There was a very interesting article on PBS’s NOW website called Big Oil, Big Influence, that is worthy of a read. Not like folks don’t already know how the oil lobby has influenced Washington over the last seven years, but it also speaks of how the Democratic Congress is finally attempting to grow some ‘nads after a year as a majority.
Previously, “With members of Congress paying special attention to Big Oil, the policy that elected representatives have developed does not reflect the interest of the public, which wants “affordable, reliable, clean sources of energy,” Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen’s Energy Program, says. A 2006 survey by the Pew Research Center found a majority of Americans across the political spectrum want an energy policy that emphasizes renewable and alternative sources of energy.”
But now, “The oil and gas industry is finding that it’s getting less for its money on Capitol Hill. Other industries with competing interests and far less cash to spread around, such as environmental groups and alternative energy producers, are now finding more support for their legislative goals. For example, the Clean Energy Act of 2007 seeks to repeal the 2004 and 2005 tax breaks to Big Oil and re-direct the money to renewable energy efforts.” So far Congress has been slow to push through comprehensive energy legislation, in part because issues related to renewable energy standards and fuel efficiency standards differ by region, rather than political party, which means not all democrats are on board.
“As Congress wrestles with the comprehensive energy legislation, the oil and gas industry is not only fighting off repeals of its tax breaks, but is pushing again for increased domestic production of energy, specifically permission to drill in certain coastal areas that have been off limits. The companies are also trying to prevent democrats from prosecuting them for jacking up prices excessively and they publicly oppose the bill’s mandated use of alternative fuels. The industry joined the fight for coal-to-liquid fuel, in which oil companies have investments, but the controversial provision to encourage creating diesel fuel from domestic coal has already been eliminated from both the house and senate’s versions of the bill.” The best Big Oil can do right now is slow down the legislation, Marchant Wentworth of the Union of Concerned Scientists says. “The [legislation] is being held up because the oil and gas industry is concerned about closing loopholes for offshore drilling,” he says. “They’re fighting this tooth and nail. This is slowing down the clean energy solutions that the public wants.”
“Environmentalists, who had very little influence in Congress when Republicans were in control, are now seeing the lawmakers seriously consider their positions. This includes environmentalists’ support of fuel efficiency standards, a mandate for electric utility companies to produce 15 percent of electricity from renewable sources and their opposition to coal-to-liquid fuel development.”
“The Democratic Congress has made clean energy legislation a priority because of rising gas prices and concerns about the nation’s dependence on foreign oil sources, in addition to a scientific consensus that human activity is the root cause of today’s global warming. Many Republicans, too, are on board and looking for solutions. “The single most important thing that’s happened in the last five years is the price of oil has shot up,” Stanford’s David Victor says. “That run-up has changed the politics and incentives for people to take an interest in conservation, and that’s completely bipartisan.”
Excerpt:
