Senate Energy Bill

According to Working Assets, the current energy bill in the Senate, which originally had provisions for promoting clean energy and tougher fuel economy standards for vehicles, is in jeopardy. Working Assets writes the following:

According to our sources, the leaders in the Senate are negotiating a compromise energy bill. This compromise would sell out clean energy for wind and solar and include huge subsidies for ethanol and nuclear power. In exchange, we would get the promise of modest increases in automobile fuel efficiency standards, if environmentalists in the Senate can get a majority to stand up and hold the line.

This is unacceptable. And given the Senate's track record in the last few weeks, we have little confidence that the leadership will not cave to the Bush administration yet again.

Tell your senators (and we'll send a cc fax to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid) to oppose any compromise bill that:

• does not include standards or goals for the percentage of our energy portfolio that comes from renewable sources (renewable portfolio standards, or RPS) and does not include a critical tax incentive for producers of wind and solar power.

• provides for practically unlimited loan guarantees for private companies to build new nuclear power plants, with taxpayers on the hook for the risks involved.

• advances the Bush agenda with massive subsidies for corn-based ethanol -- which takes almost as much energy to produce as it yields, and drives up food prices in the process.

• placates oil companies and automakers with a weak fuel efficiency standard when heroic measures are needed to stop global warming.

The Senate needs to know that we are watching. Your messages can make a big difference right now. If our representatives in Congress hear from us in large numbers over the next few days, we may be able to convince them to vote against the leadership's back room deal.

You can find the form to make known your view on this legislation here.

10 November 2007