« Where things now stand with PGE | Main | Tax Bill Finally Going to the House Floor »

July 27, 2005

Bad Energy Bill on the Move in Congress

Congress is closer than ever to voting on the Energy Bill, in its current incarnation a terrible piece of federal legislation that promotes more oil, gas, coal and even nuclear power than it does renewable energy. And, much to CUB's dismay, this bill would repeal PUHCA, a crucial law for protecting electric utility company customers. Many organizations are speaking out about it.

We include some other groups' analysis here, in hopes that CUB members will contact Senators Wyden (503-326-7525 or 202-224-5244) and Smith (503-326-3386 or 202-224-3753), saying vote NO on this Energy Bill, and then pass the email along. There is hope that, if we cannot vote the bill down, we might at least be able to delay the vote for a few months, giving opponents the chance to keep working on alternatives.

From Campaign for America's Future

The energy bill -- slated for a vote in the House and Senate this week -- is a fundamental insult to Americans. It puts the interests of big oil over the national interest in matters vital to our nation's security, our economy and our children's health.

This big oil energy bill:
* Gives billions in tax incentives to big oil, gas and nuclear conglomerates.
* Eliminates the requirement that utilities provide 10% of their energy from renewable sources.
* Strips a provision to make even a modest reduction in American oil consumption -- 1 million barrels of oil per day by 2015, representing a mere 4% of our projected oil consumption.
* Rolls back oversight on utilities and consumer protections [PUHCA] - which would allow companies to structure Enron-like deals and exploit the energy grid.

Please write your member of Congress and tell them that we need a real plan for plan for energy independence, not a grab bag of corporate giveaways.

From OSPIRG

This energy bill fails on all counts, and would move the nation deeper into dependence on dirty fossil fuels and dangerous nukes. It includes billions of dollars in subsidies for the oil, coal, and nuclear industries. It fails to reduce our dependence on oil, and won't cut gas prices. It doesn't even include the one bright spot - a renewable energy standard -- that the Senate version of the bill did. This bill also would allow, for the first time in 20 years, an inventory of oil and gas resources off the Oregon coast, setting the stage for drilling.

Please take a moment to call Senator Smith today at 877-762-8762, or 202-224-3121, and ask him to do everything in his power to stop this energy bill from passing the Senate. Then, please ask your friends to help by forwarding them this email.

From The Sierra Club

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Reject the Polluting Energy Bill In the next two days, Congress will take its final vote on a polluting energy bill. Instead of putting proven clean energy solutions to work, this destructive bill weakens key environmental safeguards, puts America's coastlines and other public lands at risk, and funnels billions of dollars to the energy industry. It's time for Congress to start over with a forward looking energy policy that actually solves America's energy problems.

Click here to send a message to your members of Congress telling them to reject this polluting energy bill!

Posted by Oregon CUB at July 27, 2005 02:35 PM

Comments