The energy bill in Congress is an exercise in corporate tax breaks and special interest favors.
Published September 27, 2003
Congressional efforts to write an energy bill have been so secretive and corrupted by special interests that the whole mess ought to be thrown out. Republican leaders have not only kept Democrats in the dark, they have ignored concerns expressed by their own party's members. Taking advantage of the urgency to do something after a massive failure of the power grid, they are promoting unrelated policies that reward favored industries while ignoring any balance between consumption and conservation.
Behind closed doors, lobbyists for oil, gas and utility companies are reportedly writing sections of the bill. Not surprisingly, a recent version of the legislation included $19-billion in corporate tax breaks. With a growing federal deficit, Congress can't afford such gifts.
Even key Republicans are skeptical. The House Science Committee, which has jurisdiction over certain energy issues, has been left on the outside because, as Republican Chairman Sherwood Boehlert explained, "we're being told we have to accept on faith what (the leaders) are going to produce, but I always say, "Trust but verify."'
Faith and trust have, so far, produced a bill filled with troubling policies.
Makers of the common gasoline additive MTBE, which has polluted water supplies throughout the nation, would be made immune to defective-product lawsuits. MTBE can cause cancer at high doses and make water undrinkable at lower levels. This provision would make it more difficult to protect public health. It also would threaten the important principle that polluters should pay to fix the damage they have caused.
The automobile industry would be discouraged from improving gas mileage. In fact, the Transportation Department would be prohibited from requiring improved fuel economy if it would cost jobs or affect vehicle safety. Such vague limitations could easily be manipulated by automakers. And remember earlier resolutions in the Senate and House to reduce gasoline consumption for transportation by 1-million barrels a day and 5-million barrels a day, respectively? Those goals have been left out.
Drilling off the Florida, California and Atlantic coasts would move closer to reality, because the bill would require an inventory of oil and gas resources on the Outer Continental Shelf. Also, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would be allowed. Congressional leaders revealed their cynical motive for pushing that divisive issue, according to a report by Roll Call newspaper. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said in a strategy session that opening the refuge to drilling would set a precedent for exploration of other sensitive land. Some Republicans in attendance were surprised by the admission.
Congress has few tasks more important than securing the nation's energy future, but its leaders have let Americans down. Responsible lawmakers of both parties should refuse to support an energy bill that does more harm than good.
