Senate Group Unveiling
Oil-Saving Plan
November 16, 2005 — By H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Efforts to stem
America's appetite for oil, nearly two-thirds of it imported, is getting
new attention in Congress with a push from an unusual coalition of
environmentalists, evangelical Christians and conservatives.
The diverse groups are putting pressure on lawmakers to find ways to
curtail oil use, especially in transportation, and to promote
alternative fuels and new technologies less depended on fossil fuels.
Environmentalists view reduced oil use as a way to curtail pollution and
lower the risk of climate change. A number of conservatives and others
argue the dependence on oil imports poses a security threat.
Both liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans in Congress are
listening.
A bipartisan group of senators planned to unveil legislation Wednesday
they say would save 2.5 million barrels of oil a day within a decade and
10 million barrels a day by 2031. The country now uses a little over 20
million barrels of oil a day, most of it for transportation.
The legislation would include tax breaks, as much as 35 percent, and
loan guarantees to get automakers to switch from producing gas guzzlers
to gas-electric hybrids, advanced diesel or other alternative
technologies.
It also includes new tax breaks for those who buy such vehicles for car
fleets, and incentives for developing alternative fuels such as ethanol
from cellulosic biomass, research into use of lightweight material in
cars, and the promotion of mass transit corridors.
"We must find a way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil so America
is prepared for the future," said Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., one of the
bill's co-sponsors.
Other co-sponsors include moderate Democrats and conservation
Republicans. Among them are Democratic Sens. Joe Lieberman of
Connecticut and Ken Salazar of Colorado, and GOP Sens. Sam Brownback of
Kansas and Lindsay Graham of South Carolina.
"This is a bipartisan effort," said Brownback in an interview. "This is
just good common sense. This is where the public wants us to go. They
want us to not be so dependent on foreign oil."
Earlier this year, Democrats tried to include a provision in a broad
energy bill that later was signed into law by President Bush, that
called on the president to develop programs that would cut oil
consumption by 1 million barrels a day. It was opposed by the GOP
majority and defeated.
"That was seen as a mandate," said Brownback, who opposed the measure.
The new approach is based on incentives to reduce oil consumption, he
said.
Among those supporting the new Senate initiative are environmentalists
such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Apollo Alliance, a
coalition of labor and environmental groups.
But they have been joined by mix of neo-conservatives and members of the
Christian right who view the country's continued dependence on foreign
oil -- especially from volatile areas such as the Middle East -- as a
threat to the nation's security, and in the view of some, American
values.
Among those arguing forcefully that the country's dependence on foreign
oil poses a security risk are former CIA Director James Woolsey and
Robert McFarlane, former national security adviser to President Reagan.
A number of conservatives have formed a coalition called Set America
Free which advocates a diversification of motor fuels, development of
more fuel efficient cars and trucks especially hybrids, and increased
research into the development of ethanol from cellulosic biomass.
Among the group's members are Gary Bauer, president of American Values;
Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy, and Gal Luft, director
of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security.
Source: Associated Press
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