Oppose HR 6. The Energy Policy Act of 2005

OPPOSE HR 6, THE ENERGY POLICY ACT OF 2005 -- (Extensions of Remarks - May 05, 2005)

SPEECH OF
HON. BETTY McCOLLUM
OF MINNESOTA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2005

Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, in 2001 the newly elected President George W. Bush visited St. Paul to announce his vision of energy independence to the American people. Unfortunately, the President's vision of limitless domestic petroleum exploration, natural resource exploitation and consumption are becoming a reality. Today, tragically, House Republicans expand the Bush agenda of tax cuts for the energy industry, dependence on foreign oil and destruction of our environment.

With only two percent of world oil reserves, the U.S. will never be able to produce enough petroleum to be self-sufficient. America needs a comprehensive energy policy that prioritizes incentives for efficiency, conservation, alternative energy sources. Our nation needs to invest in the development of the next generation fuel sources like fuel cells, hydrogen power and home grown Minnesota fuels like ethanol. A major commitment and investment in these advancements has the potential to create a revolutionary transformation of the global economy, liberate our nation from our addiction to oil from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, and start the environmental healing that will keep our planet alive.

Unfortunately, H.R. 6 fails to even attempt to meet these goals and in fact undermines them. Instead, the Republican energy bill spends 93 percent of the $8.1 billion in tax incentives it provides to oil and coal companies. The same companies that are already making huge profits from the skyrocketing gas prices our families are paying to heat our homes and put gas in our cars. The President doesn't even believe these companies need incentives. At a recent speech to the American Society of Newspaper Editors, President Bush said, "I will tell you with $55 oil, we don't need incentives for oil and gas companies to explore. There are plenty of incentives. What we need is to put a strategy in place that will help this country over time become less dependent."

This Republican bill wastes enormous amounts of taxpayer money and it contributes to the destruction of our environment. It tramples the 'polluter pays' principle and forces the American people to pick up the $29 billion cost to clean up the mess created by MTBE-the mess that is contaminating the drinking water of tens of millions of Americans. It's an outrageous abuse of power to let these MTBE polluters off the hook and force a billion dollar unfunded mandate onto our counties and cities.

There were amendments that would have improved this bill, which I voted for, but they were defeated by Republican majorities. These amendments intended to protect our environment and our families while providing for responsible policies to advance a sustainable energy future for our nation.

It is with great disappointment that my colleagues and I who have visited the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge were unable to stop the majority party's obsession with destroying this pristine wilderness by allowing oil drilling. I also supported an amendment to stop MTBE producers from passing the $29 billion cost of cleaning up their pollution to the U.S. taxpayer. I also voted for an amendment to increase fuel-efficiency standards for our cars and trucks, saving billions of barrels of oil and improving our nation's air quality.

Each of these amendments failed because policy makers with a vision of a sustainable U.S. energy policy lost out to special interests determined to create larger corporate profits, but only after they receive the billions of dollars of corporate welfare benefits this Republican bill provides them.

Our nation cannot sustain its addiction to petroleum consumption. Incentives for efficiency, conservation and alternative energy sources combined with responsible leadership from the White House and Congress are all required if the U.S. is to lead the world in energy self sufficiency, rather than leading the world in energy dependency.

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