Third times a charm? Second vote on energy bill comes up 1 vote short
A second vote today in the US Senate on the new energy bill came up one vote shy of the sixty needed to end debate. Republicans opposed to $21.8 billion in tax increases have filibustered the legislation since it was first passed by the House of Representatives last week. Yesterday Senate negotiators removed a provision that would have required electric utilities to get fifteen percent of their power from renewable sources by the middle of the next decade. After the 59-40 vote this morning Majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) agreed to remove the tax changes and bring the bill up for a third vote later today. If, as expected, the bill passes this time, the revised version will go back to the house for another vote likely early next week. If that happens the President is also expected to sign the bill into law.
[Source: Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jcwinnie 3:19PM (12/13/2007)
BOGU -- Senatorial Ostrich Version
Reply
susan.kraemer 3:29PM (12/13/2007)
"Republicans opposed to $21.8 billion in tax increases" is poor reporting for you guys. It sounds like these are tax hikes on the public.
It should read "Republicans opposed to eliminating tax subsidies for Oil companies" is the reality.
The idea was that by rescinding those oil company tax breaks, there would be funding for renewable energy sources.
Reply
jcwinnie 3:25PM (12/13/2007)
Al Gore has said that the Bush administration is "the principal stumbling block to progress in Bali right now." Which well may be true, but here at home, destruction of life on the planet as we know it continues with the complicity of Congress, not to mention, as Ron Paul has observed, preemptive war, secret military tribunals, torture, rejection of habeas corpus, warrant-less searches, undue government secrecy, extraordinary renditions, and uncontrollable spying on the American people.
Reply
Joseph 7:06PM (12/13/2007)
The renewable energy thing was (one of) the best part.
Reply
rob 8:54PM (12/13/2007)
Fortunately the states aren't waiting for the Feds and are getting renewable portfolio standards enacted in some of the most populous regions.
I'm sure the generation companies would prefer a national standard though, rather than trying to plan & budget based on guessing which state will join which Regional Initiative...
Reply
GreyFlcn 12:15PM (12/14/2007)
The bill was just barely tolerable with the Renewable Electricity Standard of 15%.
Since they gutted that portion of the bill, all you got left is a fat bunch of pork, and an anemic fuel economy bill.
I figure they should just add a poison pill to the bill and kill it. The bill is no longer worth it.
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/12/13/72549/012
In particular, forcing us to use our entire crop of corn to make fuel, and liquifying our forrests doesn't sound terribly environmental.
Not to mention all the pork in the bill that goes toward Coal-to-Liquids projects, Gas-to-Liquids, and Nuclear.
Also especially important to the bill is that it could kill the ability for the EPA to regulate greenhouse emissions from cars.
Something which was just recently won in court.
_
CAFE is a horrible mechanism, and the rest of the bill is pork.
We'd be better off without the bill, and then let the EPA regulate carbon emissions.
Reply
paulwesterberg 11:49PM (12/14/2007)
Senator Mary Landrieu extends tax breaks for Big Oil
In bushes first term when republicans controlled congress as part of a new energy bill for the 21st century they enacted big tax breaks for big oil companies and a pork barbeque for coal companies and a few scraps for renewable energy. This was probably done to keep those RNC campaign contributions a flowin, just like the new income tax breaks we targeted towards the wealthy, or his base as bush like to call them.
Now in 2007 the democrats control congress, and public approval of the bush administration is in the toilet, even bush admits global warming is real and so democrats are trying to pass a new energy bill that emphasizes investment in research of renewable clean energy sources. To fund this research(without increasing the deficit) the tax breaks on big oil were to be rescinded. This bill overwhelmingly passed the house and was set to pass the Senate with support from some republicans, but it was blocked by one vote.
Mary Landrieu democratic senator from Louisiana stood up with her fellow republicans to block this bill and keep the tax breaks for big oil. Well it turns out that Big Oil is one of Mary's main campaign contributors, to the tune of $324,626 so far this fund raising cycle which shouldn't be surprising since she raises most of her money in Washington DC from corporate lobbyists. This is why I do not donate to any DNC general fund, because many Congressmen are already bought and paid for, they don't need my money and they wouldn't stand up for the little guy even if I gave it to them.
In her Defense she says: "[The Energy Bill] left Louisiana and America's Energy Coast holding the bill. Our energy producers would be severely disadvantaged against foreign competitors."
Sure bush would have vetoed the legislation in order to preserve the tax breaks for his friends in big oil, but that would have been yet another public reminder that you cant trust bush do do whats right for the people and the war in Iraq is all about the sweet sweet crude. Instead we are reminded that Mary Landrieu takes a lot of money from oil companies and does their dirty work screwing America in the public square with a smile.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn4daYJzyls
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/sector.asp?CID=N00005395&cycle=2008
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/geog.asp?CID=N00005395&cycle=2008
Reply