“America can neither drill nor conserve its way to cheaper energy or energy security. Nor can we meet today's energy needs -- much less tomorrow's -- with yesterday's energy infrastructure and technology. I believe advanced energy technologies offer the best hope for diversifying energy supplies and promoting conservation. That’s why I continue to press to reduce our reliance on expensive natural gas and Middle Eastern oil, and instead encourage the development and use of clean, efficient, advanced technologies like nuclear power, renewable fuels, and hydrogen. To accelerate their deployment, Congress must increase funding for basic science research and energy technology development at places like Argonne National Laboratory.” ~ Judy Biggert, Chairman of the Energy Subcommittee of the Science Committee, 2002-2006
Reducing the Price at the Pump Judy supported legislation to increase fuel economy standards for cars and trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2025, which would reduce gas consumption by 55 billion gallons saving American drivers over $100 billion in fuel costs. (P.L. 110-140, Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007) Judy is a cosponsor of legislation to reduce the number of boutique fuels that refiners have to produce across the country, and to allow the EPA to waive requirements for the use of boutique fuels in the event of supply disruptions or other emergencies. Requiring refiners to produce so many unique blends of gasoline only adds to the cost of a gallon of gasoline, and can result in gasoline shortages when there’s a supply disruption. (H.R. 2493, Boutique Fuel Reduction Act of 2007) Judy supported suspending the delivery of 70,000 barrels of oil daily to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, allowing this additional supply of oil to flow into the market instead to be refined into gasoline. Currently, the SPR is almost at capacity, holding 702 million of its 727 million barrel capacity. (H.R. 6022, Strategic Petroleum Reserve Fill Suspension and Consumer Protection Act) Judy is a cosponsor of legislation directing the Federal Trade Commission to combat price gouging related to the sale of crude oil, gasoline, diesel, home heating oil, and biofuels. (H.R. 2335, Federal Energy Price Protection Act) Judy has supported opening to oil and gas production only a very limited portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge – only 2000 acres of ANWR’s 1.5 million-acre coastal plain, or about one-tenth of one percent of the coastal plain, and using all federal royalty revenues to fund efforts to boost efficiency, production, research, development, and deployment of clean, renewable, and alternative energy technologies. (H.R. 6107, American Energy Independence and Price Reduction Act—110th Congress; H.R. 5429, American-Made Energy and Good Jobs Act—109th Congress) Judy supported efforts to give states unprecedented control over oil and gas production in Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) waters out to 100 miles, in exchange for ending a 25-year moratorium on oil and gas production beyond 100 miles. The United States is the only developed nation in the world with such a moratorium, which has prevented access to an estimated 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas (the U.S. consumes 23 TCF per year) and 86 billion barrels of oil (the U.S. imports 4.5 billion per year), according to the U.S. Minerals Management Service. (H.R. 6108, Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act – 110th Congress; H.R. 4761, Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act – 109th Congress)
“I hope that we never will have to tap these resources, but we must expand – not limit – our energy options with record high oil prices and growing international demand for oil. A truly comprehensive approach to solving our energy problem must involve domestic oil production. It’s so hypocritical for Democrats to call for OPEC to produce more oil – and even threaten to withhold aid from our allies like Saudi Arabia – while at the same time prohibiting domestic oil production off our own shores.”
Judy voted for the No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels (NOPEC) Act, which would give the Department of Justice additional tools to combat those nations that might try to limit the production, set the price, or restrain the trade of petroleum products. (H.R. 2264, NOPEC) Reducing our Reliance on Foreign Oil and Natural Gas Judy is a lead cosponsor of the COMMUTER Act, which offers employers a 50 percent tax credit for all transit benefits provided to employees, up to $115 per employee per month. Current law only allows businesses a tax deduction for the purchase of transit benefits for their employees. Under the COMMUTER Act, employees could receive up to $1,380 in free mass transit each year, with the employer receiving $690 in tax credits per employee. (H.R. 6030, the Creating Opportunities to Motivate Mass-transit Utilization To Encourage Ridership Act of 2008)
“By boosting the incentive to offer transit benefits, this bill will ensure that more employees are given the option to leave their car at home. And the more people fill up at $4.00 a gallon, the more interested they become in alternatives like mass transit.”
Judy introduced and the House and Senate approved H.R. 85, the Energy Technology Transfer Act, to help move energy efficiency and advanced energy technologies out of the laboratory and into the marketplace. It does so by directing the DOE to create a network of energy tech transfer centers by awarding grants to existing community outreach networks to transfer knowledge and information about advanced energy technologies, especially those developed at the DOE’s national labs, to a wide range of energy users. (P.L. 110-229; H.R. 85/S. 2739, Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008) Judy introduced legislation to repeal tax credits for oil and gas production included in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT) law, and redirect those funds to consumers and businesses that switch to alternative fuel vehicles. (H.R. 86, Oil and Gas-to-Alternatives Swap Act)
“In 2005, it made sense to provide incentives to drill for oil here in the United States. Today, oil and gas producers do not need more incentives to drill – especially not when oil prices reach $130 or more a barrel. Let’s put that money to much better use by redirecting it to consumers who purchase plug-in hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles.”
Encouraging the Use of Alternative Fuels Judy is a cosponsor of legislation to extend the tax credit for electricity produced from wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, animal waste, and other renewable resources. (H.R. 197, A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code…) Judy is a cosponsor of legislation that, among other things, extends tax credits in the 2005 Energy Policy Act for energy efficiency improvements to homes and businesses, and for the construction of energy efficient homes and the manufacture of energy efficient appliances. (H.R. 5984, the Clean Energy Tax Stimulus Act) Judy is a cosponsor of legislation to provide a tax credit for the installation of wind turbines and accelerated depreciation of the property. (H.R. 1772, Rural Wind Energy Development Act) Judy is a cosponsor of legislation to encourage the blending of gasoline with no less than 10 percent renewable fuel by 2012. (H.R. 635, A bill to amend the Clean Air Act…) Judy is a cosponsor of legislation directing to the DOE to conduct research and development on Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) technologies, and to provide 25 grants to state and local governments to test and demonstrate PHEV’s. (H.R. 2079, Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Act)
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