Support Pro-Environment Amendments and Oppose Anti-Environment Amendments to H.R. 6, the Energy Policy Act of 2005
06/15/05

U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Senator,
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.

Americans need a smarter, cleaner energy policy that reduces our dependence on polluting energy sources, saves consumers money by significantly increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy, and protects public lands and coastal areas. The energy bill before the Senate, H.R. 6, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, doesn’t do nearly enough to meet these goals, but the Senate has an opportunity to improve the bill in the coming days. LCV urges you to support pro-environment amendments to improve the energy bill and to oppose anti-environment amendments to the bill.

We urge you to support the following pro-environment amendments:

• The Nelson-Martinez amendment to protect our coasts by striking the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) inventory provision that would require damaging and invasive exploratory activities.
• The Jeffords-Kerry amendment to increase our use of renewable energy to 20% by 2020 and the Bingaman amendment to increase our use of renewable energy to 10% by 2020.
• The Durbin amendment to increase fuel economy standards to 40 miles per gallon fleet wide, the Feinstein-Snowe amendment to close the ‘light truck loophole’ to ensure that all passenger vehicles meet the same fuel economy standard of 27.5 miles per gallon fleet wide, and any other amendments that increase the fuel economy of America’s vehicles.
• The Feinstein-Snowe amendment to provide concurrent siting authority between federal, state, and local agencies when siting new Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) terminals.
• The Cantwell oil savings amendment to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by adding an oil-import reduction target of 40% by 2025 to the oil savings provision currently included in the Senate bill, as well as any other amendments that would make any oil savings targets in the bill real and enforceable.
• The McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act to cut global warming pollution if it is offered in its original form.
• The Lautenberg amendment to prevent backsliding on air quality as a result of implementing the renewable fuels standard.
• The Feingold ‘ring-fencing’ amendment to separate regulated and unregulated utility operations and set transactional standards between utilities and their unregulated affiliates.
  
  Americans need to increase our use of clean, renewable energy sources, improve the fuel economy of cars and trucks, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and better protect public health and the environment. Unfortunately, there will likely be anti-environment amendments offered to the energy bill that would do just the opposite.

We urge you to oppose the following anti-environment amendments:

• Any amendments that threaten our coasts by allowing states to opt out of the OCS moratorium or to divert massive amounts of OCS revenues from the Treasury to coastal states that favor
  offshore oil and gas drilling.
• Any amendments to weaken environmental protections, including exempting hydraulic fracturing from Safe Drinking Water Act protections, exempting stormwater runoff from oil and gas construction activities from Clean Water Act regulations, and any amendment to reduce environmental review or public participation for energy projects.
• The Alexander amendment to erect unnecessary barriers to the siting of wind turbines.
• The Levin-Bond amendment that would weaken fuel economy standards.
• Any amendment that would preempt states from setting stronger energy efficiency standards for ceiling fans and ceiling fan lights.
• The Hatch amendment to rush development of oil shale, an especially expensive and destructive method of drilling.
• Any amendment to extend leasing rights in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska without providing adequate protection for water quality, wildlife habitat, and native hunting and fishing.
• Any amendment that blocks meaningful action to curb global warming, including the Inhofe amendment to prevent utilities from recovering the costs of meeting global warming emissions
  reductions.

We urge you to support amendments to H.R. 6, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, that would enhance environmental and public health protections and make us less dependent on fossil fuels and to oppose amendments that would do the opposite. 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 Tiernan Sittenfeld or Barbara Elkus in my office at (202) 785-8683.

 

Sincerely,

Deb Callahan
President, LCV