Ramped-up energy bill easily passes in House

WT ^ | 7/29/05 | Brian DeBose and James G. Lakely

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

The House overwhelmingly passed the energy bill yesterday with a price tag that exceeds by nearly $8 billion the president's initial wishes, but for the first time in four years it is expected to get Senate approval and become law.

President Bush will get his energy bill, what he called his No. 1 priority this year, but the higher cost will not deter him from signing the measure.

"This is a good bill," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan...

The bill passed in the House by a 275-156 vote, with 75 Democrats joining 200 Republicans to support it. The Senate is expected to approve the measure today.

Mr. Bush sought an energy bill that would cost about $7 billion, but the House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee members reached an agreement on tax breaks totaling $11 billion over the next five years. The bill also will require about $2.3 billion in direct spending, as well as other costs....

Democrats expressed disappointment that the bill did not include immediate relief for high gasoline prices, global-warming initiatives or programs to reduce fuel consumption.

Republicans were unhappy that Congress did not deal with groundwater contamination by the mandated fuel additive methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), which petroleum refiners use to reduce harmful automobile emissions.

The bill does promote domestic oil production and construction of refineries, and limits the number of costly multi-blended fuels. It also includes numerous incentives to build nuclear power plants and calls for the annual use of 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol, a gas additive, by 2012.....

"It is not a great bill because it offers financial incentives to companies that probably don't need them. It does not immediately reduce our dependence on foreign oil or lower gas prices."...

[PeterPrinciple]

However, Mr. Wyden said he expects the "pork-laden" bill to pass the Senate by a wide margin.

[Huck]

the mandated fuel additive methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE),

Media bias alert: The government does not mandate the use of MTBE. Thank the Lord they didn't "deal" with it; it would have cost us another 12 billion or so. I suppose GW would have been even happier to sign THAT.

[konaice]

Democrats expressed disappointment that the bill did not include immediate relief for high gasoline prices,

Btu they opposed new drilling and refineries and opposed foreign imports.

The idiocy of the average democrat never ceases to amaze me.

[Founding Father]

and calls for the annual use of 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol, a gas additive, by 2012.....

.....which takes more energy to create than it produces. Thank God republicans used this legislation to take more of my money to give to fat-cat ethanol producers and farmers.

[wyattearp]

President Bush will get his energy bill, what he called his No. 1 priority this year, but the higher cost will not deter him from signing the measure.

Sigh. It never does. If the Republican controlled Congress and White House don't get their spending under control, it is going to cost us big in the next election cycle.

[quietolong]

TRADING DEMOCRACY
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/622674/posts