American Progress - The House's Dirty Little Bill

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The House's Dirty Little Bill

In his radio address this weekend, President Bush called on Congress to pass new energy legislation, saying, "American families and small businesses across the country are feeling the pinch from rising gas prices." It's true. Gas today costs an average of $2.28 per gallon, up six cents in a week and 50 cents from this time last year. And Americans are mad. In a new Gallup survey this month, 44 percent of Americans said it was "extremely important for Congress and the president to address gas prices." (Compare that to the 37 percent "who described it as extremely important for Congress and the president to overhaul Social Security — Bush's main domestic priority.") The legislation the House is likely to vote on this week, however, would do little to bring down the price at the pump. The new energy bill crafted by right-wing conservatives contains next-to-nothing to promote reduced energy use or renewable energy sources. Instead, it's chock full of measures to protect the profits of the powerful energy industry. As Rep. Jim McDermott charged, "There is no provision … that will lower the price of gasoline, only protect the profits of the oil industry." The legislation also would hand $8 billion in new tax breaks to oil companies, less than $500 million of which "would go to promote renewable energy sources or foster efficiency and conservation programs." Measures which would have made a difference, such as a provision to require the Transportation Department to strengthen fuel economy requirements starting in 2015 model year cars, were voted down.

Here's a look inside the House energy bill:

PROTECTING POLLUTERS: The air Americans breathe is about to get a lot dirtier. Tucked into the energy bill, in a section merely titled "miscellaneous," is a provision that, should it become law, "would make one of the most significant changes to the Clean Air Act in 15 years." The measure, pushed by industry groups like the National Association of Manufacturers, saves a lot of cash for power plants and factories while posing risks for millions of people living in polluted areas. Authored by Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), the provision exempts states from having to clean up their dirty air if some of their pollution comes from other heavily polluted areas. These "downwind" states would not have to meet clean air standards until after the "upwind" areas had cleaned up. And thus begins the vicious cycle, as waiting states would then pollute areas further downwind and so on as each area waits for another to clean up.

WHERE'S BROCKOVICH WHEN YOU NEED HER?: The House energy bill also shields the manufacturers of a dangerous gasoline additive from lawsuits stemming from the contamination of drinking water. The additive, methyl tertiary butyl ether or "MTBE," is a powerful pollutant. In low doses, the "powerful turpentine taste" makes water undrinkable; in higher doses, it causes cancer. MTBE has been detected "in 1,861 water systems in 29 states, serving 45 million Americans. This is up from about 1,500 systems in 19 states in November 2003." Although these corporations – some of the richest oil giants in the country – have known since the early 1980s their product was a water pollutant, they are refusing to clean up the water their product has fouled; states around the country have been forced to sue the corporations to get them to take responsibility. Now the right wing in Congress, with the staunch support of Reps. Tom DeLay and Barton, wants to shield these companies by waiving all MTBE liability lawsuits since September 2003.

LOSING THE REFUGE: The bill contains yet another sop to big oil by allowing drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. Drilling in the refuge would irreparably harm this fragile area. At the same time, it won't really do much to help anyone but oil companies. In the short term, it will take more than a decade to begin oil production on the land, which does nothing to reign in today's skyrocketing gas prices. In the long term, the United States Geological Service estimates the amount available "represents less than a year's U.S. supply." At the height of production, "the refuge would produce a paltry 1 or 2 percent of Americans' daily consumption." (Keep in mind, tire changes and updated fuel efficiency standards could individually save more oil than would be found in the refuge.)

FRACTURED POLICY: The House energy bill also would protect a dangerous drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing – which threatens to contaminate America's drinking water – from future regulation. The technique, developed by Halliburton, involves drilling for oil by injecting pressurized diesel fuel and other fluids deep into the earth, where they then can seep into the water supply. Halliburton and other oil companies say the technique is safe, pointing to a study by the Environmental Protection Agency study which said it "poses little or no threat" to drinking water. According to a 32-year veteran of the EPA, however, that study was deeply flawed, as it "did not use established agency standards and relied on a peer review panel dominated by energy industry personnel."

JOE'S DIRTY AIR: The author of the most outrageous sections of the bill, which exist to protect the profits of the energy industry, was Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It's little wonder Barton sides with industry interests; during the past decade, the industry has been very, very good to him, to the tune of nearly $1.5 million. Since 1994, oil and gas companies have given Barton more than $750,000; electrical companies have kicked in an additional $673,104.

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