Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., called Wednesday for Congress to overturn a 1995 law that allows oil and gas companies to avoid payments on the sale of oil and gas produced on federal lands. Klobuchar, who made the issue a prominent part of her campaign, said exempting companies from having to pay royalties is "nothing more than straight giveaways." Klobuchar, a member of the Joint Economic Committee, joined Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., at a news conference on the release of a committee report, which indicates that the incentive program for offshore oil and gas drilling could cost taxpayers as much as $80 billion without producing benefits, such as more jobs or a drop in gas prices at the pump.