As the new home of WISPIRG's environmental work, Wisconsin Environment can be contacted with any questions regarding this report.
Sen.
Kohl has failed to make the grade with his votes so far on a national
energy bill, according to an Energy report card released today by a
coalition of environmental groups. Sen. Kohl and Sen. Feingold earned
grades of D- and B in the evaluation.
"With
key tests yet to come on drilling in the pristine Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge, protecting families, and other energy policies, the
Senate has so far failed to make the grade for a smarter, cleaner, and
more secure energy future," said Danny Katz of WISPIRG.
"The
Senate Energy bill began as a promising step toward a smarter, cleaner
energy future, and a far cry from the dirty, dangerous House energy
bill and Bush/Cheney energy plan, which were written by the polluters,
for the polluters. Unfortunately, in vote after vote, the Senate bill
has been plundered by the auto, oil and nuclear industry," said Katz.
"The
Senate left for spring break with a bill that fails to reduce our
dependence on imported oil, fails to increase our nation's energy
security, fails to protect energy consumers, and fails to safeguard our
environment," he added.
At
a minimum, forward-thinking energy legislation should reduce
consumption of oil by at least one million barrels a day, guarantee
that at least 10 percent of electricity supplies come from new clean,
renewable energy, cut subsidies to polluting energy sources, ensure a
reliable and consumer-friendly electric system, reduce pollution to our
air, land and water, and safeguard the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
and other wild places, said the groups.
The
groups releasing the report card, including WISPIRG, Sierra Club,
Defenders of Wildlife, and the Natural Resources Defense Council,
thanked Sen. Kohl for previous support to oppose efforts to drill in
our last pristine wilderness areas, in particular the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge, and asked him to continue to support the Arctic. They
also commended Senator Feingold for his strong leadership in support of
the Arctic. The groups called on both Senators to block further
attempts to pollute this bill with special interest handouts and to
ensure that any energy bill that emerges from the Senate solves, rather
than exacerbates, our nation's overall energy problems.
With
a vote on drilling in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and
other energy issues expected when the Senate returns from the spring
recess, the coalition highlighted the following amendments in
evaluating the Senate's progress on energy policy:
-
Polluting
Sources Of Energy: Despite the fact that no sound solution exists for
dealing with deadly radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, the
Senate voted 78 to 21 on an amendment by Sen. Voinovich (R-OH) to
extend the life of dirty and dangerous nuclear power by using taxpayer
dollars to extend liability insurance to the industry in case of a
catastrophic nuclear accident. It also unanimously passed an amendment
by Sen. Craig (R-ID) to use taxpayer dollars to construct new nuclear
plants by 2010.
-
Automobile
Miles Per Gallon Standards (CAFE): By a vote of 62-38, the Senate
passed an amendment offered by Sens. Levin (D-MI) and Bond (R-MO) to
strip the only provision to significantly reduce our dependence on
foreign oil-increased fuel economy standards. The amendment also
compromises public safety by striking vehicle safety standards from the
energy bill. Another amendment by Sen. Miller (D-GA) actually weakens
current law by creating a new loophole that exempts pickup trucks from
any future increases in fuel economy standards.
-
Renewable
Energy Standards: By a vote of 70-29, the Senate rejected an amendment
by Senator Jeffords (I-VT) to increase the percentage of electricity
generated from renewable sources to 20 percent by 2020, passing up a
golden opportunity to create jobs and protect the environment. PIRG's
research shows that in Wisconsin, we have the potential to generate
111,750 million kWh of our electricity from clean renewable energy.
That is nearly twice as much as the state currently generates from
dirty energy sources. Senators later rejected efforts by Sens. Kyl
(R-AZ) and Murkowski (R-AK) to strip or gut the renewable portfolio
standard in the underlying bill, but accepted an amendment by Sen.
Bingaman (D-NM) that weakens the renewable standard and could encourage
more toxic mercury-emitting garbage incinerators and logging in our
national forests.
-
Weaken
Drinking Water Protections: Senators Bingaman (D-NM) and Inhofe (R-OK)
offered an amendment that weakens Safe Drinking Water Act requirements
in order to expand oil and gas exploration and development. One of the
techniques used in drilling wells for oil and gas exploration and
extraction is injection of water, sand and toxic chemicals, which can
pollute underground sources of drinking water. In effect, the
Bingaman-Inhofe amendment blocks regulation of this dangerous practice
for the duration of new studies and potentially permanently, despite
the fact that the courts have ruled that environmental protections
should be put in place.
The
Senate leadership has announced plans to complete action on the energy
bill when it returns from its two-week recess on April 9. At that time,
it will likely take up the issue of drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Geological Survey data demonstrates that the
Refuge would produce, at current consumption, only six months worth of
oil that would not reach the Lower 48 for ten years.
According
to Eric Uram of the Sierra Club, "The Senate's next test after the
recess will be a vote on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. To study for this test, they should listen to the overwhelming
majority of Americans, who oppose drilling and support protecting this
national treasure."
"The
Senate should pass an energy bill that protects America's special
places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, reduces our dependence
on foreign oil by cutting oil consumption, mitigates our over-reliance
on fossil fuels and nuclear power for electricity by significantly
increasing generation from clean renewable sources, and decreases
pollution to our air, land and water," said Katz. "If the Senate does
anything short of that, it fails to make the grade, and fails the
American public."
