A day late, House of Representatives passes energy bill
After a delay in the vote the House of Representatives passed the new energy on Thursday by a 235-181 margin. The bill passed largely on party lines with fourteen Republicans voting for the bill and seven Democrats against it. The reasons behind the delay will likely doom the bill in the Senate and almost certainly at the White House if it gets that far unchanged. While most representatives supported the fuel economy requirements, some of the ancillary elements are a deal breaker for Republicans. The big stumbling block is the repeal of $21 billion in tax breaks that currently go largely to the oil industry. The President has vowed to veto the bill if this provision stays in. The Senate may vote on the bill as soon as today if it doesn't get filibustered.
[Source: Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rgseidl 10:05AM (12/07/2007)
Oh, it'll get filibustered alright. No Republican senator wants to be perceived as rolling over and playing dead now that the President has said he'll veto it unless it's changed. The Dems will likely be prepared to reduce the subsidies for renewable electricity and not cut those for oil & gas by quite as much, but abandoning these measures altogether would gut the bill and make *them* look as if they had rolled over. Since voters overwhelmingly want an energy bill, it's now basically a game of chicken. Bush isn't up for re-election, so he's got little to lose by standing his ground.
Also, dragging the process out for as long as possible lets all sides to rake in yet more campaign contributions from the various lobbies.
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susan.kraemer 11:15AM (12/07/2007)
Instead of passively watching this go down in flames, get active. This will be what brings the Europeanstyle freeway EVs and clean fuel efficient cars to America.
Remember 35 mpg is the AVERAGE. That means they will have to build a 55 mpg car to balance every 15 mpg SUV. (= electric, duh.) So this IS huge.
I believe we in the netroots helped the House get it through the House. Now its time for the Senate. Reid is holding the Senate open on Saturday for the vote, which in itself pressures the Republicans. Your mission, should you choose to accept it: call these Senators if they are yours:
From chapter1 at dailykos:
Energy Bill 2007: Crashing the Senate Gates Hotlist
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/12/7/82626/3791/151/418855
"If any of these represent you, call them. Heck, if any non-hopeless Republican represents you, check the list of Senate phone numbers and call.
Bob Corker (R-TN) 202 224-3344
John Ensign (R-NV) 202 224-6244
Judd Gregg (R-NH) 202 224-3324
Mel Martinez (R-FL) 202 224-3041
John Sununu (R-NH) 202 224-2841
Norm Coleman (R-MN) 202 224-5641
Susan Collins (R-ME) 202 224-2523
Gordon Smith (R-OR) 202 224-3753
What if my Senators are hopeless?
First, no one should call another Senator's office and lie about where they are from. We simply do not do that sort of thing.
But that doesn't mean you're helpless. I (like many of you) have knocked on doors in neighboring states in election campaigns.. and may do so again. I (like many of you) have donated to campaigns in other states. I (like many of you) have made an awful lot of phone calls through MoveOn and other virtual phone banks. Like many of you, I have cast my whole vote, my whole influence beyond the borders of my state. And I will do so again.
In 2006, I called up two Senators in nearby states who were facing tough reelection battles. I told the staff member, "I'm not a constituent, so I can't vote for your boss. But there are no close races where I live this year, so I'm trying to decide how to spend my campaign-volunteering time. In the past, I've volunteered in your state. By the way, the Senator's vote on this Bill will heavily influence my decision whether to visit your state in 2008. You're probably in a better position than me to judge how many votes a day of knocking on doors will swing... but I suspect its more than 1. Oh.. sometimes when I campaign in other states, I bring friends." (All of this was true.)
Now imagine a Senator facing a tough reelection battle being flooded with calls like that. Or with minor variations (donating money, making calls through virtual phonebanks, etc.) There's more than one way to crash the gates."
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