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Rep. Bartlett pursues lonely energy crusade
Republican has often warned about oil dependence, but is anyone listening?


Washington, Aug 31 -

Baltimore Sun


 


Rep. Bartlett pursues lonely energy crusade


Republican has often warned about oil dependence, but is anyone listening?


By Matthew Hay Brown August 31, 2008




This should be Bartlett's moment. With concerns growing about the impact of the use of fossil fuels on climate change, officials warning about the national security implications of relying on foreign oil, and the price of gasoline surpassing $4 a gallon, energy has become the nation's leading domestic political issue.


The 16-year House veteran has long prepared for the debate. A research scientist and inventor - he has a doctorate in human physiology and holds patents on breathing equipment used by astronauts, pilots and firefighters - he has spent years talking about, and getting ready for, a looming crisis.



As a developer, he has been building houses with passive solar energy since the 1980s. His farmhouse in Frederick is warmed by a combination of solar energy and a wood stove; a second home in West Virginia is off the grid entirely.



He became the first member of Congress to drive a hybrid when he bought a Toyota Prius in 2000. He founded the Congressional Peak Oil Caucus five years later to promote conservation and investment in alternative energy sources.



...As the discussion around rising energy costs degenerates into a partisan debate over where to drill next, Bartlett is having trouble getting a hearing.



Bartlett is undeterred.





...Bartlett now has relented on drilling. He has signed on as a co-sponsor of bipartisan legislation that would open the Outer Continental Shelf to exploration - because, he says, it also includes a five-year extension in tax credits for investment in alternative energy.

"I have always said that I would vote for drilling when we used the revenues we got from drilling to invest in alternatives, he says. "I have not changed. Other members have changed - they've come to where I've been all along."


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