Democrats Work Toward Energy Independence by 2020
http://democrats.senate.gov/energy/about.html
Democrats Support Funding Energy Research. Democrats support increasing energy research and development funding and extending the renewable energy production tax credit. (S. Amdt. 3039) Democrats proposed $250 million for increasing research, development, demonstration and deployment of new energy generation and new energy efficiency technologies to most effectively support the objective of decreasing U.S. oil imports, which is a critical national security priority.

* Bush Republicans Blocked Consideration of this Critical Proposal. [HR 2419, House Vote #203. Blocked 219-190. 5/24/2005]

Democrats Sought to Increase Energy Efficiency Standards and Investing in New Technology. Democrats sought to provide tax incentives for renewable energy, such as solar, wind, geothermal and biomass, and for energy efficient home appliances and to expand the deployment of the latest technologies and increase research and commercialization of emerging technologies. [HR 6, House Vote #188. Rejected 170-259. 4/20/2005]

* The Bush Record of Dangerous Incompetence: Slashes Energy Efficiency and Conservation. The president's budget cuts evergy efficiency by 13 percent from last year, even though DOE research on core efficiency programs has been cut by 32 percent in real terms since FY 2001. [Union of Concerned Scientists; American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, 2/7/05] Reducing our nation's energy consumption is effective in reducing our reliance on foreign energy, but the President's budget cuts conservation programs by $113 million. [House Appropriations Committee, Democratic Staff, 2/6/06]

Democrats Call for Creating the Next Generation of Revolutionary Energy Technologies. Democrats are committed to creating a new DARPA-like initiative to provide seed money for fundamental research needed to develop high-risk, high-reward technologies and build markets for the next generation of revolutionary energy technologies, such as those emerging from biotechnology, nanotechnology, solar, and fuel-cell research. This new agency would have resources and flexibility needed to do ground-breaking research and push promising technology into the marketplace. [H.R. 4435, S. 2196]

* The Bush Record of Dangerous Incompetence: Smokescreen Solutions to Energy Problems. Rather than enact policies that would aggressively confront our security challenges and provide safe, sustainable and affordable energy, Republicans have pushed for drilling in the Alaska wilderness and rolling back environmental protections regulating oil and gas leases and refineries. Drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge would provide only the equivalent of six months of American oil demand and would not provide any oil for a decade, lower prices, or create a significant number of new long-term jobs. Refiners have not shown interest in building new refineries regardless of environmental regulations.

Democrats Seek Expanding Biofuels and Other Clean Energy Alternatives. Growth in use of biofuels could save 3.9 million barrels of oil per day by 2025. Democrats support tax incentives and a national renewable fuels standard to encourage increased production of renewable fuels. [S. 1994] Democrats have proposed to rapidly expand production and distribution of synthetic and bio-based fuels, such as ethanol derived from cellulosic sources, and deploy new engine technologies for fuel-flexible, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and bio-diesel vehicles -- by doubling research and development funding for new fuels, innovative refining processes for these fuels, and new vehicle technologies so that these emerging technologies can be deployed in the next three to five years. [House Democratic Innovation Agenda, November 2005]

* The Bush Record of Dangerous Incompetence: The President's Budget Cuts Renewable Energy Programs, Which Create Jobs and Reduce our Dependence on Foreign Oil. The President's budget eliminates all funding for bioenergy incentives that help expand the production of ethanol and biodiesel. Further, the budget cuts renewable energy loans (from $177 million to $35 million) and grants, as well as biomass research and development. His budget proposals have been called "pitiful. The $150 million the White House said it would commit to making biofuels more competitive . .turns out to be $50 million less than the amount authorized by last year's energy bill." [New York Times, 2/6/06]

Democrats Promote Flexible-Fuel Vehicles. Increased availability of flexible-fuel vehicles, which can run on either gasoline or E-85, will reduce our dependence on gasoline and increase our reliance on home-grown fuels. [S. 1994, H.R. 4673]

Democrats Call for Cutting Dependence on Foreign Oil. Democrats support reducing imports of foreign oil by 40 percent by 2025. [S. Amdt. 784; H. Amdt. 79 to HR 6 is similar.]

