Here we go again.
Word from Capitol Hill is that the oil and gas industry is going to spend 2006 torturing the nation with more misguided energy proposals. And, you guessed it, the Republican industry lapdogs are leading the charge.
So, what are we looking at?
Yesterday, industry execs had a big hoo-hah in Washington to formulate thier plans for 2006. Many Congressional members were reportedly in attendance. They plan to hit us again and again with the following:
- Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Look for Sen. Domenici to AGAIN pursue ANWR drilling in this year's budget reconciliation package. The man is obsessed. This has nothing to do with energy and everything to do with power. He wants to make a point by taking away a flagship area. Plan on fighting over this dozens of times in 2006.
- Offshore Drilling: look for a fight over legislation allowing for more offshore natural gas production, particularly in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and possibly California. In 2005, coastal-state Senators blocked efforts to allow states to opt out of federal bans on oil and natural gas production in most areas outside portions of the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska. Sen. Domenici says there have already been bi-partisan discussions on getting more off-shore drilling legislation out there. Pombo, as can be expected, is pushing for the same thing in the House.
- Fuel Blends: Oil industry officials are saying that 2006 implementation of new EPA limits on sulfur levels in diesel fuel, higher amounts of corn-based ethanol and lower levels of the gasoline additive methyl tertiary butyl ether in nationwide fuel blends will further exacerbate fuel prices. They want these relaxed or done away with.
- Fuel Efficiency Standards: a number of sane groups will try to convince Congress to revisit federal fuel efficiency requirements. Look for the Republicans to do all they can to stop these efforts into the ground despite the fact that raising standards to a modest 40mpg could save us 4 MILLION BARRELS OF OIL PER DAY....
- Exploration: Industry says they are "locked out" of many places when it comes to looking for oil and gas. Never mind that full 88% of federal resources and nearly 100% of private resources are fully open to industry right now with NO regulations. Industry will be pushing to open new areas that they doint even have the ability to drill and wont for 30-50 years. What we will be seeing here is an attempt to essentially lock up public lands by getting them into industry hands ASAP prior to a change in the White House.
- Environmental regualtions: look for further attempts to weaken or do away with provisions of the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, NEPA and the ESA.
- Energy Efficiency: Although the fastest, cheapest, and cleanest way to relieve American families from the burden of high energy costs is through energy efficiency and conservation....both industry and the Republicans will fight efficiency standards and assistance for all thier worth. Nevermind that by implementing simple solutions such as sealing up drafts in windows and installing programmable thermostats, the average American family could save up to $750 in heating costs each year. No, never mind that.
Please be sure to notice what is lacking.
An analysis this month by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts that crude oil and natural gas prices will remain high. That, coupled with predictions that are mild winter is about to end, has given industry officials new impetus to have their lackeys in Congress push for another idiotic energy bill. The Right Wing Noise Machine will be using high energy prices to attack us on every front. When this comes at you, dont forget:
CLEAN ENERGY IS THE FASTEST, CHEAPEST, MOST RELIABLE WAY TO INCREASE ENERGY SUPPLIES AND HOLD DOWN PRICES
(I will diary on this more extensively in February)
What I think is particularly important for all Kossacks to note is that 2006 is going to be a very painful marathon for us. These issues will be coming up again and again and again. Dont lose hope. Dont lose sight of our goal. You will be asked to write DOZENS of letters and make DOZENS of phone calls over the course of the year to protect wild places, to stop degradation of our environmental policies and to get some semblance of a sane energy policy. DONT GIVE UP. Write that 133rd letter. Make that 5000th phone call. That is the only way we are going to win.
Here we go!