Henry Cuellar for Congress | Proven Leadership for Texas

Energy Independence

Since coming to Congress in 2005 and after 14 years as a Texas State Representative and Secretary of State, Congressman Cuellar understands how vitally important it is for the nation to secure its energy independence now and for the future. He also understands how economically important it is to Texas to stake its claim as the number one producer of domestic energy resources including oil, natural gas, clean coal, wind and solar energy.

That's why Congressman Cuellar believes in expanding our domestic energy resources here at home by making critical investments in alternative fuels, in addition to, domestic oil, gas and coal. As a supporter of off-shore drilling, Congressman Cuellar believes we can strike a balance between tapping domestic sources of energy while protecting our environment. Congressman Cuellar believes in reducing America's dependence on foreign oil and other foreign energy resources so we can stop investing money overseas and invest more in the American worker here at home.

Balancing Energy & the Environment

Our national security relies on our ability to be energy independent in the future and our the state of our environment is equally as important to our children's economic prosperity and health. That's why since coming to Congress in 2005, Cuellar has helped pass critical measures in Congress to expand federal funding for domestic energy resources and exploration:

Energy Independence and Security Act: The Energy Independence and Security Act, reduces our dependence on foreign oil, invests in energy exploration, makes critical federal investments in states producing wind and solar energy (like in Texas) and sets the bar for more energy efficiency standards. This bill also makes a historic commitment to biofuels, requiring 15% of electricity to come from renewable sources and includes provisions authored by Congressman Cuellar to expand the use of liquified natural gas (LNG) throughout Texas and the nation. Texas is one of the largest producers of LNG and the Cuellar language works to expand incentives for the use and production of LNG nationwide.

Comprehensive American Energy Security & Consumer Protection Act: The bills lowers costs to consumers and protects taxpayers by releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and repeals excessive tax breaks for oil companies. This legislation also calls for a creation of a Renewable Energy Reserve to invest in clean, renewable energy resources and extends and expands tax incentives for renewable energy, in addition to expanding domestic energy supplies and makes investments in greater energy efficiency and conservation.

Bi-Partisan Tax Incentives for Renewable Energy/Extensions of Key Tax Relief: The Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act expands tax incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency, creating hundreds of thousands of green jobs; and also extends key tax relief provisions for working families, including the college tuition deduction, state and local sales tax deduction, and property tax relief and for businesses, including the R&D tax credit.

Final Tax Incentives for Renewable Energy/Extensions of Key Tax Relief: Helped pass the Extensions of Key Tax Relief/Tax Incentives for Renewable Energy, as part of H.R. 1424, Economic Rescue/Tax Extender Package, by a bipartisan vote of 263-171, with 91 Republicans voting YEA. This expands tax incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency creating hundreds of thousands of green jobs and also extends key tax relief provisions for working families, including the college tuition deduction, state and local sales tax deduction, and property tax relief for businesses. Included in H.R. 1424, Economic Rescue/Tax Extender Package, which President George W. Bush signed on October 3, 2008 (PL 110-343).

Temporarily Suspending Filling SPR: Helped pass the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Fill Suspension and Consumer Protection Act, which temporarily suspends oil purchases for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) until the end of the year, by a bipartisan vote of 385-25, with 162 Republicans voting YEA. President George W. Bush signed the bill on May 19, 2008 (PL 110-232).

Cracking Down on Excessive Speculation in Energy Markets: Helped Pass H.R. 6604 the Commodity Market Transparency and Accountability Act, which takes crucial, common sense steps to curb excessive speculation in the energy futures markets, which is driving up gas prices, including further closing the Enron loophole and bringing much-needed transparency to commodities and futures markets, by a bipartisan vote of 283-133, with 69 Republicans voting YEA.

OPEC and Big Oil Companies Accountability: Helped pass H.R. 6074 the Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act which combats record gas prices by authorizing lawsuits against oil cartel members for oil price fixing, and creating an Antitrust Task Force to crack down on oil companies engaged in anticompetitive behavior or market manipulation, passing by a bipartisan vote. 

Stopping Gasoline Price Gouging: Helped pass the Price Gouging Prevention Act which sets criminal penalties for price gouging of gasoline, and permits states to bring lawsuits against wholesalers or retailers who engage in such practices, by a bipartisan vote of 284-141.

Saving Energy Through Public Transportation: Reduces fares for public transit to give consumers a cost-effective alternative to $4-per-gallon gasoline and expands service through grants to transit agencies, by a bipartisan vote in the House. 

