Posted on 02/15/2008 8:38:00 PM PST by DeaconBenjamin
LITTLE ROCK (AP) - A plan introduced by U.S. Rep. Mike Ross to encourage alternative and renewable energy relies on oil drilling in Arctic wildlife lands and the Gulf of Mexico to meet its goals.
Ross' bill, the "American-Made Energy Act of 2008," also would create tax credits to build new nuclear power plants throughout the United States, with an aim of having 40 percent of the nation's power come from nuclear sources.
Ross, a leader of a group of fiscally conservative Democrats known as the Blue Dog Coalition, is a co-sponsor on the bill with Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif. Ross told reporters on a conference call Thursday that technology would allow companies to drill for oil without endangering the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alaska.
"We're not just trying to suck the oil out of the ground for no reason," said Ross, D-Ark. We're trying "to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and take the revenue from the sale of that oil and invest in all of these environmentally friendly and job-creating emerging technologies."
However, drilling in the refuge became a topic of heated Congressional debate at the end of 2005, when Democrats defeated a bill that would have allowed drilling at the refuge, the largest untapped U.S. oil reserve. The defeat came when Republicans still controlled Congress.
Ross said the drilling in the Arctic and off the Florida coast called for in his bill would raise about $80 billion over 30 years. He said that money would be "more than enough" to fund efforts to expand tax credits to fight global warming, encourage renewable energy operations and help consumers buy plug-in electric and flex-fuel cars.
Ross said the bill's tax credits for nuclear power plants would help wean the U.S. off of fossil fuels as well, though his bill includes subsidies to encourage liquid fuel production of coal. He said that could encourage further exploration of Arkansas' own coal reserves, bringing more jobs and industry to the state.
However, Ross acknowledged encouraging nuclear power and drilling in the Arctic might be a tough sale to Congress.
"This is not the '40s or '50s, this is not Chernobyl," Ross said. "This is the 21st Century. We can do these things in an environmentally friendly manner."
Title: To promote alternative and renewable fuels, domestic energy production, conservation, and efficiency, to increase American energy independence, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Ross, Mike [AR-4] (introduced 2/14/2008) Cosponsors (1) Latest Major Action: 2/14/2008 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Science and Technology, Oversight and Government Reform, Armed Services, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Wow. Good stuff.
And this from a Democrat. Maybe we should talk this up on FR?
Would be nice if the bill actually passed the house and senate.
This will get voted down quickly so the the Congress can get back to investigating steroids and spygate. Too bad, it is a great idea. If this gets serious consideration, look for the price of oil to drop drastically.
I know it’s Mike Ross, but can we give this an Arkansas ping?
It took Nixon to go to China, It’ll take a democrat to drill and build nuke plants.
Thanks for the info!
This bill may be a stunt by a rat in a difficult situation. This bill is not going anywhere. If this rat is sincere, I offer praise. Perhaps when the rats take control, they will sing a different tune. They may realize that we will have energy shortages and price spikes if some clear thinking is not exercised. Perhaps wishful thinking. I do not trust any rats.
So, let’s contact our Congressmen and get them to support this bill. If we put enough heat on them, what started as a stunt may become policy.
When I read the title, I thought that ‘Bill’ Clinton had opened his yap again?
We need to start using words like environmentally friendly in terms of this bill for those environmental wackos and nut cases (oh, I mean those wonderfully sensitive environmentally conscious folks)...
Me talks doubles-speak so that Nancy Pelosi and Reid might consider it...
Or we can start sending faxes and tying up phone lines as we did to stop the amnesty bill.
Solar credits, High mpg auto credits, utility incentives to do what makes sense (whatever that is - IGCC, nuke, etc . . )and ANWR oil. Reduce dependence on foreign oil.
Till it feels the finger of The Ted (and The Lisa) it is going nowhere....
Oh wait, make that just ..it is going nowhere.
We need to drill everywhere and put up 400 nuclear power plants.
Then we will be energy independent.
To promote alternative and renewable fuels, domestic energy production, conservation, and efficiency, to increase American energy independenceProtectionist! < /sarcasm >
There’s a way to get this passed: the idea needs to be marketed as “cutting the price of gas at the pump.”
Then we would be energy exporters again. We could sell energy to Mexico to operate the factories that house our jobs.
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