Posted on 04/07/2002 7:17:10 PM PDT by Jean S
Eager to avoid defeat on a key plank of President Bush's domestic agenda, Republican leaders are considering pulling the plug on a massive energy bill unless it includes a provision that permits new drilling in Alaska, GOP sources said.
The hard line is being weighed by some Republicans amid expectations that debate on the bill could wrap up as early as this week, and both parties are searching for an advantage on the energy issue heading into the midterm elections.
Democrats, who generally oppose drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, have already threatened to bring down the bill if the exploration provision is added.
And although many Republicans such as Sen. Frank Murkowski (Alaska) continue to predict that the ANWR provision will be part of the final bill, others said it has become clear that the 60 votes needed to guarantee victory are not there. Some Republicans now say that after the GOP made such an aggressive effort to link ANWR to national security, it might be difficult to support any bill that does not include the provision.
"There is an internal debate about whether or not there should be a vote at all," said a GOP staffer familiar with strategy sessions.
"The question is, 'Is there going to be Senate legislation going to conference if ANWR isn't successfully attached to the bill?'" added another senior Republican aide. "Members will need to rack up successes and losses of the bill and decide whether it is appropriate or not to let the bill go to conference."
This week's debate is likely to be shaped largely along political lines with Republicans charging that Democrats are threatening national security by refusing to cut reliance on foreign oil and Democrats accusing the White House and the GOP of being pawns to the energy industry.
GOP Senators are expected to highlight the tension in the Middle East, the rising cost of oil and Iraq's plea to other Arab nations to use oil as a weapon against the West as reasons ANWR should be opened to oil exploration.
"The Senate Democratic leadership seems to be indifferent to the fact that we may be entering an energy crisis with the rising tension in the Middle East," said Ron Bonjean, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.). "At the same time, they are opposed to domestic exploration and [are] complaining about the Energy Department working with those industries about ways to produce more energy. What a disconnect."
"It's a national security issue," added Murkowski, the ranking member on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Murkowski would not discuss his ANWR strategy other than to say, "We have got a couple of sleeper amendments."
As for the possibility of scuttling the energy bill if ANWR is not included, Murkowski said, "I am not going to forecast one way or another what happens to the bill if ANWR is or isn't in it."
One page from the Democratic playbook focuses on recent reports that the energy industry helped write parts of President Bush's energy plan. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) claimed the upcoming debate "will prove conclusively that when the administration speaks about energy, the lips of the oil industry move."
"In the last year they've tried every excuse under the sun to destroy the pristine wilderness - California's energy crisis, a sagging economy, the war on terrorism - and those excuses have failed because U.S. Senators know the difference between real energy policy and big oil's lust for our last acres of pristine wilderness," Kerry said.
A senior Senate Democratic aide warned that Republicans had best be careful if they hope to exploit troubles in the Middle East to make the case for drilling in ANWR.
"Why has the Middle East blown up and why haven't we been more engaged in making sure that it hasn't blown up?" asked the aide, suggesting that the White House's approach to the region has not helped the situation. "I am not sure that works well for them politically."
Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) acknowledged that a trade-off on drilling in ANWR is unlikely to be agreed on by the two parties because it is "one of those high-profile issues where neither side is looking for a compromise.
The ANWR amendment is not likely to be put on the floor until late this week, as Democrats and Republicans must also sort through the 140-plus amendments that have already been offered.
"I expect you will see some efforts to get through these amendments before we get to ANWR," said a GOPstaffer on the committee.
Once the energy bill is passed or cast aside, Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle (D-S.D.) is expected to turn the Senate's attention to the budget resolution and a host of other measures. While Daschle has not ranked the order in which he plans to address these issues, Molly Rowley, a spokeswoman for the Majority Leader, said he has identified border security, cloning and stem-cell research, the Defense supplemental appropriation, election reform, hate-crimes legislation, and White House nominations as items on his to-do list for the next seven weeks.
Daschle also plans to focus the Senate's attention on a package that includes trade-promotion authority, Andean trade guidelines and trade adjustment assistance, which is designed to help displaced workers.
Last week, Bush called on the Senate to send him TPA and the Andean bill by April 22. Rowley said it is Daschle's goal to have the trade package passed by Memorial Day.
Probably they think that to get expert energy advice Cheney should have consulted with the pharmaceutical industry, or maybe the major league baseball players association. Or he could have chatted about it with Gray Davis.
And the sun is hot, plus water is wet.
Had the administration actually done such a ridiculous thing, Kerry would have been first in line to criticize Dubya for not seeking commentary from those in the industry. However, Dubya DID seek input, so Kerry criticizes him for THAT. It doesn't matter WHAT the President does, Kerry will criticize it. If it were discovered tomorrow morning that enough oil lies beneath Bush's TX spread to satisfy the energy needs of the entire country for the next 20 years, and if Dubya volunteered to GIVE IT AWAY to the Amurrican Pipple, Kerry would criticize it.
That's just the way Dem politicians play it. Forget sanity, reason, and accountability. Their target voter doesn't seem to want nor recognize it from Dem party leaders, so why waste his breath on it? Just give 'em a straight, categorically-critical Dem party-line demagogue, devoid or truth, and they'll lap it up. Plus, the media will cover ANYTHING critical of THIS President.
The only thing that will shut Kerry up will be a good spanking in the primaries.
Michael
This is the most preposterous argument out of the Dems yet. By their logic, then, health care providers should have no input on health care policy, farmers should have no input on farm policy, certainly then, environmentalists should have no say on environmental policy, educators shouldn't have a say in regard to education policy....ah yes, the real objective of the Dems - taxpayers shouldn't have any say about.....anything. Their ultimate goal - taxation without representation. That's what they have always been about, haven't they?
What comes out of conference is key here.
Related threads:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| U.S. Crude Oil Production |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| U.S. Petroleum Imports |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As North Sea oil production continues to decline, America's dependence on imported petroleum will shift even more towards OPEC. While drilling offshore and in ANWR may help, it would still be insufficient to dramaticly reduce our ever-increasing consumption.
The obvious solution to this dependency would be to begin construction of modern, efficient mass-transportation systems in our nation's most densely populated regions and urban areas. Electricly powered light rail, high-speed rail and maglev systems could be easily fueled by clean-coal and nuclear technology power plants.
Unfortunately, RINOs have been bought-out by Big Oil special interests. Alaskan representative Don Young, who chairs the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, continues to sidetrack and delay implementation of energy efficient mass-transportation systems. A whole contingent of Nevada RINOs unite to obstruct our nation's efforts to utilize abundant nuclear power. And Dubya's own sibling, Jeb, brags about his obstruction on his re-election website:
Protecting Florida’s Coasts From Offshore Drilling – Thanks to Governor Bush’s hard work and leadership, Florida’s coastal and marine resources will continue to be free from the threat of offshore drilling. Protections secured by Governor Bush far exceed those agreed to by former President Clinton, former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, and the late-Governor Lawton Chiles.
"The Senate Democratic leadership seems to be indifferent to the fact that we may be entering an energy crisis with the rising tension in the Middle East," said Ron Bonjean, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.). "At the same time, they are opposed to domestic exploration and [are] complaining about the Energy Department working with those industries about ways to produce more energy. What a disconnect."Traitors. Filthy traitors.
This has got to be one of the stupidest arguments ever made.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.