Originally published July 26 2005
Miami Herald backs Senate energy bill over House bill
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A Miami Herald editorial says, while neither of the energy bills proposed by the U.S. House and Senate are ideal, they could pose threats to Florida's offshore drilling ban, so the Senate's proposed bill is preferable to the House's proposed bill because it at least recognizes the scientific link between fuel emissions and global warming.
The energy bill that the Senate approved last week is no great friend to Florida, but if any legislation setting a national energy policy is to be adopted, the Senate's plan is far preferable to the House's gussied-up valentine to industry.
The final legislation hammered out in the conference committee should mirror the Senate's plan, which, for the first time, recognizes the scientifically established link between fuel emissions and global warming.
The Senate doesn't do anything about that link, however, since all that it approved was a nonbinding resolution saying mandatory limits on emissions will be needed to reduce the threat.
The Senate directs the president to reduce oil consumption by one million barrels a day by 2015.
What the Senate should have done is increase the fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks, as they are the biggest emitter of the pollution contributing to global warming.
The Senate puts more emphasis on the development and increased use of alternative energy sources.
It would require utilities to generate 10 percent of their electricity using renewable sources -- such as wind power -- by 2020, and gives tax breaks and other incentives for energy-efficient products.
The House, in contrast, gives incentives and big tax breaks to the oil and gas industries to increase domestic drilling.
The Florida-unfriendly feature is Senate approval of a plan to inventory offshore supplies of oil and gas.
Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez couldn't keep this from passing, since several senators from other coastal states supported it.
The Senate has previously opposed this provision, which should be part of the final bill.
The Senate at least puts forth policies that begin to direct the nation toward increasing use of renewable energy sources to reduce dependency on foreign oil.
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