On May 19, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill, which aims to slash greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent below 2005 levels by 2050 through a “cap-and-trade” system. But the bill has taken a slow trek to the House floor as lawmakers sought concessions for farmers.

Hoyer thought an agreement was close, telling reporters that he hoped “we will be able to move ahead on this piece of legislation before the July 4th break.”

Climate change is the most contentious part of the measure, and many Republicans and some Democrats say the bill would amount to a tax on consumers and businesses and even drive businesses overseas, Schroeder noted. Under the cap-and-trade system, companies would buy and sell pollution permits to meet the cap on greenhouse gases, a piece of science that is still in debate despite Al Gore’s claims.

President Obama is pushing hard for passage of the bill, calling it “a bill that will open the door to a better future for this nation.”

But Republicans continue to argue that the bill will cost jobs and threaten the economy, adding to the escalating deficit.

Also, some advocates for the poor are calling the Waxman-Markey climate bill “an immoral assault on poor Americans” because it is designed to purposely raise the cost of energy in order to force the working poor to reduce their standard of living.

Roy Innis, chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality – one of America’s oldest civil rights organizations – reportedly made the allegation in a letter to all members of Congress on Wednesday.

“In my 40-plus years as the chairman of CORE, I have seen few federal bills that would do more harm to America’s working class and low-income citizens and families than the Waxman-Markey climate tax bill,” Innis wrote to the members of Congress.

He said the bill “is designed specifically to make the use of fossil fuels more costly.” Innis added that “an underlying goal of this legislation is the morally repugnant concept that constricting sources of domestic energy and raising energy costs is a good thing because it will force conservation by consumers.”

We cannot afford this economically disastrous legislation, especially in this recession. Residents of Congressman Hinojosa’s Texas 15th District should contact his local office to register their displeasure.

We can only hope that Rep. Hinojosa and other South Texas Democrats will remember they represent their constituents on this controversial matter, not those of the Northeast or House Speaker Pelosi’s San Francisco.