Late last night, the Democrat Rules Committee decided to allow debate on ZERO amendments to the Democrats’ new energy gimmick bill. It is a closed bill, so no amendments can be offered, and no compromise can be reached.

They made this decision over Republican objections, in the dead of night, and less than 12 hours before the House would begin consideration of the bill.

Not only is their approach wrong; but so is their bill. Their bill bans drilling in 9/10ths of our off-shore reserves and bans exploration in ANWR entirely. They’re blocking nuclear power. They’re blocking coal-to-liquids. They’re blocking oil shale and the list goes on. Really, they’re blocking All-of-the-Above.

At the same time, they’re increasing utility costs for consumers who are already concerned about imminent high heating bills. That’s the last thing our already tight family budgets need right now.

The Democrats know this bill is seriously flawed, and it’s simply a political gimmick. They’re not really trying to address the issue, but rather trying to cover their backs during a tough election season. The truth is the Democrat leadership has failed the American people on energy reform. Don’t be fooled by their charade.