KEEPING THE FAITH ACTION ALERT
August 18, 2008
Please forward.
Dear Friends,
The following was sent to me by Chris Carr, Chief of Staff
for Sen. Johnny Isakson, on behalf of Senator’s Isakson and Chambliss
regarding the deal the “Gang of Ten” made regarding how we go about solving
our energy problems.
God blessed this country with all the natural resources we
need to remain independent from foreign countries to meet our energy needs.
It makes absolutely no sense to me that both parties have turned this into a
political football at the expense of folks like you and me. But, then a lot
that our elected officials do makes no sense to me.
Out of respect for our GA Senators, I am sending this along
to you. You be the judge.
I have been told by Chris Carr (202-224-3521) and Chambliss’
Chief of Staff Charlie Harmon (202-224-3643) they will be happy to respond
to your questions/concerns. If you would like a local number for either, go
to www.gachristianalliance.org
Message to you from
Senator’s Isakson and Chambliss:
For months, thousands of Georgians have called, emailed,
faxed, and written our offices with one message, “Please, Senators Isakson
and Chambliss, do something about the high cost of energy. Don’t just talk
about it – do something!” Of those thousands of letters, not one said,
“Please, senators, don’t do anything at all.” That is why we came together
to heed the call and in the process have developed the most realistic and
immediate plan to tap into our natural resources and lower the cost of
energy across the board.
Over the past several days, much has been discussed about
our proposal, some positive and some negative, but here are the facts: we
are pro-drilling and pro-nuclear senators; this is a pro-drilling and
pro-nuclear proposal; this proposal meets our requirements of all options
being on the table from domestic drilling for oil and gas to development of
nuclear energy to incentives to develop alternative fuels to an emphasis on
conservation; and it is the right thing to do to solve a problem that is
hurting our families, our neighbors and our economy.
The bipartisan coalition that we formed is led by Senator
Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and Senator Chambliss. Other senators in the coalition
include John Thune (R-S.D.), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Mary Landrieu
(D-La.), Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.),
and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.). Many have asked why we would join this group. The
answer is simple. We cannot continue to import 68 percent of our oil, much
of which comes from countries who are not our friends. We identified eight
other senators who agreed with us that we must drill now for oil and gas in
the United States, we should provide incentives for conservation and
alternative fuels and nuclear energy must be a part of the mix because
leaving out one of the safest and most efficient fuel sources just doesn’t
make sense.
So why did we agree to the particular provisions? Because there was much
that Republicans and Democrats can agree on to help this nation move forward
to tap into our resources without getting bogged down with certain
controversial issues. And where we can find common ground, we owe it to the
American people to stop talking and start acting.
Our
proposal - the comprehensive New Energy Reform Act of 2008 —contains three
main components:
-
Urgently needed, timely domestic production of energy resources,
including drilling offshore for oil and natural gas and utilizing
nuclear energy;
-
An intensive effort to transition vehicles to non-petroleum based fuels;
and
-
A robust federal commitment to conservation and energy efficiency.
Offshore Drilling
Three points must be made clear at the outset of this discussion. We fully
support offshore drilling, we fully support the repeal of the moratorium on
drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf and we staunchly support the full
utilization of all of our domestic resources. And we have consistently voted
to support these positions in the Senate. Unfortunately, the moratorium on
drilling is likely to be extended yet again, as it has every year since 1982
when President Reagan signed the first Interior Appropriations bill that
contained it. As a result, this proposal is the best and quickest way to tap
into the oil and gas reserves off the coast of the United States. It would
open additional acreage in the Eastern half of the Gulf of Mexico for
leasing. It would also allow the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Georgia to opt in to leasing off their shores. In total, 200
million new acres would be available for drilling.
