NYT: The Energy Bill Gets Worse

[salin]

Published: September 29, 2003

This country needs a purposeful long-term energy strategy that reduces its dependence on foreign oil and deals with climate change and all the other air-quality issues that are directly related to the burning of fossil fuels like oil and coal. So how has Congress chosen to develop such a strategy? By passing two mediocre energy bills and then handing the task of reconciling them to Senator Pete Domenici and Representative Billy Tauzin, both reliable allies of the fossil fuel industry (although Mr. Domenici is also a big fan of nuclear power) and neither a visionary thinker. Since Labor Day, these two veteran deal makers have been cherry-picking provisions they like, discarding those they don't and for good measure infuriating their colleagues by adding new items of their own.

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/29/opinion/29MON1.html?ex=1065499200&en=964879105163fac0&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

[Flying_Pig]

1. This just sucks so bad!!

Is there any reason to hope that these energy bills can be derailed and stopped, given the Repugs control both houses and the executive branch? Somehow, and please correct me if I'm wrong, that unless the Dems mount a full-scale filibuster against these bills, they are going to pass. Is this a a correct observation? If so, shouldn't we be using our energy (personal) encouraging Dems to filibuster? What's your take Salin??

In a period of limited time, money, resources, and energy, and if it looks like the Dems won't filibuster, would we not be better off using our time to get as many Repugs out of office as possible, in hopes of reversing the damage with a Dem Congress and president in 05'? Again, what's your take??

[salin]

2. Look at the damage in California... it will be too much to reverse.

Filibuster does seem the way to go.

I have to wonder if Domenici isn't trying to kill it as well with the reinclusion of (albeit limited) ANWR drilling. He claims to be giving so many goodies out that he is currying favor (see story on Minnesota). So maybe they added ANWR out of arrogance - or maybe someone behind ANWR (donor$$) has an awful lot of pull on the GOP and is pushing so hard they are willing to risk the death of the bill.

Calling for filibuster is, I think, the right way to go. There are several BIG angles:

1) ANWR - and the opening of the door to off-shore (coastal) drilling.

Environmentalists and coastal states - push this.

2) Budget busting - TOO MUCH COST - push the wait until we aren't paying for Iraq etc. before driving deficit up more. Or push - get prescription drug program and its costs BEFORE this.

Those with Blue Dog democrat represenatives/senators Push this.

3) Eminent Domain - Corporate taking of land under govt authority.

Western states and southern states PUSH PUSH PUSH

4) FERC centralization of power and RTOS (now desired in the neast as it is sold as being able to prevent the outages - but it isn't! but resisted in the south)

Southern states - Push this.

[Flying_Pig]

3. These focus points are very good. I think what we need to do, is

start a push here at DU, calling on the Dems to filibuster. Failing that, then we should marshall our resources to defeat as many Reuglians as possible in the )4' elections. I can see no other way. In my calls an letters to Congress today, I will use you focus points, and call for filibusters, as well as calling for an independent investigation into the WH on the CIA/Wilson deal.

It's time for the Dems to go into "filibuster mode", and get some damned truth out of this White House, and in an effort to stop these horrible bills!!

[bigtree]

5. we can't count on the ranking democrat on the committee, Bingaman

He seems to be selling out on a number of fronts.
This bill looks like it might get out of committee.
If that happens, the Democrats in the Senate will have to fillibuster it.

Here's an excerpt from the ranking Democrat on the energy committee, Bingaman to U.S. Chamber of Commerce Energy Summit about the conference negotiations:
http://energy.senate.gov/news/dem_release.cfm?id=187408

September 24, 2002

"...three of the biggest issues before the conference have been resolved.

-- The first issue is reauthorization of the Price-Anderson nuclear liability act, a key achievement if our future electricity supply picture is to have a strong nuclear component. Nuclear power accounts for 20 percent of our electricity generation today, and we should allow for the development of new generations of designs for safer nuclear power plants.

-- The second major issue we have resolved deals with energy transportation–the enactment of strong pipeline safety legislation. This House-Senate compromise that we struck in conference will ensure that the oldest and most risky pipelines get priority attention and inspection, so that our overall pipeline system can enjoy increased public confidence.

