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Energy

 Energy

On Tuesday, September 16, I voted for a comprehensive energy measure that will lower costs to consumers and American taxpayers, invest in renewable energy sources to create American jobs, expand domestic energy supply and create greater energy efficiency and conservation. The bill will roll back tax breaks in a time of record oil company profits and require oil companies to pay royalties that they have avoided; invest in wind, solar and natural gas, 21st century energy sources to create millions of jobs; responsibly open up additional offshore areas for drilling with oil companies footing the bill instead of taxpayers; and release oil from the government’s stockpile to bring down gas prices. The bill passed in the House on a vote of 236 to 189.

This legislation is a clear change from the failed Bush Administration’s ‘drill only’ policies that have made our country more dependent on foreign oil as energy costs spiral and consumers and businesses suffer. We now have a clear choice: either side with American taxpayers and consumers, or with the oil industry.

I am not happy with permitting oil exploration off North Carolina’s coast, but the 26-year Congressional moratorium banning increased oil exploration on the United States outer-continental shelf will expire in two weeks. Should the ban expire, oil exploration could begin within sight of the beaches of North Carolina. North Carolina would gain little from the drilling and could easily lose our tourism industry if there was a spill.

While the bill is far from perfect, it is far better than doing nothing. I voted for the comprehensive energy bill to preserve as much protection as I could – oil exploration is still banned for the first 50 miles of the outer-continental shelf, and can only occur from 50 to 100 miles out if a state opts in and agrees to the exploration. Marine sanctuaries, our most precious natural resources, and naval training areas, critical to our national defense and readiness, are also off-limits for exploration. Only those areas of the outer-continental shelf 100 miles out and more are fully open to oil exploration.

Ultimately, I concluded that the Comprehensive American Energy Security & Consumer Protection Act provided that best outcome for the people of North Carolina and for our natural resources and businesses.

I am concerned about our nation's dependence on foreign sources of oil and the energy sources we utilize. The decisions we make on energy today will certainly affect our environment, health, and economy in the future. I strongly support improving energy efficiency standards to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
 
Corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards have been effective in improving the average fuel economy of automobiles since their enactment in 1975. Unfortunately, efficiency improvements have stalled in recent years due to the increased market influx of light trucks and sport utility vehicles, as well as the failure to raise the passenger car CAFE standard since the 1986 model year.

Currently, America’s cars and light trucks consume over 8 million barrels of oil per day - 40% of U.S. oil consumption. Since each gallon of gasoline burned releases 25 pounds of carbon dioxide, the benefits of this bill include reducing harmful greenhouse gases, freeing the US of dependence on foreign oil, and saving consumers money at the pump.

I am a cosponsor of the Fuel Economy Reform Act, which would require cars and light trucks to achieve an average fuel economy of 27.5 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2012 and 35 mpg by 2018. These levels are consistent with both the President’s call for a 4% per year increase in fuel economy standards and with the findings of a 2002 National Academy of Sciences report that concluded that it is possible to achieve these standards through commercially available technology.

Additionally, the Energy Bill, signed into law by the President in December 2007, included the first increase in CAFE standards in more than 30 years. Cars and light trucks will be required to raise fleet-wide average fuel economy to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, a 40% increase over the current standard. This mandatory increase in CAFE is supported by the automotive industry.

On December 19, 2007, the President signed into law the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act. This bill is designed to take on our energy challenges by increasing energy efficiency standards and developing a larger supply of renewable fuels.

This bill is the result of a year of negotiating between the House, the Senate, and constituent groups such as environmental organizations, the oil and gas industry, and the automotive industry. The House passed a much more comprehensive energy bill in August 2007 that would have established a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), which would have required utilities to produce 15 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020. The RPS had the potential to generate more than 5,000 new jobs and $2 billion in investment in North Carolina, as well as make good use of the state’s tremendous biomass feedstock. I supported the RPS amendment to the original legislation, but this was stripped out of the final bill by the Senate.

Another provision in the House bill would have ended tax royalty relief for oil and gas companies and redirected this revenue to benefit the American taxpayer through investments in and tax incentives for energy efficient technologies and alternative sources of fuel. I voted for this provision, which would have also extended the wind and solar tax production credits. This important provision was removed by the Senate as well.

I voted for the final version of the bill, even without the RPS and tax provisions, because it represents a big step forward in American energy policy – one that does not rely on foreign imports of oil or domestic drilling of fossil fuels. This energy legislation includes the first increase in corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards in more than 30 years. Cars and light trucks will be required to raise fleet-wide average fuel economy to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, a 40% increase over the current standard. This mandatory increase in CAFE is supported by the automotive industry.

The CAFE standard will be complemented by a Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that requires 36 billion gallons of biofuels to be blended with conventional fuels by 2022, and requires increased use of biofuels derived from materials other than corn.

The Energy Bill also establishes new efficiency standards for appliances, lighting and buildings; new technologies for delivering electricity via a “smart grid;” and research into clean energy and alternative fuels, including carbon dioxide sequestration to promote clean-burning coal.

High gas prices and rising electricity costs are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the energy challenges Americans face today. Since President Bush took office in 2001, gas prices in North Carolina have risen from $1.38 to sometimes over $4.00 per gallon, a staggering increase almost 300%. I will continue to work hard to give our country a more sustainable energy future and to promote cleaner, more efficient technologies, all of which contribute to stronger national security, a growing economy, lower energy costs and U.S. leadership in the fight against global warming.