Democrats pass hoax drilling bill
‘Backdoor Disincentives’
Republicans called the Democratic drilling bill a sham. They said states would be unlikely to allow drilling near their shores because the legislation would not give them a share of the royalties from energy production.
“These backdoor disincentives will prevent states from taking advantage of their energy resources,” said Jerry Lewis , R-Calif.
“At a time when American families are in need of genuine relief from the effects of high fuel prices, this bill purports to open access to American energy sources while in reality taking actions to stifle development,” the White House said in a statement of administration policy.
The legislation would use new oil and gas royalties to offset the cost of incentives designed to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy or carbon capture and sequestration. It would require utilities go generate 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020.
The bill also would extend tax credits for wind and solar energy. It includes new tax breaks for coal projects that capture carbon, fueling stations for natural gas vehicles and energy conservation. Spending on these provisions would be offset by rolling back tax subsidies for oil companies.
The bill would establish new ethics requirements for the Minerals Management Service, a division of the Department of the Interior that oversees the leasing program. This follows an Inspector General report that found federal employees engaged in sexual misconduct and illegal drug use with oil industry workers.
And an 11th-hour addition to the bill would lift a moratorium on an oil shale leasing program for Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, but only if a state decided to move ahead with leases. This provision was a priority for Jim Matheson , D-Utah. Petroleum companies are experimenting with new technology to extract potentially vast amounts of energy from oil shale.
Michelle Malkin
9/17/8
Magnolia Tribune
