Gibbons Needs to brush up on the Facts
Inside Liberty Watch Today - Aug. 22, 2005

Congressman Jim Gibbons came to town last week to tell attendees of the center-right coalition third Tuesday luncheon sponsored by Nevada Policy Research Institute, that the government in Washington is doing great things, especially with the passage of President Bush's new energy policy.

Gibbons spewed forth so much hooey, so quickly; unfortunately, none of the attendees had time to put their boots on.

Gibbons explained that the Senate "should have passed the energy bill four years ago." And, if the obtuse members of the Senate would have got on board sooner (the House has passed an energy bill five times), drivers would not be feeling the pain at the pump right now.

But now, all is well; we've been saved, hallelujah. "Ladies and Gentlemen," the Congressman bellowed to the intimate group, "we're working together to solve this country's problems."

Oh, baloney. Why can't the government just leave us alone? Instead, The Energy Policy Act of 2005 has hundreds of provisions. Among them as listed on Wikipedia:

• Provides a tax credit of up to $3,400 for owners of hybrid vehicles;
• Authorizes loan guarantees for "innovative technologies" that avoid greenhouse gases
• Increases the amount of ethanol that must be mixed with gasoline sold in the United States to triple the current requirement (7.5 billion gallons by 2012);
• Seeks to increase coal as an energy source while also reducing air pollution, through authorizing $200 million annually for clean coal initiatives, repealing the current 160-acre cap on coal leases, allowing the advanced payment of royalties from coal mines and requiring an assessment of coal resources on federal lands that are not national parks;
• Authorizes subsidies for wind energy, and other alternative energy producers;
• Adds ocean energy sources including Wave power and Tidal power for the first time as separately identified renewable technologies;
• Authorizes $50 million annually over the life of the bill for a biomass grant program;
• Contains several provisions aimed at making geothermal energy more competitive with fossil fuels in generating electricity;
• Requires the DOE to study and report on existing natural energy resources including wind, solar, waves and tides;
• Provides tax breaks for those making energy conservation improvements to their homes;
• Provides subsidies for oil companies;
• Extends Daylight Saving Time by approximately four weeks;
• Requires that no drilling for gas or oil may be done in or underneath the Great Lakes;

Sure, that all sounds like it will do the trick. Gibbons didn't say much about the specifics of the bill in his talk. He was busy accentuating the positive for the locals. "Nevada is the heart of solar and geothermal energy," Gibbons proclaimed. "And, geothermal is a renewable source, ladies and gentlemen."

Where can I find one of those geothermal cars, Jim?

"[W]hat the government really likes is wishful thinking," writes Thomas Donlan in Barron's, "and what it really doesn't like is taking the heat for higher prices."

President Bush said the bill "is a critical first step. It's a first step toward a more affordable and reliable energy future for American citizens." Oh, right. If somebody would have just thought of extending daylight savings time by a month a little sooner, gas might be a buck a gallon. And, requiring the Department of Energy to study and report on existing natural energy resources including wind, solar, waves and tides will bring down gas prices.

Donlan points out that the Act "sets self-contradictory goals, just like President Bush's desire to lower gasoline prices and reduce dependence on foreign oil: One or the other may be possible, but all the cheap oil comes from overseas and all the possible domestic substitutes are expensive."

Someone in the center-right audience made the sensible suggestion to Congressman Gibbons to just place a moratorium on the lengthy and difficult government permitting process for both drilling and building refineries. Gibbons replied that the Energy Act does just that. If he believes that he obviously didn't read the bill, or if he did read the bill, maybe he was just careless with his speechmaking. It wouldn't be the first time.

Doug French, Liberty Watch Columnist

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