Do not make the mistake of thinking that because my conclusion is the same as another person's that my reasoning is the same
September 15, 2003
The energy industry's multibillion-dollar wish list survives intact in the national energy act being hashed out in a congressional conference committee. The legislation remains the product of closed-door meetings two years ago between energy industry executives and Vice President Dick Cheney, a former oilman. Though the Senate in July managed to pass a slightly more moderate bill that Democrats had backed, bipartisan activity ended the moment Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.) and Rep. W.J. "Billy" Tauzin (R-La.) loaded their House-Senate conference committee with friends of the energy industry.
Domenici and Tauzin shamelessly link oil drilling in the Alaskan wilderness to such things as keeping the lights on in New York, even though the blackout was a result of a neglected transmission system, not lack of power. They and their allies continue to push for subsidies to oil states, coal states and farm states that grow corn used to produce the gasoline additive ethanol. Conspicuously absent is any mention of tougher automobile fuel efficiency standards that would dramatically reduce energy consumption. Domenici also would give utilities loan guarantees to help them build nuclear plants, even though the industry hasn't figured out how to dispose of aging, outdated power reactors and their radioactive waste.