We
have been asked why we initially “limited” this proposal to the Gulf of
Mexico and south Atlantic and did not include the Pacific Coast or ANWR. We
did so because of the volatile political nature surrounding those areas. If
we tried to include them at the outset, it would have been a non-starter for
the Democrats and any hope of opening any areas for new drilling would have
died immediately. Instead, we agreed to find common-ground based on facts
and science, which led us to the over 200 million acres that would be open
and available under our plan. The facts and science tell us that this is
where the oil and gas are located and completed U.S. Geological Surveys can
confirm this. From a practical standpoint, this is where all of the
equipment is to get the job done because there is already drilling currently
occurring in the Gulf of Mexico. We also create a process whereby
recommendations can be made to Congress on future areas that should be
considered for leasing, such as ANWR. Make no mistake though, we support
drilling in ANWR and our many votes on this issue show this unequivocally,
but we need to do something to get the ball rolling and live to fight
another day. This is a sentiment shared by
Senate
Republican Leader Senator Mitch McConnell in his Gas Price Reduction Act of
2008, which had 43 Republican co-sponsors and also did not include
provisions relating to ANWR.
Many have also
asked us why we believe in empowering these four states to make the decision
on offshore drilling, and the answer is quite simple. First, we believe that
there is no more conservative principle than a government closest to the
people is the best, and we believe that states should have the option of
allowing drilling off of their coasts. We have voted for this before and
were praised for these votes. The principle behind what we are proposing now
is no different. Second, we know that the decision-makers in these four
states – and particularly our state - are supportive of drilling off their
coasts. Allowing these state legislatures to have a say is not a subversive
way of killing this bill. To the contrary it ensures the quickest way to get
the oil and gas out of the ground.
In addition, we have also been asked about the provision
that would only allow drilling to occur 50 miles off of the coast. While
U.S. territorial waters extend only twelve nautical miles offshore, our
territorial rights to the seabed extend to the 200 nautical mile mark. As we
mentioned above, this is where the vast majority of the oil and gas reserves
are found, and we now have the technology to safely, efficiently and
economically tap the resources for miles surrounding where the drilling will
occur. From a practical standpoint, if we had agreed to put an oil rig off
of the coast of St. Simons Island or Sea Island, Republicans and Democrats,
liberals and conservatives would have been up in arms. We don’t have to put
the rigs that close because the technology allows us to put them farther out
and still reap the benefits.
Nuclear Energy
An
often overlooked provision of this proposal will encourage the development
of nuclear power in the United States for the first time in decades. We
cannot have a discussion of alternative fuels or an “all of the above”
energy proposal without the inclusion of nuclear energy. It is critical that
it be included. This proposal encourages the development of nuclear energy
by increasing staff at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, providing
workforce training, accelerating depreciation for nuclear plants and
supporting research and development on spent fuel recycling to reduce
nuclear waste. We are proud that our Democratic colleagues have agreed with
us that these critically important pieces - nuclear energy and offshore
drilling - must be a part of a comprehensive solution to our nation’s energy
problems.
Conservation and
Alternative Fuels
To
ease gas prices and protect our environment in the long term, the proposal
includes a significant federal commitment to promoting conservation and
efficiency, including $2.5 billion in research and development on next
generation biofuels and infrastructure. Georgia is a leader in the emerging
cellulosic ethanol industry and would directly benefit from this new federal
commitment.
The
proposal would also fund a $20 billion “Apollo Project”-like effort to
support the goal of transitioning 85 percent of America’s new motor vehicles
to non- petroleum-based fuels within 20 years.
As we
worked with our Democratic colleagues, they made it clear that any proposal
must be paid for. To us, a windfall profit tax was a deal-breaker, an
absolute non-starter. Instead, we identified an alternative solution to how
the $84 billion in investments in conservation and efficiency in the
proposal could be funded. While not perfect or even preferable, loophole
closers and other revenues were identified as funding options. Approximately
$30 billion will come from new revenues from the oil and gas industry
through such measures as modifying the Section 199 manufacturing deduction
for oil and natural gas production and other revenue from Gulf of Mexico
leases. Again, let us be clear, plans to modify the Section 199
manufacturing deduction are not a windfall profit tax. It is the elimination
of a domestic production tax credit. And from all indications we’ve
received, the oil companies are willing to close the loopholes in exchange
for the ability to utilize the reserves from these new 200 million drillable
acres.
We
believe that doing nothing is not an option – politically or substantively.
Georgia families and businesses are suffering because of the escalating high
cost of energy. We have been calling for weeks for Republicans and Democrats
to put aside their differences on energy and come together with a solution.
This proposal is exactly the kind of productive result we have been seeking
and exactly the kind of action thousands of Georgians have told us they want
to see from Congress on the energy issue.
Thank you for Keeping The Faith,
Sadie Fields
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