House Energy Bill Rewards Oil and Gas Industry, Ignores the Problem

June 16, 2004

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on a series of energy initiatives this week. This legislation follows the blueprint laid out by the industry-dominated Cheney energy task force, focusing on new drilling rather than reducing our oil dependency through greater efficiency and alternative energy sources. This benefits oil and gas interests, but it completely ignores the real problem.

• Drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) will do nothing to relieve our dependency on foreign oil. The House leadership is attempting to buy votes for drilling in ANWR – the centerpiece of the Bush administration's energy plan – by linking proceeds to health care costs of retired coal mine workers. This ploy does not change the proposal's fundamental flaws. Drilling in ANWR would likely produce only 3.2 billion barrels of oil, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, not even enough to satisfy six months' demand; oil would not begin to reach the market for another 10 years; and it would take 50 years to extract the full amount. For this pittance, the House leadership and the administration are willing to disturb hundreds of acres of pristine wildlife habitat.
• The House plan undercuts environmental protections. The House is expected to vote on a proposal co-sponsored by Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) that would allow EPA to indefinitely waive Clean Air Act requirements in the event of "a significant fuel supply disruption in any area subject to those requirements" – which is open to subjective interpretation. This sweeping authority would be especially disturbing in the hands of the Bush administration, which has a long track record of undoing environmental protections by administrative fiat. Meanwhile, the House leadership blocked a vote on a bipartisan amendment offered by Reps. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) and John Olver (D-MA) to track greenhouse gas emissions.
• Greater energy efficiency would deliver dramatic benefits. The United States consumes about 19.6 million barrels of oil a day, accounting for a quarter of the world’s supply. Domestic supply cannot come close to meeting this demand even if we dramatically increase drilling on public lands, as the Bush administration is currently doing. The only way to significantly reduce dependence on Middle Eastern oil is to reduce demand. The United States could save 51 billion barrels of oil over the next 50 years just by increasing fuel efficiency standards for new vehicles to 39 miles per gallon. This would also deliver significant environmental benefits and and save consumers billions at the pump. Unfortunately, Congress and the Bush administration have steadfastly resisted stronger fuel efficiency standards.

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