Environment

WomenMatter will continuously post updates on all this and other issues as we monitor the continuing philosophical and practical debates nationwide. Please check back often for updates. Past updates are available for reference on the Environment Archives page.

Pure Energy: A Real-Life Look at the Energy Bill

The importance of energy policy becomes clear when one is sitting in the dark during a blackout or watching the TV glow with images of burning oil wells in Iraq.

But usually, we are unaware of our highly complicated energy system. We do not consider the energy structure that supports even the simplest action, such as making a cup of chamomile tea.

Have another look

Both houses of Congress passed energy bills earlier in 2003; those bills then went to a Republican-only conference committee that reworked and rewrote them. The committee has produced a new version of the energy bill – a conference report.

The conference report looks nothing like the version that the Senate passed in August. This is because the Senate passed the Democrat-sponsored energy bill of 2002. Republicans agreed to vote for the old Democratic legislation (which passed 84-14) in order to get the bill off of the Senate floor and into committee. (Don’t remember? To read more about the Senate version, click here.)

On November 18, 2003, the House passed the conference report, and the Senate has begun its debate on the matter. If the report passes in the Senate, President Bush is expected to sign it, and we will have a crop of new energy policies for the first time in a decade.

Your cup of tea

The bill affects all major energy industries and therefore, many aspects of our everyday lives. Through exploring the example of making a cup of tea, we are able to understand the close connection between energy policy and the everyday.

Driving to the store- gasoline

In our highway-driveway-drivethru culture, the price and abundance of gasoline is everyone’s concern. Energy policy influences the short drive to the grocery store to pick up a box of tea.

The new energy legislation provides tax incentives to oil producers, doubles the requirement for ethanol in gasoline, makes it easier to tap into the oil on federal land, and provides tax breaks for hybrid cars.

Democrats and Republicans disagree on the extent to which the legislation decreases our dependence on foreign oil. House Republican Billy Tauzin of Louisiana argues that the bill greatly increases domestic oil production, though it does not allow for drilling in the Alaska Nature Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Negotiators omitted that provision in order to avoid a filibuster that may have eventually killed the bill.

Though Democrats are relieved that ANWR drilling is no longer an option, they argue that the bill does next to nothing to make us energy independent. Democrats would like to see more of an investment in renewable energy resources and alternative fuel sources for cars. They are also in favor of stricter emissions standards, which are not included in this bill.

Nevertheless, many Democrats may vote for the bill because it increases the production and use of corn-based ethanol as a gasoline additive. Farmers in corn-producing states like South Dakota are pushing their representatives, like Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), to support the legislation. It costs energy to produce ethanol, while reducing the amount of petroleum per gallon.

Turn on the light- electricity

When we get home from the store, we flip a switch to illuminate our route to the kitchen. We expect our lights, computers, refrigerators, televisions, and other appliances to be activated with the touch of a button, but the electrical grid that supports these activities is much more complex, and in need of restructuring. We remember the blackout, but are we willing to spend the money to upgrade the grid? Not in this bill. The energy bill does require nationwide reliability standards. It is expected that these standards will prevent blackouts.

The bill also grants $165 million in tax breaks for the development of new nuclear power plants, which are an alternative to electricity plants. There are a few senators who want nuclear power. There are many Americans who are afraid of anything nuclear, therefore we have not built such a power plant in years.

People who use solar, wind, and other alternative energy sources in their homes will get a tax break, as will companies that develop and produce energy efficient appliances.

Boiling the water- natural gas

When you turn on a gas burner to boil the water for tea, do you consider your dependence on natural gas? Energy from natural gas accounts for 24% of total energy consumed in the United States. Both sides agree that our reliance on natural gas is a problem, because natural gas is not renewable; it will eventually run out. This bill provides tax breaks for development of clean coal technology, an energy source that would provide an alternative to natural gas. Coal is produced in states that are important in the 2004 election.

In addition, the bill provides $18 billion in loan guarantees to build a natural gas pipeline from Alaska to the Midwest. Republicans explain that this and other projects in the bill will create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Political energy

Republicans are presenting the energy bill as a jobs bill, a tactic that, along with the ethanol provision, makes the legislation difficult to vote against. Democrats who vote against the bill will be charged with being anti-job and anti-farmer.

Republicans who vote for the bill will be called anti-environment, since the bill does little to create and enforce environmental standards.

This issue involves a lot of political strategizing and spin. As the Senate debate unfolds, WomenMatter will bring you a discussion of energy politics. Check the What’s New section for the latest on the energy bill. In the meantime, read up on energy legislation, discuss with other WomenMatter readers in one of our online forums, and contact your representatives.

Posted on: 11/21/2003

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