House Approves Broad Energy Bill

[liveoaktx]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050421/ap_on_go_co/energy_bill


Roll Call- http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll132.xml

Roll Call on Capps Strip MTBE Amendment http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll129.xml

[NobleCynic]

1. MTBE

I know MTBE has been a problem here in Nevada, especially up and around Lake Tahoe. I remember a couple local gas stations got slapped with fines.

I thought I heard something a while back about viable alternatives to MTBE, (Other than just abandoning MTBE altogether and living with the air pollution. Also viable, but less pleasant.) Does anyone have a link?

[Massacure]

2. There are tons of things to replace MTBE. Ethanol is a good one.

[rodeodance]

3. once again my Rep. Tammy Balwin does the right thing and says NO

[fighttotheend]

6. i am so sick of these senators & reps that dont care about the environment

[newyawker99]

7. Hi NobleCynic!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Shallah Kali]

20. I don't know of alternatives but MTBE needs to be stopped

My family got it in our water well in Maine. The water used to taste great until some how that crap got into the water supply. We had a high level but the state did not want to do anything even though they were trucking in water for a elementary school with 10% of what we had. That is until I raised hell calling state and local officials, local newspapers, etc. They told me it was safe but when showering leave a window open. Yeah right! I got them to install filters at least until the level dropped to the offical safe level. They never tested our neighbors even though this stuff spreads worse than gas alone. I have never felt safe drinking this water since so I fill up bottles at a relative's house who gets city water and then run it though a filter that is supposed to get the majority of MTBE out just to be sure.

BTW here is the Environmental Working Group's page on the MTBE vote:
http://www.ewg.org/reports/lapdog/index2.php?orderby=member

[fighttotheend]

4. House OKs Energy Bill

Measure must be reconciled with Senate version yet to be passed

The House-passed bill contains controversial provisions to allow oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

WASHINGTON - The House on Thursday approved a $12 billion energy bill backed by the White House that contains incentives to increase domestic production of crude oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear and other energy sources.

The broad bill, approved by a 249-183 vote, also contains provisions to allow oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, to shield makers of a gasoline additive from water contamination lawsuits and to boost production of ethanol, a corn-distilled fuel additive.

The largely Republican-crafted bill was approved after two days in which the GOP majority turned back repeated attempts by Democrats to add measures they said would reduce energy use, including a proposal for higher automobile fuel economy requirements.

The bill includes $12 billion in tax breaks over 10 years and subsidies for energy companies, more than the Bush administration said it wanted. Nevertheless the White House strongly endorsed the measure.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7574562/

[54anickel]

5. BASTARDS! $88.9 billion in subsidies to industry over 10 years in the bil

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/04/20/MNGA4CBM461.DTL

snip>

Republican leaders had promised a slimmer version of the energy bill the House has passed the last few years to avoid worsening the federal deficit. But a new analysis by a watchdog group showed that lawmakers added $35 billion in the last three weeks since the bill was introduced -- a total of $88.9 billion in subsidies to industry over 10 years in the bill.

Analysts said the extra spending was tacked on to win over wavering lawmakers or to placate parts of the energy industry. The House is scheduled to begin debating the bill today.

"It becomes a lot less about a national energy policy and more about a strategic divvying up of regional perks to secure not just enough votes to win, but to win by a landslide," said Keith Ashdown, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan group that analyzed the bill's costs.

snip>

For example, a $125 million provision in the bill would convert a clean coal plant in Healy, Alaska, into a regular coal-fired plant because the cleaner technology was not cost-effective and the plant has been idle since 2001. The provision was requested by Alaska lawmakers.

[Moderator]

8. kick

[Shallah Kali]

9. House passes energy reform bill laden with extras for US oil industry

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=afp/usenergypolitics

The bill, which passed by a vote of 249 to 183, authorizes over 80 billion dollars in spending and over eight billion dollars in subsidies and tax incentives for oil companies.

{SNIP}

"The House legislation ... reduces our dependence on foreign oil by expanding domestic supplies and allowing oil and gas exploration right here in the United States.

{SNIP}

Corn Country gets billions, Big Oil gets billions, Nuclear Power gets billions, King Coal gets billions -- and taxpayers get stuck paying record prices at the pump." the group {Taxpayers for Common Sense} said.


"This legislation is nothing more than a grab bag of high-priced special interest goodies for energy corporations."

