New energy legislation has been cleared through the Senate! It's good news, but the legislation was cut and stripped of many provisions that would cost the oil industry billions and billions of dollars before finally receiving its wide margin of approval.
This legislation includes an increase in fuel-economy standards for motor vehicles and boosts for alternative fuel. However, the 13 billion dollar tax increase on oil companies, and a requirement that 15% of electricity be from renewable sources were cut in order to secure Republican votes in the Senate.
To end debate on the bill, Senator Harry Reid, the Democratic leader, announced the removal of tax provisions, allowing for passage with a vote of 86 to 8.
The oil industry's own voice was clearly heard in their own campaigns to oppose tax increases; they argued that paying the government more money would get in the way of developing new sources of energy in terms of funding.
Do you think that the bill should have been watered down? What does this say about the power of the oil industry in Congress? Do you think the tax provisions should have been passed? Will they ever be able to make it through Congress?
Full Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/13/washington/13cnd-energy.html?ref=washington
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5 comments:
I don't think it was in the long-term public interest for the bill to be watered down, but I think it was probably necessary to get the legislation through Congress. However, according to the article, there was a quote that said:
“When the Republican leadership and the polluter lobby have blocked important legislation, Senate Democrats have been all too willing to move in their direction,”
Even though this is only one man's opinion, what is this saying about the Senate Democrats? Are they acquiescing in order to get more important legislation passed later?
Anyway, it appears as though the oil companies have become way too powerful; too bad the tax provisions didn't pass. I doubt they ever will unless environmentalists or anti-oil company groups form a large enough majority to oppose them.
Although unfortunate that the bill had to be watered down, I think its important that at least some new energy legislation was passed. I would rather make small strides like this than to expect more radical reforms and remain deadlocked.
I think that issues like the environment need to be fixed gradually. It may be easier to pass legislation that touches on specific areas rather than touching on too many things. This will hopefully allow more legislation to be passed in order to fix the issues.
As seen in the 86-8 vote, most of the senate clearly knows that there must be steps taken to help the environment. So, if smaller bills are sent to Congress to pass, they may have a better chance of getting passed because they will not be fixing the problem which they know needs to be fixed without having huge sudden changes.
I think that it is good that most of the bill eventually got passed and that, next time a bill is brought to Congress regarding the environment, it needs to focus on fewer, more specific changes that will all, or mostly all, get passed
Of course the oil industry is going to have a big say in the government at this moment in time because of the energy crisis. This problem is at the top of our nations problems so there say really does matter. In addition its just like interest groups for the oil industry, if the government slacks on taxes then the oil industry will try harder o find alternative sources fro the nation. The watering down of the bill might have been a wrong move but the nation needs to take baby steps in solving theis issue.
Oh, Congress. Of course they watered down the bill. The oil indusrty is huge, and costing them billions of dollers would perhaps be harmful to Congress when it comes to money and suppoert. If the oil companies wanted to become more enviornmentaly friendly, then they would. All the exisiting scources of energy that have less admissions all cost BIG BUCKS to get. Solar pannels for instance. They can only retail 10% of the suns energy, yet cost hundreds of thousands of dollers. The oil companies have that money, but why would they want to oil indusrty? Clash of interests? I think so.
And I'm not supprised Congress cut down the standards. Theres not alot of American cars that can meet those standards, and it just costs more money to enforce them. But psssssst! Wanna know a secret? The standards dont apply to SUVs because the car companies just simply put their bodies on top of truck frames, which takes them out of the category of cars that are required to abide to that standard. Hybrid Chevy Suburban? Think again.
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