Bush, Republican ‘Energy Policy’ Just More of the Same Old Song
June 22, 2007
As President Bush offers Americans more of the same failed special interest energy agenda today at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Alabama, a facility shut down just weeks ago due to safety concerns, Democrats in Congress are working to enact smart energy reforms to make our country safer, more secure and energy independent. For the past six years, the Republican’s energy policy has been written by their special interest friends, leaving Americans paying record high gas prices and no closer to achieving energy independence.
In contrast, the energy bill introduced by a Democratic Congress is part of the Democratic plan to increase our energy independence, protect consumers, strengthen our economy and national security, and reduce global warming emissions. Even as it’s clear that their Party’s energy agenda has failed America’s families, the Republican presidential hopefuls continue to offer only more of the same special interest energy policies we’ve seen from the Bush White House.
“For the last six years, the Bush Administration and its Republican allies have allowed our nation’s energy policy to be guided by its special interest cronies and the result has been greater dependence on foreign oil and record high gas prices at the pump,” said Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Stacie Paxton. “Now, as Democrats work to make America energy independent, President Bush and the GOP presidential hopefuls continue to offer nothing more than the same old failed policies.”
BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S RECORD OF DOUBLE-TALK ON RENEWABLE ENERGY
Bush's 2007 Budget Spent More On Tax Breaks For Big Oil Than On Renewable Energy. President Bush's 2007 budget provided paltry amounts of money for alternative and renewable energy, far less than the $2 billion the oil and gas industry received in 2007 tax breaks. This is on top of flat funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy research and development. [Statement of Administration Policy on HR. 6 - Energy Policy Act of 2005]
2006: Bush Pledged Renewable Energy Initiative - Then Gutted National Renewable Energy Lab. The day after President Bush pledged to end America's reliance on foreign oil by funding renewable energy initiatives, the Department of Energy announced that 40 researchers at the prestigious National Renewable Energy Laboratory [RNEL] were being laid off because Republican budget cuts had slashed $28 million from the lab's budget. [New York Times, 2/2/06]
Bush’s Budgets Shortchange Renewable Energy Research. “Let's take a closer look at the actual budget figures for NREL over the past five years. According to the Denver Post, Bush's 2008 budget allocates $181.5 million for NREL. That's actually 3 percent less than Bush asked for in 2007, although it is a tick up from the $174 million allocated in 2006. In 2003, by comparison, NREL's budget was $229.5 million.” [Salon.com, 2/23/07]
2005: Two Years Ago, The Administration Opposed Measures To Reduce Oil Consumption And To Increase CAFE Standards. [Statement of Administration Policy on HR. 6 - Energy Policy Act of 2005]
THE FAILED BUSH RECORD ON REDUCING AMERICA’S OIL DEPENDENCE
Under Bush, America's Dependence on Foreign Oil Has Increased. During the 2000 presidential campaign, Bush criticized the Clinton Administration for allowing U.S. imports on foreign oil to reach 56% of U.S. oil consumption. Five years after President Bush announced his energy plan, U.S. imports of foreign oil have risen to 65% of U.S. consumption. [House Government Reform Committee, Democratic Staff, 3/16/06]
SITE OF BUSH’S SPEECH HAD RECENT SAFETY ISSUES
After 22 Year Shutdown, Newly Restarted Reactor Safety Systems Failed Just Weeks Ago: “A safety system failed when tested at the newly restarted Unit 1 reactor of the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant near Athens… The reactor was shut down last Thursday after the leaky pipe burst and spilled about 600 gallons of non-radioactive fluid inside a building housing generating turbines…TVA, which operates the three-reactor plant in north Alabama, restarted Unit 1 on May 22 after it had remained out of operation for 22 years. All three reactors were taken down in 1985 for safety reasons, with the other two returning online in the 1990s.” [Associated Press, 5/29/07]
GOP CANDIDATES’ ENERGY PLANS OUT OF GAS
RUDY GIULIANI: “HONORARY TEXAS OIL LAWYER”
Giuliani Favorite Presidential Candidate of Oil And Gas Industry. “Oil and gas companies have a favorite candidate among the large field of contenders to become the next president, based upon campaign contributions made by the industry.” According to data from the non-partisan Center For Responsive Politics, Giuliani “is the leading recipient of campaign donations from the oil and gas industry. Individual and PAC contributions from the fuel industry total $229,923 to the Giuliani campaign,” through March of 2007, about double the amount received by the next highest candidate on the list, Mitt Romney. [UPI, 5/7/07]