---
I had not heard of this group so I looked up the link:
Taxpayers for Common Sense
http://www.taxpayer.net/
---

I am ticked off for many reasons about this. On one hand it is giving big business $$$$$ to do what they already are making $$$$$ to do. For another what about energy conservation? What about finally raising the mile per gallon rules on vehicles because even if they started drilling every drop of oil on American soil it will take a decade to reach us! Oh I forgot there is no money in that for the the oil companies and their politican buddies. If America had this attitude during WWII we would not have made it. Back then it was patriotic to conserve. Today it is considered patriot to drive a big honkin 8mpg hummer just stick a support the troops magnet on it and you are all set. :banghead:

[high density]

10. $8 billion in subsidies and tax incentives for oil companies..

And then Hastert explains away the corporatism with a straight face.

[truthisfreedom]

11. $8 billion dollars would do a lot to help develop alternative energy

and alt energy vehicles. where is that money?

[rodeodance]

12. like an FDR massive works project on alternative energies project.

I can dream

[TheFarseer]

13. Incentives to do what?

Drill for oil? Were they not planning on doing this already? Makes no sense to me. We should give that $8 billion to our universities and other researchers to develop alternative energy, but they what the hell do I know. I'm just some dumb hick from Nebraska. I'm not a smart enough to be a fancy oil exec from Texas. Shouldn't we bash them over the head with this? Million dollar oil execs are not regular folks even if they do have charming anecdotes about hound dogs and cats giving birth in an oven but the kittens not being biscuits.

[chlamor]

14. House Approves Broad Energy Bill

House Approves Broad Energy Bill
April 21, 2005 9:53 PM EDT

WASHINGTON - The House approved a far-ranging energy bill Thursday that would open an Alaska wildlife refuge to oil drilling and shield makers of a controversial gasoline additive from environmental lawsuits - both issues likely to meet strong opposition in the Senate.

The bill also would funnel more than $12 billion in tax breaks and subsidies to energy companies. Opponents of the legislation said it would do little to foster less energy use. A proposal to require higher fuel economy for cars was rejected.

The administration embraced the legislation, although a White House analysis expressed reservations about the size of the incentives to the oil and gas industries, especially a $2 billion subsidy for developing oil and gas in deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

After passage, President Bush praised the bill as "an important step to secure our energy future and to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy." Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said the measure was not perfect, but "we now have a bill, something to work with."

http://start.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20050421/42672540_3ca6_1552620050421424033453

[marmar]

15. Be afraid, be very afraid...

When will it end? One disastrous bill after another. They are not going to be satisfied until they have completely fucked the entire planet. Heaven help us!

:scared:

[chlamor]

16. To some your statement

"until they have completely fucked the planet" may seem like hyperbole. But you have summed it up quite succinctly. Our lives are in danger. "They"- I do not exclude many who are considered "liberal" in that "They"-are in the process of destroying the very fabric of life. Sadly many do not or cannot face the brute reality of the stakes involved and consider this a political game.

[Theduckno2]

17. Just once I would like to see Dubya securing our energy future by

splitting some firewood, to help heat the White House. To be fair, he does spew a lot of hot air. By the way his energy future is probably quite secure, not so for John Q. Public. Tax breaks for energy companies are such a poor choice for our future.

[Mr. Peanut]

18. Email Senators and Representatives Now

and tell them you demand they stop acting dumb, blind, and stupid. Instead of closing the SUV loophole, requiring fuel-efficient autos, and protecting the only environment we have, they want to extend daylight savings time (no actual proof it will help, and it causes other problems like accidents with school buses), approve drilling in the Arctic, and promote gas guzzling vehicles like SUVs and Hummers. I already hate daylight savings time, not only for the shock of losing and gaining an hour, but because in the spring and summer when I get sleepy in the evening there is still daylight here in the north. The rich politicians in Congress want their SUVs and their Hummers, and they want us to sacrifice our quality of life and endanger the environment in order to give them their big gas guzzlers to ride around their big gluttonous butts.

We have to fight, people, before the deaf, dumb, and blind politicians in Congress and the White House ruin this world for the lower/middle income classes who continually take the brunt of their stupidity. E.g., the recent bankruptcy bill disaster. Who needs a financial escape hatch more, the rich or the not-rich?

Email senators and representatives today and say NO to the Energy Bill's current provisions! Power to the people!

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
http://www.nrdcactionfund.org/redfordarctic/action.asp?step=2&item=52387

[Tesha]

19. Ahh, the "SUV Reanimation Act of 2005"! (NT)