News

Gillibrand, Treadwell differ over energy bill

By Jim Planck

GREENPORT — The House of Representatives has passed a massive bipartisan bill that is intended to address major aspects of the nation’s energy needs, the Comprehensive American Energy Security & Consumer Protection Act.

Its official description states, in part, that it is, “A bill to advance the national security interests of the United States by reducing its dependency on oil through renewable and clean, alternative fuel technologies” — meaning the portion of it that supports “green” energy development.

It also permits increased offshore drilling as “building a bridge to the future through expanded access to federal oil and natural gas resources.”

The document is 290 pages long and contains numerous other aspects of energy consumption and production, including energy tax incentives, energy efficiency in buildings, and carbon mitigation measures for coal plants, as well as significant funding for home heating assistance.

A major section, or Title 1, of the bill addresses federal oil and gas leasing parameters, and speaks not only to the use of opening up the nation’s outer continental shelf for leasing, but also addresses accountability in the nation’s energy reserves, and permits the speeding up of lease sales in Alaska’s Natural Petroleum Reserve.

U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Hudson, voted in favor of the act on Tuesday, and said she believes it is an important step forward.

“This bipartisan legislation addresses our energy crisis with a comprehensive approach,” said Gillibrand. “Energy issues are central to our economic development, national security, and our ability to combat global climate change.”

“This legislation demonstrates the steps necessary to making America energy independent,” said Gillibrand.” The oil and gas companies are experiencing record profits, while upstate families are struggling just to make ends meet. This bill will invest in the technologies that will reduce energy costs, create American jobs that can’t be outsourced to China or Mexico, and revitalize our agricultural and manufacturing bases.”

According to Gillibrand’s office, the bill “will allow for offshore energy exploration for much of the east and west coasts from 100 miles offshore or more.”

“States may choose to opt-in for energy exploration from 50-100 miles from shore,” her office states, “(while) drilling 50 miles from shore and under would be prohibited.”

“This would potentially open up to 80-percent of the offshore areas currently off-limit to drilling -- hundreds of millions of acres of new lands for exploration,” states a news release.

Gillibrand’s opponent for the 20th Congressional District, however, Alexander “Sandy” Treadwell, R,C,I-Lake Placid, commented Wednesday on the bill’s passage, and took severe issue with it, calling it “an energy bill that simply will not produce more energy,” and “a complete sham.”

Treadwell specifically noted his position that the option for states to participate in offshore drilling is faulty.

“The bill adopted last night will prevent states from collecting royalties from oil companies that drill off their coasts. This bill would never result in more offshore drilling and it was never intended to,” Treadwell said. “For months, Democratic leaders have used every trick at their disposal to block expanded drilling in offshore areas like the outer continental shelf, which is estimated to have at least 18 billion barrels of oil and 76.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

“We need a realistic plan to expand drilling so that we can produce oil in the continental United States and off our coasts, helping us to cut back on the amount of expensive oil we import from foreign nations.”

Gillibrand’s office statement, however, in counter-position to Treadwell’s, states that goal is exactly what is achieved by the new bill.

“The legislation will increase our American energy supply,” it states, “while reversing the tax giveaways to the big oil and gas companies, as well as increasing investment in the clean, renewable energy sources that will end our dependence on foreign oil, create jobs, stop the stranglehold of oil and gas companies on American energy policies and combat global climate change.”

Meanwhile, although a companion bill in the Senate is apparently working its way through committees, no reference to an “offshore drilling” bill, in any form, could be found on the Senate’s official Web site, where it would typically be found.

Once the Senate does finish a version, the two, the House’s and the Senate’s versions, unless identical, would have to be merged by compromise into a single bill from Congress before it could proceed to the White House for consideration.

Reader Comments

Submit a Comment