Dems (radio address): Energy Bill Would Raise Gas Prices

[Rose Siding]

snip>
"We cannot afford to continue to pursue such a failed energy policy," Markey said in his party's weekly radio address. "If we fail to reduce our dependence on OPEC oil, we remain beholden to events in dangerous, unstable parts of the world. ... If we fail to reduce the cost of energy, businesses will suffer, farms will fail and families find it more difficult to make ends meet."
...
The bill, said Markey, gives billions of dollars in tax breaks to profitable oil companies such as ExxonMobil and immunizes those companies from any legal liability connected with water supplies contaminated by the gasoline additive MTBE.

Markey, a member of the House Energy Committee, said Democrats "offered a more hopeful vision of our energy future." That plan, he said, would move away from an oil-dependent past and into a "technologically advanced and renewable energy future."

"We lose when we resort to desperate drilling schemes that despoil our most precious wildlife and wilderness areas," Markey said. "We win when we invest in renewable technologies such as solar and wind energy."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&ncid=1278&e=1&u=/ap/20050423/ap_on_go_co/democrats_energy

[w4rma]

1. Right on target. (nt)

[ananda]

2. $5 a gallon

I wonder if that will hurt enough to give the impetus to real change.

Big change is what's needed, now, if the USA and the world are to survive without fossil fuels.

Sue

[reprobate]

4. Oh, the world will easily survive without fossil fuels.

The question is, will humanity as a society survive. And that's extrememly doubtful. Except for pockets of armed survivors, preying on other such pockets. Food will be scarce or onavailable.

Think Mad Max.

[tomreedtoon]

3. There's a Democratic weekly radio address? Where?

Where does this supposed radio address play? On that "liberal shortwave station" those misguided people are trying to start? I haven't even heard of this on Air America. It sure isn't quoted in any newscasts I hear, and I work in TV.

[Terre]

5. It seems it's on NPR

'cause this is the only thing I could find:

http://www.fsu.edu/~wfsu_fm/listen/listen.html

Scroll down to about the middle of the page "Weekly Radio Address", and the links appear to be taped recordings.

[sandnsea]

7. Annoys the crud out of me

I have repeatedly asked the DNC to put the weekly radio address on their web site. I do not for the life of me understand why they don't do it. There's a press release on it, I've seen them on occasion. Just go try and find it. Here's today's press releases, no Dem Radio Response. It's like that all the time. All they have to do is put the damned thing on the DNC web site, and they don't. Infuriates me.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=index&cid=669

[SangamonTaylor]

6. Republicans are wrong for saying the bill would lower gas prices...

but i'm not sure how Democrats can honestly say that the bill would raise gas prices.

The sections on refinery revitalization might actually help out when it comes to promoting refining capacity (which is major bottleneck in my opinion).

I'm all for more a "technologically advanced and renewable energy future" but I haven't seen any proposals that actually solve our real world energy needs. I am all in favor of renewables (and the states have really done a great job of promoting renewable fuels, like wind electricity generation, with Renewable Portfolio Standards IMO) but we need to look at comprehensively at our energy needs.

That means promoting clean coal technologies, and technology like coal gassification. Really, the only reason we're so dependent on foreign oil is because of our transportation sector. The nuclear/hydrogen cogeneration proposal will help and hopefully push us into the hydrogen economy. However, in the meantime we need better fuel efficiency standards (scrap the CAFE "fleet standards" and increase the mileage standards overall). House Bill 6 is sorely lacking in this department. It's doubtful that this will pass in the Senate either, because Detroit thinks that it will hurt our automotive industry too much.

Also, the bill is really missing a CO2 trading platform! And the giveaway of Deep Sea Gulf of Mexico royalties really irks me! That's a blatant giveaway (moreso than limiting MTBE liability).

[sandnsea]

8. Read Kerry's plan?

I think everything you've mentioned was in his plan. He even got the unions to go along with raising mileage standards, by promising money and tax credits for new hybrid and other vehicle models. Making the cars of the future in America, like we should be.

[SangamonTaylor]

9. yeah, i read Kerry's plan

It was a great plan.

However, I do think that his 20/20 plan needed more specifics. I would love to see a great plan that lays out fully how we could generate 20% of our electricity from renewables by 2020...I know its possible, I just want more specifics.

However, renewables don't really do anything at all to lessen our dependance on foreign oil. The transportation sector (not electricity generation) is really the only industry that uses oil (its just too expensive and dirty to burn for electricity generation)...we need to push for milage standards. Whats funny is that its not really the unions that are holding back mileage standards...its corporate detroit. Its really a shame too. I had a good talk with a staffer for Rodney Ellis (TX state rep-D who was on the Bipartisan Energy Commission) and she said that the Union panelists were really well organized and oddly formed almost an alliance with the Environmentalists on the panel...she said that it seemed like a rather odd combination to see them working together so well.

(she also said the environmentalists on the panel were the first to cave under pressure, and that everyone was disappointed when Mark Racicot (the man responsible for ANWR, Cheney energy task force guy, partner @ BracePatt, probably the most influencial energy lobbyist on K street, former Rep Chair) left the panel at the very end of the and wouldn't sign the agreement. I guess thats one way to negotiate...sit on the panel, make everyone make concessions for you so that the report becomes weaker, and then leave so that you can disclaim it later!)