-- The third major issue we have resolved involves the efficiency of energy end-use – the enactment of provisions to raise CAFE standards on light-duty trucks. Again, we have reached a House-Senate compromise that found the middle ground on a very divisive issue, although the overall contribution to reducing our dependence on foreign oil is nowhere near as much as I would have preferred.

The success of the conference in striking this balance is illustrated by the agreement that has been reached in 13 other areas that, while not as newsworthy as CAFE standards, are still important to our nation’s energy future."

These bipartisan agreements include the following:

-a major new clean coal R&D program;

-increased and streamlined energy development on Indian lands;

-streamlining the process of siting and building a major new gas pipeline from Alaska;

-permanently authorizing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve;

-provisions to facilitate the production of nuclear energy;

-new programs to promote rural and remote energy infrastructure

-increased funding for LIHEAP, State Energy Programs, and Weatherization;

-new standards and programs for energy efficiency that have been developed cooperatively with the affected industries;

-increased energy efficiency in public housing;

-studies and assessment on increasing our supply of renewable energy;

-directives to Federal agencies to take the lead in increasing the fuel economy of the automobiles they own; and

-programs to provide the next generation of scientists, engineers, and skilled workers for the energy needs of the country.

"Still ahead of us are a series of tough issues. Some are close to resolution, such as:"

-provisions to revitalize our energy research and development programs, so that the U.S. leads the world in new energy technologies; and

-programs to increase the use of alternative fuels in vehicles, to help counteract our growing dependence on foreign oil.

"Other major issues will require additional hard work to find consensus. One of the most difficult and controversial will be electricity reform, where we need to provide order and certainty to a key energy sector that is currently very troubled

Most Americans think that we aren’t doing enough to give renewable electricity generation a chance to contribute to our energy mix. Doing so would help us buy some insurance against future electricity price spikes.

The conference will also look for ways to stimulate our production of domestic oil and gas. My approach, and that of the Senate when it passed its version of the energy bill, has been to look to the other areas around the country where oil production is not controversial, including the major oil deposits in Alaska outside of the Arctic Refuge.

A final area in which I think the conference has a big opportunity to make a difference is in the area of climate change. ... the Administration has not shown much leadership or strategic vision."

"The progress in the energy conference so far has been good, and we are headed towards an overall conference report that I think will command broad bipartisan support."

"Chairman Tauzin and I are committed to trying to get an energy bill done in this Congress."


This rag is going to make it out of conference. We've got to get busy!

[salin]

6. That item is from 2002 - last year.

Industry has been throwing all sorts of stuff in - so it is a very different bill than the one debated (that DIDN'T get passed) last year.

[bigtree]

7. oops!

spookily similar though

[Mandate My Ass]

4. Many angles covered here:

along with specific examples of rate increases in deregulated states. Also suggestions of solutions congress can pursue but is not brought up currently. THese would make good talking points in letters to the editor or to our congresspeople:

http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=1535.


Separate the electricity transmission reliability section of the House and Senate energy bills from the rest of the legislation;

Strengthen — don’t repeal — the Public Utility Holding Company Act by closing recent legislative and regulatory loopholes. (Click here for more on the act.)

Expand the investigations of market manipulation, currently limited to the California electricity market, to the entire country to determine the prevalence of market power abuses in America’s deregulated markets;

Order FERC to suspend authority for power generators and marketers to sell electricity at market-based rates until it has a full and complete remedy for consumer protections when manipulation, fraud and abuse is found (FERC currently lacks the ability to order a company like Enron to refund appropriate sums to consumers for the company’s actions in stealing money from California);

Investigate probable corporate mismanagement and/or negligence regarding the recent blackout and hold these specific corporations accountable for damages;

Provide incentives and assistance to states to help utilities re-acquire generation assets divested during deregulation;

Promote decentralized power sources such as distributed generation, wind and solar energy; and,

Invest in energy efficiency technologies, such as building weatherization, to reduce electricity demand.