California Conservative

In December 6, 2007, Nancy Pelosi took to the House floor to talk about the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Here’s that video:

This is an early part of the transcript:

If Bobby Thompson could reference the shot heard round the world, we should indeed be able to do it today. This vote, on this legislation, will be a shot heard round the world for energy independence for America.

After President Bush signed the bill, Speaker Pelosi put in her two cents worth. Here’s what the NY Times reported:

The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California, described the bill as groundbreaking because it would reduce oil imports, cut production of the gases that scientists blame for global warming and significantly increase the efficiency of the nation’s auto fleet.

“You are present at a moment of change, of real change,” she told her House colleagues before the vote was taken.

Ms. Pelosi and other supporters of the bill expressed disappointment that it did not include a requirement that utilities produce a growing share of electric power from renewable sources and was stripped of a package of subsidies for wind, solar, geothermal and other alternative energy sources that would have been paid for by higher taxes on oil companies.

How is it that a little over six months after this bill was signed, gas prices skyrocketed to a national average over $4/gallon? How is it that this bill didn’t fulfill its promise? According to this website, the national average for a gallon of gasoline was $2.23 on 11/13/2006. It was $2.30 per gallon on 2/19/2007.

According to this website, here are the stated goals of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007:

“To move the United States toward greater energy independence and security, to increase the production of clean renewable fuels, to protect consumers, to increase the efficiency of products, buildings and vehicles, to promote research on and deploy greenhouse gas capture and storage options, and to improve the energy performance of the Federal Government, and for other purposes.”

This is the Democrats’ bill. According to Govtrack, Nick Rahall, (D-WVA) was the bill’s sponsor in the House. There were 200 co-sponsors of the legislation; Chris Shays and Wayne Gilchrest were the only Republicans listed as co-sponsors.

You’ll notice that there isn’t a single provision in the bill that increased traditional energy supplies. It’s all about renewables, conservation and various other meaningless provisions.

The Democrats’ Failure

Since the time of this bill’s signing, oil prices have spiked.

Now Democrats are asking us to trust them again to fix America’s gas crisis? I think not. Let’s remember that Democrats intended this legislation to be one of their signature achievements. It’s failed miserably.

I can’t help but think that the markets looked at this bill and recoiled, knowing that this bill wouldn’t fix anything.

The Republicans’ Plan

The House Republicans’ plan is the American Energy Act. Here are the bill’s provisions:

To increase the supply of American-made energy in environmentally sound ways, the American Energy Act will:

• Open our deep water ocean resources, which could provide an additional 3
  million barrels of oil per day, as well as 76 trillion cubic feet of natural gas;
• Open the Arctic coastal plain, which could provide an additional 1 million
  barrels of oil per day;
• Allow development of our nation’s shale oil resources, which could provide
  an additional 2.5 million barrels of oil per day; and
• Increase the supply of gas at the pump by cutting bureaucratic red tape that
  hinders the construction of new refineries.

To improve energy conservation and efficiency, the American Energy Act will:

• Provide tax incentives for businesses and families that purchase more fuel efficient vehicles;
• Provide a monetary prize for being the first to develop an economically feasible, super-fuel-efficient vehicle (reaching 100 miles-per-gallon); and
• Provide tax incentives for businesses and homeowners who improve their energy efficiency.

To promote alternative and renewable energy technologies, the American Energy Act will:

• Spur the development of alternative fuels through government contracting, the repeal of the “Section 526″ prohibition on government purchasing of alternative energy and promotion of coal-to-liquids technology;
• Establish a renewable energy trust fund using revenues generated by exploration in the deep ocean and on the Arctic coastal plain;
• Permanently extend the tax credit for alternative energy production, including wind, solar and hydrogen; and
• Eliminate barriers to the expansion of emission-free nuclear power production.

Since this bill was introduced, gas prices have dropped, though the strengthening of the dollar has played a significant part. Still, it’s worth noting what the Washington Post’s Robert J. Samuelson said:

McCain and most Republicans support more offshore drilling for oil and natural gas; most Democrats don’t (Obama has said he might consider more offshore drilling). The Democrats are deservedly getting pounded on this. Of course, “we can’t drill our way out of this problem.” But if we don’t increase drilling, import dependence will worsen as production from mature fields ebbs. Since 1990, U.S. oil production has dropped 23 percent, while imports have gone from 42 percent to 58 percent of consumption. Greater exploration is common sense, as more Americans recognize (Democrats’ candor grade: F).

The point I’m making is obvious: Democrats shouldn’t be trusted on this issue. They’ve sought to cure this gas crisis by putting a low priority on drilling. In fact, there’s ample proof that Democrats didn’t think of oil as a solution until the American people turned against them in poll after poll. Here’s what Elwyn Tinklenberg’s energy website says:

America must reduce its dependence on the coal and petroleum products that contribute to global warming, and energy alternatives are becoming widely available in bio-derived, nuclear, solar, and wind energy.

Democrats had to be dragged kicking and screaming to even consider expanding drilling. Considering these statements, it’s insulting that Democrats, from Sen. Obama to Speaker Pelosi to Rep. Pallone or Mr. Tinklenberg, want the American people to trust them to solve a crisis that they created, then refused to fix.

It’s time to turn the keys over to the House Republicans. Yes, that means ignoring the Gang of Ten disaster. It’s time to get behind the American Energy Act. Examine the provisions, then tell me that the House Republicans’ plan doesn’t make total sense. Good luck trying to argue against it.

At best, you might slightly modify a provision or two.

The question the American people have to answer is whether they want (a) ever-escalating gas prices with a possible semi-solution waiting 10-15 years down the road or (b) a solid fix that’s available within the next five years.

It seems to me that that’s a pretty easy choice once you ignore Ms. Pelosi’s rhetoric.

Technorati Tags: Gas Crisis, Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, Frank Pallone, El Tinklenberg, Energy Independence and Security Act, Renewables, Conservation, Democrats, American Energy Act, Drilling, Oil Exploration, Oil Production, Republicans, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

This entry was posted on Friday, August 15th, 2008 at 2:11 am and is filed under Author: Gary Gross, Election 2008, Energy, Liberals, McCain, Obama, Pelosi. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.