Oppose Final Passage of H.R. 6

Oppose Final Passage of H.R. 6
04/20/05

U.S. House
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative,

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is the political voice of the national environmental community. Each year, LCV publishes the National Environmental Scorecard, which details the voting records of Members of Congress on environmental legislation. The Scorecard is distributed to LCV members, concerned voters nationwide, and the press.

LCV urges you to oppose H.R. 6, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and to support pro-environment amendments to the bill. This legislation would harm the environment, threaten public health, weaken consumer protections and keep us dependent on foreign fossil fuels. H.R. 6 is largely the same as last year’s backward-looking energy bill, which the Energy Information Administration determined would increase imports of oil by 85% by 2025.

Americans need a smarter, cleaner energy policy that reduces our dependence on polluting energy sources and saves consumers money by significantly increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy. However, H.R. 6 does just the opposite. Instead of working to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by increasing our use of clean, renewable energy sources or improving the fuel economy of cars and trucks, this legislation will open sensitive areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other public lands to oil and gas drilling. The bill would also make it harder for states to protect their coasts from oil and gas exploration, it would exempt oil and gas drilling from clean-up standards for stormwater pollution, and it would expose Americans in many cities to dirty air for an additional decade. In addition, H.R. 6 threatens drinking water supplies by allowing the underground injection of diesel fuel and other toxic chemicals during oil and gas development and gives MTBE producers a pass for contaminating groundwater.

More than ninety percent of the subsidies in H.R. 6 would go to the oil, gas, coal and nuclear industries, leading to more pollution, more oil drilling and more radioactive-waste-producing nuclear power. By contrast, only about six percent of the tax breaks would go to energy efficiency and renewable energy incentives that could save consumers money and reduce our dependence on dirty energy sources.

When H.R. 6 reaches the House floor, we urge you to support pro-environment amendments to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other sensitive areas, to decrease oil consumption, to increase energy efficiency and renewable fuels, and to safeguard our rivers, lakes and drinking water, including:

Markey (D-MA) –Johnson (R-CT) amendment to protect the Arctic Refuge by striking drilling provisions.
Boehlert (R-NY) – Markey (D-MA) amendment to increase fuel economy standards for cars and trucks to 33 miles per gallon by 2015, which will save consumers money at the gas pump, curb global warming emissions and cut America’s dependence on foreign oil.
Johnson (R-CT) – Holt (D-NJ) amendment to improve the accuracy of EPA’s test procedures to determine vehicle mileage. [NOTE: We urge you to oppose the Rogers (R-MI) – Kilpatrick (D-MI) second degree amendment – a poison pill amendment that would lead to misrepresentation of actual fuel economy levels.]
Waxman (D-CA) amendment to reduce oil consumption by one million barrels per day in order to decrease America’s dependence on foreign oil.
Hastings (D-FL) amendment that would improve the federal government’s efforts to address environmental justice in minority populations and low-income populations.
Solis (D-CA) amendment to protect public health by striking the Refinery Revitalization Act, which preempts state regulations and relaxes public health and environmental laws for siting of refineries.
Castle (R-DE) amendment to protect sensitive coastal areas and public safety by striking language in the bill that would preempt the authority of state and local governments to influence decisions regarding the siting of liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities.
Dingell (D-MI) amendment to improve the electricity system, including maintaining the authority of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 (PUHCA) and limiting fraud and abuse by electricity providers.
Grijalva (D-AZ) amendment to retain the collection of royalty payments to the Treasury for offshore oil and gas production on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the Gulf of Mexico
All other amendments that would increase energy efficiency, increase production of renewable energy sources and renewable fuels, and reduce American dependence on foreign oil.

We urge you to oppose H.R. 6 and to support amendments that would enhance environmental and public health protections. LCV has scored votes on the energy bill several times in the last four years, and the Political Advisory Committee will strongly consider including votes on these issues in compiling LCV’s 2005 Scorecard. If you need more information, please call Betsy Loyless or Tiernan Sittenfeld in my office at (202) 785-8683.

Sincerely,

Deb Callahan
President, LCV