[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 168 (Wednesday, November 19, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2338-E2339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY, YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND (OR 246) IN CONGRESS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 18, 2003

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, today is a sad day in the history of 
Congress. Today one industry has hijacked a political party and that 
party has bulldozed a poor energy policy through this body.
  The U.S. Congress is often held up and revered as the model of 
Democracy. Yet this bill has been bad news for Americans--and our form 
of government--from the start. First, the Administration, led by Vice 
President Cheney, held secret meetings with energy industry insiders to 
determine what they wanted from an energy policy--what the energy 
industry wants should not be confused with what the nation needed from 
an energy policy. Next, after a heavy-handed process, a bill, H.R. 6, 
was passed in this body. The bill then moved into conference, at which 
point, the two Republican co-chairs decided that they would write the 
nation's energy policy by themselves with no input from Democrats, but 
with plenty of input from lobbyists looking out for their oil, gas and 
other energy industry clients. The energy bill went from bad to worse 
as, at the last minute, many sweetheart deals were added that had never 
been passed by either body. Never before has the energy industry had 
such a friend in the White House and such great friends in the 
Congress--we know now that GOP does indeed mean ``Gas, Oil, and 
Petroleum''.

[[Page E2339]]

  Thus far, I have only addressed the problems with the process 
surrounding this bill. The problems with the policy are too numerous to 
name here, but I want to highlight some of the more outrageous:
  It does not improve our energy security and does nothing to promote 
renewable energy sources. This bill funnels billions of dollars into 
the oil and gas industries, making us more dependent than ever on 
foreign sources for these resources. In fact, only \1/3\ of the 
subsidies in this bill go toward promoting clean, renewable energy that 
we can find right here in the U.S.A. The policy before us today is 
stuck in the 20th century and does not take advantage of the advances 
in technology in the clean and renewable energy arena, and prefers to 
favor older, dirtier methods to generate our energy supply.
  It does not protect our water from contaminants that can cause 
serious health problems. This bill actually protects MTBE (methyl 
tertiary butyl ether) producers from product liability suits. MTBE has 
been proven to be harmful to our health, yet this bill leaves the 
taxpayers to clean up the mess and lets the producers off scot-free. 
California, more than any other state has been affected by MTBE. In 
some cities, many of the drinking water wells are now unusable because 
of MTBE contamination.
  It exempts the oil and gas construction activities from Clean Water 
Act controls on stormwater runoff. I introduced a motion to instruct 
conferees on H.R. 6 that would have struck language that gave oil and 
gas construction activities a free pass from controlling their 
stormwater runoff. This exemption makes them the only construction 
activity that does not have to take measures to ensure that runoff from 
their construction sites does not pollute our lakes, streams and 
rivers. Unfortunately, my motion did not pass and this harmful handout 
to the oil and gas industry remains.
  It does not address the problems that caused the California Energy 
Crisis of 2000-2001. This bill does nothing to prevent the kind of 
market manipulation that caused energy prices to skyrocket in 
California. Even the most conservative estimates indicate that 
California lost over $9 billion to this manipulation by energy 
companies. This bill leaves California--and the rest of the Nation--
without any protections against market manipulation.
  It is for these reasons and many more that I cannot and will not 
support this awful bill. This bill has been bought and paid for by the 
energy industry--mostly the oil and gas industries. Unfortunately, all 
Americans will pay the price for this bad bill.

                          ____________________