Wicker: Democrat Energy Plan is Step Backward

Statement

WICKER: DEMOCRAT ENERGY PLAN IS STEP BACKWARD

Congress and the President should be working together on new energy initiatives to increase conservation, develop alternative fuels, and spur more domestic exploration. The issue is receiving attention on Capitol Hill, but the energy plan Democrats pushed through the House of Representatives just prior to the August recess represents a step backward in efforts to reach energy independence.

President Bush has promised to veto the legislation, which would impose $16 billion in new taxes, boost costs to consumers, and weaken the U.S. economy. The most likely result, if it became law, would be to increase our nation's reliance on imported oil.

RELYING ON FOREIGN OIL

Republicans enacted a comprehensive energy package in 2005 that directed investments in clean, renewable energy technology and provided incentives for environmentally-safe exploration in the U.S. The measure also devoted research funding to develop America's vast coal supplies. Instead of building on this far-reaching approach, this latest bill would take us in the opposite direction.

The Democrats seek to impose new and burdensome regulations on energy production. For example, the bill would delay drilling activities by requiring duplicative environmental reviews. It would also eliminate the government's deadlines for responding to drilling applications, slowing the bureaucratic process even further.

Their tax on the nation's domestic producers would most assuredly be passed on to consumers and lead to a loss of American jobs. The Heritage Foundation concluded these new taxes could increase the price of gas at the pump by more than 100 percent over 10 years. Congress took this same higher-taxes approach in the 1980s, a move the Congressional Research Service said "made the U.S. more dependent on foreign oil and more vulnerable to a price upsurge or supply interruption."

TAPPING ABUNDANT COAL SUPPLY

The nation has a 300 year supply of coal at current consumption rates. It is an imperative to pursue opportunities that would enable this energy source to be used in a clean, environmentally sound manner. The 2005 legislation included funds to pursue that goal. One promising option is being developed in Choctaw County, Mississippi,

where lignite coal will be converted to liquid fuel. The bill ignores this innovative method of using clean-burning coal to meet energy demands.

The legislation also failed to extend several expiring tax provisions that would help consumers buy hybrid and other fuel-efficient cars, install solar powered heaters, and make energy efficient upgrades to existing homes.

GOP PURSUING COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH

In this Congress, Republicans have continued to focus on a comprehensive approach to energy policy, offering measures to fund research on bio-fuels, hydrogen power, and fuel cells, as well as boosting conservation efforts for homes and businesses. We have promoted incentives to spur more oil and gas exploration, and backed efforts to streamline the process to produce nuclear power.

The measure that cleared the House would take our country on a different path, restricting the domestic energy supply and raising taxes. This is a bad bill and bad policy, and the American people would be well served if President Bush vetoed it.

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