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Washington, D.C.- Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) criticized the Energy bill today as the latest attempt by the Bush Administration to reverse long standing environmental protections in favor of providing tens of billions of dollars in tax breaks to large energy corporations. Kildee expressed his disappointment today that the final Energy bill failed to adequately address critical environmental and energy issues.
“While I strongly support the ethanol and biodiesel usage provisions, the rest of the bill is detrimental to our environment because it fails to adequately address renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation needs,” said Kildee. “Republicans and Democrats could have worked together to create a bill that benefited everyone, but instead Democrats were shut out of the process completely. Regrettably, the bill we voted on today does nothing to address our nation’s energy needs and jeopardizes the health of our natural environment.”
Congressman Kildee worked closely with Senator Daschle and others to ensure that the Energy bill would include strong ethanol provisions and biodiesel usage provisions. Unfortunately, the ethanol provisions were overshadowed by other provisions aimed at reversing critical environmental laws. Instead, the bill attacks long-standing environmental provisions aimed at conserving our public lands and water resources.
The bill repeals the Public Utility Holding Company Act (PUHCA), a law passed in 1935 that has been used to help ensure reliable and affordable electric power for consumers as well as protect investors from corporate abuse and fraud. The legislation also weakens current environmental standards by exempting oil and gas companies from Clean Water Act requirements regarding storm water pollution, provides liability protection to methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) manufacturers involved in drinking water contamination, and undermines the Clean Air Act by allowing certain entities extensions on meeting clean air deadlines.
The GOP Energy bill also provides tens of billions of dollars in tax breaks and subsidies to oil, gas, coal and nuclear industries, while seriously under-funding and ignoring renewable energy and conservation provisions and doing nothing to reduce our nation’s reliance on foreign energy sources. The bill is opposed by a broad range of organizations representing the environment, labor and consumers, including the UAW, the Teamsters, the National Wildlife Federation, Consumers Union, the Sierra Club, Taxpayers for Common Sense and Clean Water Action among many others. |
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