* The Bush Record of Dangerous Incompetence: U.S. Oil and Petroleum Product Imports are Increasing. In 2000, America imported 3.8 billion barrels of oil and petroleum products or 52.9 percent of its total net consumption. In 2005, the U.S. imported about 4.7 billion barrels or 60 percent of its total net consumption. If current policies continue, the Administration projects that Americans will import 5.25 billion barrels in 2020. [Energy Information Administration, U.S. Imports by Country of Origin, and Annual Energy Outlook 2006]

Democrats Propose a Tire Fuel Efficiency Program. Proper inflation of tires and replacing old tires with fuel-efficient tires could save 470,000 barrels of oil per day by 2013. Democrats propose creating a national tire fuel efficiency program. [S. 1882]

Democrats Support Creating a Strategic Gasoline and Jet Fuel Reserve. A gasoline and jet fuel reserve, like our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, would protect Americans from price spikes like those Americans experienced after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. [S. 1794]

Democrats Seek a National Renewable Electricity Standard. A national Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) would require electric utilities to produce 10 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. An RPS would reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources and create jobs. [S. Amdt. 791]

Democrats Propose Banning Gasoline Price Gouging and Improving Market Transparency. Democrats have proposed federal legislation establishing a federal ban on price gouging for oil, gasoline, and other petroleum products during national emergencies, provide civil and criminal penalties for price gouging, ban market manipulation, and require greater transparency in oil and gasoline markets. [S. 1735, H.R. 3936, S. 1744, S. Amdt. 2612]

* The Bush Record of Dangerous Incompetence: Oil Companies are Raking In Extraordinary Profits. In 2005, as Americans struggled to pay their gasoline and heating bills, the top six oil companies made an astonishing $113 billion in profits. ExxonMobil reported the highest annual profits in U.S. history; the oil giant's 2005 profits soared to $36.13 billion, an increase of 43 percent over 2004. The oil companies attempt to downplay their profits to the public. However, ExxonMobil's 2004 annual report emphasizes "return on average capital employed" as the best measure for financial performance and reveals a rate of return of 37 percent for domestic drilling and 28.6 percent for domestic refining. [ExxonMobil press release for January 30, 2006; "High Oil Prices Help Boost Exxon Profits," Steve Quinn, AP Business Writer, January 30, 2006; Public Citizen testimony, Senate Judiciary Committee, February 1, 2006]

Democrats Initiated an Investigating into Post-Hurricane Price Gouging. Democrats passed a provision requiring the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate nationwide gas price spikes in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina for evidence of price gouging and its effects on the U.S. economy. [S. Amdt. 1703]

Democrats Fought to Impose Tough Criminal Penalties on Price Gouging Companies.

* Bush Republicans Voted Against New Criminal Penalties of up to $100 million on Price Gouging Energy Corporations. [CQ Vote #500, HR 3402, 9/28/05. Motion rejected 195-226: Republicans 0-226; Democrats 194-0]

Democrats Work to Protect Consumers. Senator Mikulski and 31 Democratic Senators sent a letter to the President on October 7, 2005 urging him to bring the oil companies' CEOs to the White House and demand that they lower their prices. Senators Feingold, Feinstein, and 13 additional Democratic Senators sent a letter to the Chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on September 30, 2005 requesting an explanation for the FTC's approval of refinery mergers, which have harmed consumers.

Democrats Call for Energy Consumer Relief for Families, Small Businesses and Farmers. Democrats propose to provide relief to families paying skyrocketing energy costs by expanding the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and provide relief to small businesses and farmers with a tax credit and grants. These would be paid for by repealing at least $8 billion in unnecessary subsidies in the new energy law for oil and gas companies, which oil companies say they do not even need, and through fines from price-gouging companies. [H.R. 4479]

Democrats Support Aiding Low-Income Families with High Energy Costs. Democrats support full funding of $5.1 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to account for the dramatic increases in cost of heating. LIHEAP budget requests have decreased since 2001 despite 78 percent increases in expenditures on heating fuels. [S. Amdt. 2033, S. Amdt. 2077, S. Amdt. 2194, and S. Amdt. 3074]

Democrats Seek Weatherization Assistance. Weatherizing homes that use home heating oil could save consumers 18 percent of their heating costs and save 80,000 barrels of oil per day. Democrats support increased funding of the Weatherization Assistance Program, which helps American consumers weatherize their homes, lowering energy consumption and costs. [S. Amdt. 3039]

As the Rolexnation’sRolex shop only TCT circular saw singlesource of , wow goldmezzaninesRolex, Warehouse racking cantilever Rolex Replicaracks and Replica WatchesracksReplica watches, Steel carbide saw blades isbuy Pallet rackuniquely qualified to Replica Rolex .