Giuliani Is An “Honorary Texas Oil Lawyer.” Writing about Giuliani’s burgeoning business ventures, Time highlighted, “the transformation of Brooklyn-bred Rudy into an honorary Texas oil lawyer.” [Time, 4/2/07]
Giuliani Law Firm Linked to Cheney Energy Task Force. In 2001, Bracewell’s staff and those of the industry lobbying group – the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council – which is an extension of their DC lobbying office, met with Vice President Dick Cheney and other administration officials in attempt to block the EPA from continuing action on the Clinton era rules. During the controversy, “several E.P.A. enforcement officials resigned” out of anger that their role was “being subsumed by energy industry concerns.” [New York Times, 5/2/07]
2007: Bracewell & Giuliani Represents Saudi Government And Hugo Chavez’s Oil Company. According to the Associated Press, Giuliani’s law firm, in March 2007, began representing Saudi Arabia’s oil ministry in a Texas court case. Bloomberg News has reported that starting weeks after Giuliani joined the firm in 2005, Bracewell and Giuliani signed as a client Citgo, the oil firm controlled by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. [Associated Press, 5/14/07; Bloomberg, 3/14/07]
ROMNEY: YOU KNOW THE DRILL
Romney Embraces Off-Shore Drilling, ANWR Drilling. Energy independence will “mean increasing our domestic energy production with more drilling offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, more nuclear power, more renewable energy sources, more ethanol, more biodiesel, more solar and wind power, and a fuller exploitation of coal. [Foreign Affairs, July/August 2007] Romney has also said he supports “an environmentally sensitive plan for offshore oil drilling that would not impact Florida tourism.” [Orlando Sentinel, 2/17/07]
Romney Calls Global Warming a “Radical” Idea of “Liberal Left.” Romney issued a press release that criticized Republicans for "embracing the radical environmental ideas of the liberal left.” [Concord Monitor, 3/21/07]
THOMPSON'S LINES SAY ENERGY INDEPENDENCE, VOTES DISAGREE
Thompson Has Taken $150,000 From Big Energy PACs. Even before launching his presidential bid, Thompson got significant support from the energy sector in the form of PAC donations while he was a US Senator: $151,450 from energy and related PACs. [FECINFO, accessed 6/11/07]
Thompson Supports ANWR, Off-Shore Drilling. Thompson voted yes on an energy bill that allowed for oil and gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He also voted to kill an amendment that would have prohibited drilling in ANWR and voted for the final bill that included the provisions allowing for the drilling. [Senate Vote #71, 4/18/02, S517; Senate Vote #190, 5/34/95, SCONRES13; Senate Vote #556, 10/28/95, HR2491] Thompson voted to kill an amendment that would have prohibited the use of funds to execute a lease agreement for oil and gas development in the Gulf of Mexico. [Senate Vote #231, 7/12/01]
Thompson Repeatedly Opposed Tougher Renewable Energy, Fuel Efficiency Standards. Thompson voted against a sense of the Senate resolution that the Department of Transportation should study whether or not to raise CAFÉ standards for vehicles. Thompson also later voted against raising CAFÉ standards for pickup trucks. [Senate Vote #275, 9/15/99, HR2084; Senate Vote #48, 3/13/02, S517] Thompson voted to kill an amendment that would have increased funds for renewable energy by $70 million. [Senate Vote #171, 6/16/99, S1186] Thompson voted to change renewable energy standards in the 2002 Energy Bill to allow certain states to opt out of the standards requiring utilities to generate 10 percent of electricity from renewable energy facilities by 2020. Thompson also voted to limit the language so that utilities would only offer consumers electricity produced from renewable resources to the extent available. [Senate Vote #59, 3/21/02, S517; Senate Vote #55, 3/21/02, S517]
MCCAIN’S DOUBLE TALK EXPRESS RUNNING ON FUMES
McCain Calls Dependence on Foreign Oil a Security Threat, Votes Against Reducing that Dependence. In 2005, McCain voted against legislation calling on the President to submit a plan to reduce foreign petroleum imports by 40 percent. [Senate Roll Call Vote #140, 6/16/05]
McCain Voted Against American Consumers and for Rich Oil Companies... TWICE. In 2005, McCain twice voted against legislation that would have temporarily taxed oil company profits and provided consumers with a tax credit. [Senate Roll Call Vote #341, 11/17/05; Senate Roll Call Vote #331, 11/17/05]