Preventing OPEC Price Fixing: Helped pass H.R. 2264, No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act (NOPEC), which authorizes the Justice Department to take legal action against OPEC state- controlled entities that participate in conspiracies to limit the supply, or fix the price, of oil, by a bipartisan vote of 345-72.

Results in the State House

• During his 14 years of state public service in Austin, State Representative Henry Cuellar passed legislation and provided appropriations to progress energy production and protect the state's environment. Between 1984 and 2001 he supported these vitally important state initiatives:
• Established the Texas-Mexico Health and Environmental Office to protect border health and the environment
• Increased the penalties for public littering and provided the Attorney General and local prosecutors more tools to prosecute environmental violators
• Provided cities the tools to enforce state and federal hazardous materials regulations
• Utilized non-violent prison laborers to clean and repair state parks
• Provided funds to help maintain a tracking system for hazardous materials coming into the United States, including Texas ports
• Prevented hazardous waste disposal facilities locating within 50 miles of the Rio Grande River with a similar reciprocity with Mexico as per the La Paz Agreement and designated certain highway routes for hazardous materials.

Henry Cuellar also authored legislation allowing the state of Texas to help fund a wastewater treatment plant in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. This innovative bi-national project helps keep the Rio Grande as a clean source of drinking water and irrigation for thousands and thousands of people on the Texas side.

While in the State Legislature, Henry passed the toughest anti-poaching law in Texas history that reduced poaching and has helped all ranchers. In addition, as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, Henry Cuellar provided the state funding to create a new regional office of the Texas Natural Resource and Conservation Commission to better protect and clean the water, land and air in Laredo and the surrounding areas. Henry Cuellar also helped fund SB1 (the Texas Omnibus Water Bill adopted in 1997) which included funding for the development of the Water Availability Model.

During the 1997 Legislative Session, Henry Cuellar established the Drought Relief Information Center at Texas A&M International University. The Center is a hub of research and analysis of weather conditions in South Texas. Its objectives include keeping records on climatic trends, providing assistance information for drought victims in the state of Texas, and maintaining databases on drought-related matters.

Working to Better the Colonias

To curb the development of Colonias (substandard housing found along the Texas border), Henry Cuellar passed landmark Colonias legislation, including funding for water and sewage needs, creating a strike force within the Texas Attorney General's Office to make unscrupulous developers accountable, and stopping the growth of Colonias. Henry Cuellar's legislation also created Self-Help Centers which assist colonias residents in improving their homes, and created County Planning Commissions to better plan growth in unincorporated areas in border counties. Henry Cuellar funded the A&M Promotoras and the Colonias Community Centers.

Congressman Cuellar not only stopped the growth of colonias but also helped fund education, health, and affordable housing needs for all colonias residents. Cuellar fought for the successful passage of funding for paving of colonia roads and in order to improve the quality of life for Webb County and South Texas residents, Henry Cuellar appropriated millions of dollars to make Lake Casa Blanca International State Park a place where adults and children can spend quality time together enjoying the outdoors, including appropriating funds to build overnight camps throughout the park and the new state-of-the-art fishing pier.

Proven Results

As a five-term member of the House Appropriations Committee, Henry Cuellar pushed to increase border funding for the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission (TNRCC) from $7.3 million in 1994 to $9.6 million in 2000 to fund border regional offices, pollution prevention, water quality, regional solid waste grants program, and state-initiated air monitoring.

As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, Henry Cuellar pushed to increase funding for the Texas Waste Development Board to fund a broad range of water-related initiatives in the border region. Funds from the Economically Distressed Areas Program (EDAP) and from the Clear Water and Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Funds have been used to fund water and wastewater service provision in the colonias. From 1990 to 2000, the total amount of funds committed to the border was $634 million.

Proven Experience

Henry also served in leadership positions where he protected our environment and quality of life as Vice-Chair/Chairman-Elect of the Southern Border Committee of the Council of State Governments and member of the Texas Water Commission-Rio Grande Basin Steering Committee and as the “Colonia Coordinator and Border Czar” as Texas Secretary of State. Henry Cuellar’s advocacy in protecting our environment and quality of life has been recognized by Texas A&M University Colonias Program, the South Texas Association of Soil and Water Conservation District, the Clean Cities Coalition of Texas, the Webb County Extension Service, the Webb County Heritage Foundation, the Texas Public Accountability Coalition, and the Laredo Chamber of Commerce Cola Blanca Big Buck Committee-First Recipient of the WildLife Conservationist Award.