Dems Issue Conflicting Predictions on Energy Future
By: Administrative Account | Source: CNSNews.com
May 3, 2006 6:37AM EST

By Randy Hall
CNSNews.com Staff Writer/Editor
May 03, 2006

(CNSNews.com) - Congressional Democrats unveiled their energy policy Tuesday, but party leaders from the Senate and the House of Representatives could not agree on when -- or even if -- the U.S. would achieve independence from foreign oil.

"Democrats have real plans that would end our dependence on foreign oil in the long term -- and we intend to do it within 10 years," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) at the beginning of the event.

Just a few minutes later, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who was identified at the press conference as "the Senate Democrats' point person on energy issues," made her own prediction, but it was far different from the one delivered by Pelosi: "In the days and months ahead, Democrats will continue our work to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by 40 percent over the next 15 years."

During the question-and-answer session at the end of the news conference, Pelosi repeated her claim. She was asked about a remark made earlier in the day by Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi, who said it was "a myth" that countries could lower prices and attain energy independence by reducing oil imports.

"Energy independence is our Democratic vision and our goal, and we intend to achieve it within 10 years," Pelosi stated. "For the oil minister of Saudi Arabia to say that that is a myth is wishful thinking on his part."

The congressional Democrats arranged Tuesday's event to introduce a new study entitled "For and By Big Oil: A Special House and Senate Democratic Report." It accuses the Bush administration of favoring oil companies over consumers who are described as feeling "pain at the pump" due to high gas prices.

"In the year 2000, we imported 4.2 billion barrels of oil," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). "In 2004, we imported 4.8 billion barrels of oil, 600 million more barrels in just four years.

"And if things go on with the 'drill, drill, drill' philosophy of this administration, by the year 2020, it's estimated that we will be importing 5.25 billion barrels of oil every year," he stated.

The Nevada Democrat also criticized what he called "a little, tiny breakthrough late last week, when the Republican majority leader, working with the president, came up with a proposal" to take away some tax breaks for oil companies and give the American people a "ridiculously low" rebate of $100.

However, Reid added, "Big Oil" executives got together with GOP leaders over the weekend, and "the little, tiny rebate they were suggesting for two tank fill-ups is gone because the oil companies need to make even more money.

"It's Big Oil versus the American consumer, and under this administration -- this oil-oriented administration -- the consumer is losing," he added. "We need to be cleaner, greener and more secure. How long do we have to wait, mister president, until you come to the realization that 'drill, drill, drill' is not the answer to America's energy problems?"

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) went even further, declaring that "the last person in the world you'd want to make oil policy in America is George Bush because George Bush believes in his bones that what's good for ExxonMobil is good for America.

"That's why the policies that he and his Republican leadership have come up with are sort of a joke," Schumer said.

The $100 rebate "is nothing but a fig leaf to cover up the fact that they won't put real effort into finding alternatives," he stated. "The oil companies don't want that. They won't put real effort into conservation. Their free market philosophy doesn't allow that. And they won't do anything to go after Big Oil. They've lived with Big Oil their whole lives."

'A circle only the left wing can square'

As Cybercast News Service previously reported, Democrats have charged that recent increases in the cost of gasoline are the result of price gouging by oil companies and the lack of action by Republicans to crack down on "their friends in Big Oil."

Tuesday's news conference was no exception, as Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) reiterated his party's plan to "instruct the Federal Trade Commission to develop a standard, a definition of what exactly price gouging is.

"Even if the president and the congressional Republicans don't know how to define price gouging, we consumers -- the American people -- certainly know how to define it: predatory pricing, market manipulation and geographical differences in the same price for gas," Stupak said.

"The profit by refineries went up 255 percent from September 2004 to September 2005, and they say that's not price gouging?" he asked.

Schumer called for the government to take another action to relieve consumers' pain at the pump.

"It's about time we did a little old-fashioned trust-busting and look into the way we can restructure the oil companies to have 15 or 20 competitors the way we used to 15 or 20 years ago instead of just five marching in lockstep with their hands around the throat of the consumer," he said.

However, Josh Holmes, spokesman for the Republican National Committee, gave Cybercast News Service a different perspective.

"In yet another classic example of Democrat Party policy at its finest, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi hastily threw together a partisan attack plan in lieu of a plan to address the concerns of the American people," Holmes said. "Ranting about gas prices after opposing nearly every measure that would help reduce them is a circle only the left wing can square."

Regarding the clash of projections by Pelosi and Cantwell, Holmes added that the fact the two Democratic leaders "have conflicting energy agendas within the same press conference is about all you need to know about the substance of their energy plans."

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