Half the Blame on Dems for Energy Bill Failure

On Friday, the Senate killed a package of clean energy provisions from the House-passed energy bill, failing to reach the 60 votes needed to overcome a GOP-lead filibuster.

First, disclosure. I am a Republican and, for the past three years, I have lobbied and organized for Union of Concerned Scientists for some of these clean energy provisions. The opinions I express here are mine only.

But both parties deserve the blame for denying American consumers the opportunity to save over $35 billion in energy costs by 2020, in addition to reducing dependence on fossil fuel from unstable places such as the Middle East and Venezuela, reducing our trade deficit, increasing net job growth in the US, and strengthening national security according to 11 retired generals and admirals. The package would have also been the federal government's first major step to curb global warming gas pollution.

My own party - joined at the hip with the fossil fuel industry - has made the absurd decision to filibuster measures with almost pure upside for the American economy and American consumers. Evidence for the bi-partisan goodness of the most important measure in the package - the Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) -- is the unanimous vote this spring in the New Hampshire Senate for a state version. President Bush signed an RES into law as Governor of Texas, unleashing a wind power boom there.

As you can see from New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg's Friday press release (below, emphasis mine), blame's bony finger also points at Democratic leadership for trying to push through the filibuster without even talking with the Republicans they needed to get to 60.

Democrats should reach out to Senator Gregg and other Republicans who have indicated their support for the clean energy package.

For those reading this who have close contacts with House or Senate Democratic leadership, it may be useful to encourage direct dialogue with Senate Republicans ASAP.

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Friday, December 7, 2007 Contact: Andrea Wuebker/Laena Fallon

GREGG COMMENTS ON ENERGY BILL

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) today made the following statement on the cloture motion to proceed to debate on the energy bill, which failed by a vote of 53 to 42.

Senator Judd Gregg stated, "Our nation faces a severe energy crisis forcing families to trim their budgets in order to pay for skyrocketing energy bills and rising prices at the gas pump. Our dependence on foreign sources of oil also places our national security at risk. It is critical that we work together in a bipartisan manner to create an energy bill that addresses the growing energy crisis and develops responsible policies that place a greater emphasis on energy conservation, develops environmentally-friendly renewable energy sources, and reduces our dependence on foreign oil.

"The energy bill brought before the Senate contains a number of initiatives which will improve our nation's energy policy. While I would have preferred higher fuel economy standards, I support the bill's increase in Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for motor vehicles. I fully support the bill's renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS) provision which requires that fifteen percent of electricity come from renewable energy by 2020. It is critical that our nation's electric utilities use more renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels. I also support the elimination of wasteful tax breaks for oil and gas companies.

"Unfortunately, these good policies are being needlessly tied up in the politics of bad faith. At the 11th hour of this session of Congress, the Democratic Leadership has once again engaged in a game of high-stakes political chess by forcing us to consider a 1,000 plus page bill without any meaningful bipartisan discussion and without any chance to offer amendments. This type of strong arm politics may work in the House or the Russian parliament, but I refuse to support such a process in the Senate. By voting against cloture, I hope that we can now stop playing games and move forward in a bipartisan manner to get a comprehensive, environmentally friendly energy bill passed."

Comments

[Jim Rubens - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks for the comments. I can understand the vitriol in many, stemming from frustration over K-Street dominated government.

Nonetheless: I was serious in asking any readers with high-level contacts to encourage constructive outreach by Democratic leaders in both House and Senate to speak with GOP Senator Gregg, who has gone as far as issuing a press release stating his support for the RES (Renewable Electricity Standard), the provision in the energy bill most opposed by Republican leadership. Take Senator Gregg's comment at face value: giving GOP Senators only hours to review a 1,000 page energy bill is simply unreasonable. Dems hated exactly this type of power play when the GOP ran things.

My belief is that the RES can get 60 votes in the Senate. I am not persuaded that President Bush--in spite of his threat to do so--would veto a bill supported by Senator Gregg.

[misterstudebaker]

No.

The bill was a piece of crap. Funding ethanol is retarded. Get over it. I detest Republicans in general, but Roscoe Bartlett has his eyes on the ball.

read his reasons why here:

http://globalpublicmedia.com/congressman_roscoe_bartlett_votes_no_on_energy_bill

[Mormondude]

A boom in wind power in Texas? Great! Fabulous! And electricity prices are through the roof the last 5 years.

I'm not sure I fully understand the focus on renewable energy. We have hundreds of years worth of coal that is easily obtained, and would provide cheap power. Forcing companies to develop more expensive alternative energy plants forces that average price of electricity to climb, since it costs more to produce. This has the same large indirect effect on the entire economy that high gas prices do.

For example, there are high level research schools here in Houston that are now paying double or triple for their electricity bills compared to a few short years ago. This amounts to millions and millions of dollars every year, which must be taken away from the research budgets.

This situation is replaying itself in research institutions across the country. This is just one example of how shortsighted and harmful this can be to issues that are equally if not more important than embracing renewable energy.

If you want to support renewables, fine. But price stability must be considered. If Clinton/Gore were willing to authorize hundreds of new natural gas fired power plants, we should be willing to continue building clean coal plants. They should not be demonized and attacked, any more than the natural gas plants were. This would allow us to take older, less efficient, more polluting plants out of production, without causing prices to skyrocket.

