Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, praised House passage of bipartisan legislation to create jobs, lower energy prices, and fortify American energy security by supporting the expansion of the Keystone XL pipeline. Upton is an original cosponsor of H.R. 1938, the North American-Made Energy Security (NAMES) Act of 2011, which would expedite a Presidential Permit for a 1,661-mile extension of the energy pipeline from Alberta, Canada to refine... Read more

U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI06), and U.S. Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) were joined by Michigan Delegation colleagues yesterday in sending a letter to President Obama regarding the importance of one national program for vehicle emissions. Below is the text of the letter: Dear Mr. President: We write to you today on the issue of a single national program for vehicle fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions for model years 2017-2025. T... Read more

By Margaret Kriz Hobson, CQ Staff A White House proposal to boost vehicle fuel-economy standards is too aggressive and may go beyond what is technologically feasible, members of Michigan’s congressional delegation said in a letter to President Obama. The 16 lawmakers said that the targets could set back the auto industry’s recovery. “With the Michigan unemployment rate standing at 10.5 percent, we are unanimous in our concern about the consequences of an excessive proposal,” reads the letter, wh... Read more

The U.S. Treasury Department has pegged August 2nd as the day when the United States will exhaust its borrowing authority and default on its debt, unless an agreement is reached to further raise the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling. Because of Washington’s reckless spending habits, every American child born today already owes more than $46,000 to our creditors – that is close to the annual income of most Michigan families. With staggering figures like this, is it any surprise that Admiral Mike Mullen... Read more

Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement for this morning’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing regarding the impact of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) medical device regulation on patient access, innovation, and job creation. Upton has called for streamlining the FDA approval process of unnecessary and duplicative regulations that are currently forcing medical device research, development, and job... Read more

U.S. Representative Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, this evening joined his House colleagues in voting to pass the “Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2011” (H.R. 2560), an innovative three-pronged approach to tackle our nation’s soaring debt and put our fiscal house back in order. Specifically, this legislation would cut total spending by $111 billion in FY 2012, reducing non-defense discretionary spending below FY 2008, pre-stimulus levels; implement s... Read more

At this morning’s Energy and Power Subcommittee hearing on the “Pipeline Infrastructure and Community Protection Act of 2011,” Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, called for bipartisan support of legislation to improve our nation’s vast pipeline infrastructure. Upton is committed to passing a law to make overdue updates and improvements in U.S. pipeline safety. (Click HERE to view Upton's full opening statement) “Pipeline safety is a seriou... Read more

With June’s national unemployment rate above 9 percent, we must remain focused on policies that create jobs and help put our economy back on track. In the past six months as Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I have continued to advance an agenda that puts Michigan’s working families and job creators first. From promoting an ‘all of the above’ energy strategy that creates jobs, lowers energy prices, and fortifies our energy security, to putting a halt on overreaching, job-stifl... Read more

U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) yesterday released a progress report on the committee’s work in the first half of the year, revealing that the panel has produced legislation to save taxpayers close to $90 billion, protect nearly 4 million jobs from being destroyed by job-crushing regulations, and create another 150,000+ jobs via American Energy Initiative legislation to increase domestic production and energy security while bringing down prices at the pump. Th... Read more

By Rep. Fred Upton (MI-06) - From the Tri-City Record, 07/07/2011 As Michigan families continue to fight their way through high unemployment and the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression, our government must be committed to policies that promote private sector growth and job creation. I have strongly supported such an agenda on a whole host of fronts, from removing regulatory barriers that needlessly hamper local business to working to restore economic confidence by putting our na... Read more