DENVER -- U.S. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Malden) slammed the Republican Party’s efforts to address energy issues when they controlled Congress on Wednesday, and said the GOP’s recent[img_assist|nid=70|title=U.S. Rep. Edward Markey (D-Malden)|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=120|height=116] discussion of energy issues is motivated by the politics of an election year.

Markey’s remarks came at the beginning of a Democratic Caucus energy briefing on decreasing the United States’ reliance on foreign oil at the convention center in Denver. Markey is the chair of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which was created by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) just after the Democrats gained a congressional majority in 2006.

The lawmaker said he has been “dismayed at the Republicans that have all of the sudden been displaying all sorts of interested in energy issues.”

“I don’t just think it’s a coincidence,” Markey added, “that this is happening two months before the election.”

Markey said that when Republicans controlled Congress for 12 years, then House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) sponsored regulations that prohibited the Department of Transportation from improving fuel efficiency standards. “When President (George W.) Bush took over,” Markey said, “he just continued that policy.” 

“Now we hear that the Republicans are concerned about energy policy and they say they want all of the above,” Markey said. “Renewable electricity standards, tax breaks, building standard, fuel economy standards and a whole list of other issues that all deal with the unintended agenda of the Republicans for the entire time when they controlled the government.”