We should take a balanced approach. China is building a new dirty coal plant every week. We should at least allow clean coal plants to be built, instead of letting the militant environmentalists kill them every single time.

[Zentomato]

Let us not forget that way back in 1776 that it was the conservatives who sided with KIng George and opposed the American Revolution. The modern GOP is nothing but a version of the revolutionary day's Tories. After the past 7 years of one f*ckup and scandal after another why anyone with two brain cells would be a Rethuglican is beyond logical thinking.

[mouselion]

The latest CAFE standards approved by Congress are so weak, they are negligible in impacting any meaningful change in human energy carbon emissions.

The lack of 'Strong-arm politics' that may be evident in the 'brutish' U.S. House of Representatives, like the 'beastly' Russian parliament (common plebesites!), is a pathology begun by the mean-spirited and non-yielding political approach, increasingly, by the Republican party. Not the old-school way of doing political business in D.C., the Pandora's box of hateful Neo-Conism, having been wrench open by Nixon (and how it's been down-hill from there, baby!).

I applaud your desire to be on the right side of the global climate issue, you just gotta realize we're wizened-up to Trojan elephants at this point and so are wary of the GOP wearing our cloaking. If you're genuine, time will tell. But, for now, you can see why the Blues are running with their heads down,

[Pdubya]

this is all great. but which part of the 80/20% did you get this time on the bill? Who's turn was it? Which lobby got the share this time? Who cares? The plutocrats win.

I am no longer swallowing a blue or red pill, even if you try and force me to vote that way.

He said, she said. Crap. I've been in the private sector environmental business for 20+ years. The Dems and Repubs are both the same. Regulate small business, subsidize big business.

We don't need your, or your so said "opponent's" legislation. We can do it ourselves. Your system is obviously broken.

[research]

Hey Congress: seems like 99% of you are breaking the law, one way or the other. Ok, so here's the deal: If all you did was steal money, we will grant amnesty, if you will witness against those who conspired to commit war crimes, or alter the government of the USA unconstitutionally towards fascism.

Hopefully the later category is a small minority, and the majority will introduce a bill stating the conditions of amnesty.

I hate to even let these "little fish" get off, but fascism and world war three trump that.
Oh, and we will be back for the money.

[Tamas]

To Senator Judd Gregg: A fine, principled stance. The problem is that, in this case, you allowed form (and ego) to triumph over substance.

[splashy]

Ah, yes. Trying to blame the Dems for the votes of the Repubs.

Why not just vote it in if you agreed with much of it? It doesn't matter, since Bush is going to veto it anyway.

[jackpinesavage]

Oh shit, so it turns out that Jimmy Carter was right back in the late 1970's? If only people had listened then, or at any time over the last thirty years. But we didn't so now the sky is falling.

The politicians aren't really doing anything; the corporations are dragging their heels; and the environmentalists want to become regulatory zealots just as badly as the moral majority.

God is dead. Man is God. Is man dead yet?

Personally, i'm hoping that global warming (since we apparently can't stop the hurt) triggers a shutoff of the Atlantic conveyor; give the glaciers the upper hand for a while.

And the best cure for our globally warming ways might be a further (and frighteningly likely) collapse of the bee populations. Starvation is a cruel, but effective, method of population control.

By the way, i am all for renewable energy, high mileage, and LED lights; i don't even need someone to write laws to convince me...Jimmy Carter did it.

[vippy]

And they all thought that this bill is a great
thing for us. How dumb do they believe the public is. In this day and age of information technology these congressmen/senators still act like dinosaurs. We have the means to get 100 mpg out of engines. But that would leave their pockets empty because they are heavily invested in oil and made a deal with their friends in the ME. Disgusting. Vote Kucinich or Paul!

[knosiswar]

You sound surprised?

[Citizenofreality]

Perhaps if we had publicly financed political campaigns we might be in a different place right now. Perhaps a few of our "public servants" might actually do the right thing and choose to represent the interests of the people of this country and not the corporate masters who fund them. I think it is too little, too late, we will dawdle, hem and haw and leave to our children and grandchildren a very grim future. It is very sad because it didn't have to be this way.

[ljsfolly]

Bush said he would veto the bill also. There is a reality coming at us so fast but while we are distracted by other things we cannot see it. The massive SUV's and hummers are going to represent us when 50 years go by. That we failed to see what was in front of us and refused to act is what fututre we leave our kids. Along with the huge federal deficit the money thrown into a sorry war built on lies and making certain people rich, we leave some much that could have been done and wasn't. I write as fact this belief because it is how it will be as times before we have just expected gas at the pump, the light/computer/tv/stove to come on when we flipped a switch or turned the dial. The time for change and inovation must be now for tomorrow is just another day lost and until the congress and new president gets into office we will have many more days of non action no inovation, nothing we have to do being shown to us as urgently needed.

[progresemulo]

The Republicans chose the terrorist strategy of holding the American people hostage in exchange for an energy bill that diverted taxpayer dollars to the oil companies and global warming deniers and the Democrats chose not to negotiate.

I say good call.