I mentioned in an earlier post reading an article in the Dallas Morning News "Energy Bill Subbed." For some reason it was not put online for me to post a url. I emailed the reporter and got a copy of the article.
What annoyed me is the partisan politics the Democrats were practicing on the energy issue. Now, I am a realist and realize that this goes on all the time and both parties are at fault, but I think voters have to begin holding politicians more accountable on these issues.
I accept the fact that Democrats hated Congressman DeLay (R, TX) and now that a Democrat holds his seat they find it important to pass drilling legislation that will help the district and keep him in office. But what about the consumer? And how often is this still happening under the Pelosi and Reid leadership?
Here is a copy of the July 24th article from the Dallas Morning News business section:
Democratic lawmakers backed off a plan Wednesday to direct more research money to renewable energy sources by selling oil from the country's emergency stockpile.
The bill also would have sent $50 million to a program popular with Texas lawmakers because it provides millions of dollars to state universities pursuing research on natural gas and oil companies looking for deepwater deposits. The Bush administration has tried to eliminate the program because it says oil and gas producers are making enough money to fund their own research.
Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Stafford, and Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., introduced a new bill Wednesday that House lawmakers are likely to approve today. It calls for selling about 70 million barrels of oil from the stockpile, but keeps the revenue to buy more oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the future. Democrats say releasing 70 million barrels will lower gasoline prices.
Mr. Markey's support for the oil and gas program was an about-face for the chairman of the House Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. Mr. Markey once called the program "morally and politically wrong" and a sop for Big Oil.
That was three years ago, when Democrats considered the program a big earmark for former Rep. Tom DeLay's district, where the program is based. Now the program's biggest supporter is Mr. DeLay's Democratic successor, Mr. Lampson of suburban Houston, whose November race is considered one of the country's toughest re-election contests.
Eben Burnham-Snyder, a spokesman for Mr. Markey, said the chairman "has had reservations about the deepwater drilling program in the past" but sponsored Mr. Lampson's bill because it also provided more than $145 million for renewable energy research.
Trevor Kincaid, a spokesman for Mr. Lampson, said there was "some pushback" from other lawmakers to selling oil from the stockpile to fund oil and gas research. The U.S. Department of Energy has opposed the proposal, saying it would take oil from the country's protection against oil supply shocks.
"Drawing down any amount of oil to manipulate market prices is in direct opposition to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve's intended purpose and would have serious negative impacts on our national security and American consumers," said Angela Hill, an Energy Department spokeswoman.
Many Republicans say that selling oil from the reserve won't bring down gasoline prices. A previous decision to stop buying oil to fill the reserve didn't have any impact on prices.
"It's nothing more than political cover for the House Democratic leadership, who are intent on pretending they are in favor of increased energy production when they are not," said Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio.
Mr. Lampson may still seek more funding for the oil and gas program in the future, according to his spokesman.
"We are hoping that once we take this first step that we'll be able to either reinstate it or come up with new programs we can use that money to fund," Mr. Kincaid said.
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