DEMOCRATS' RECORD OF FAILURE: American Energy Security

As the final touch on their opening “100 Hours” ceremonies, House Democrats memorialized their decades-long record of chronic negligence on American-energy policy with passage of their “energy” bill (H.R. 6). While alternative energy supplies are certainly necessary, Democrats embraced their favorite (failed) approach to all things economic – punitive taxation – to advance a sound bite that would deliver disastrous consequences if signed into law. Make no mistake, the Democratic proposal would decrease American energy production, increase foreign dependence and prices at the pump, and send good-paying American jobs overseas.

In fact, the Democratic bill would not create any new energy supplies whatsoever to help lower consumer prices or America’s dependence on foreign sources of energy. It amounts to little more than a $6.5 billion tax-and-spend scheme that punishes American energy producers to fund yet-to-be-determined government grants, for yet-to-be-determined research projects, at yet-to-be-determined dates in the future. In the meantime, these new taxes will create a fast track for the outsourcing of good-paying American jobs and a guaranteed increase in our dependence on foreign sources of energy.

But Democrats didn’t stop at higher taxes and prices in their bill. In 1998 and 1999, the Clinton Administration entered into legally-binding contracts with energy companies, but it “neglected” to include price thresholds that trigger payments to the American taxpayer. While Republicans support the recovery of the $10 billion in lost taxpayer revenue due to the Clinton lease error – and passed legislation to effectively address this issue – the Democratic bill declares those contracts null and void, which constitutes a breach of contract.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT DEMOCRATS’ FAILURES ON AMERICAN ENERGY POLICY

Writers and editorial boards across the country lambasted House Democrats American energy-tax bill, For example:

“The House energy bill is nearly a carbon copy (if we can still use the word “carbon” in polite company) of California’s Proposition 87. That 2006 ballot initiative would have taxed California’s home-produced oil in order to subsidize “green technology” alternatives. California is a fairly liberal state, but even those voters understood that Prop 87 would have damaged the state’s home oil and gas industry, increased foreign oil consumption, and raised the energy bills of state residents. It was clobbered at the polls. The House will plow ahead anyway, but let’s hope the Senate has more wisdom.”
- “The OPEC Energy Security Act,” Wall Street Journal Editorial, January 17, 2007

“Like much of the legislation approved during the Democrats’ artificial 100-hour deadline, [Democratic energy bill] tries to do too much with too little attention to detail,” contained “errors by the barrel,” and “opened the door to new problems…We can only hope that the Senate will do a better job with its own energy legislation.”
- “Errors by the Barrel,” Los Angeles Times Editorial, January 20, 2007

“Democrats want to subvert contract law by using strong-arm tactics that would warm the heart of Russian President Vladimir Putin. At least Mr. Putin, in seizing resources from criminal oligarchs, could have argued that he was merely retrieving what had literally been stolen from the Russian state through fraud. The Democrats can make no such claim against the innocent businesses they are about to financially molest. And consumers will pay for it.”
- “Democrats Taxing Energy Policy,” Washington Times Editorial, January 18, 2007

REPUBLICANS ARE WORKING TO STRENGTHEN AMERICAN ENERGY PRODUCTION

Republicans understand that safe, abundant, and affordable supplies of energy are critical to our economy. Unlike Democrats, Republicans are working to produce more of it – in traditional, renewable and alternative forms – right here at home with American workers.

Congress must adopt a balanced and achievable policy to put the nation on a path to energy independence in the next decade. Our consumers are tired of the periodic price spikes that break their budgets and force them to choose between taking the family to the movies on the weekend and paying the gas bill. And they should be. American families’ budgets should not be affected by the whims of foreign governments that place arbitrary restrictions on our energy supply and cause gas prices to soar. American families need, and deserve, energy independence, and Democrats have failed to produce any comprehensive plan to address this issue in their first 100 days.

America has the toughest safeguards and the most advanced technology in the world. We can put Americans to work producing energy in a way that protects the environment and the consumers’ wallet at the same time. In fact, Republicans have authored and Democrats have obstructed policies that strike this balance. Increasing American energy supplies to meet the needs of today, and providing sound financial commitments to drive the innovative research on fuels for the future, is the only way to get the job done without causing harm to our economy, and exactly the kind of solution for which Republicans will continue to fight.