Earth Equity News

The High-Stakes Congressional Chess Game over Energy. By Zachary Coile, SFChronicle, September 9, 2008. "As Congress returns this week for a three-week legislative sprint, the two parties will face off in a chess match over energy with high stakes for both the November elections and the nation's energy future... Democrats also plan to repeal at least $18 billion in subsidies to oil companies and shift that money to tax credits for renewable energy... [as well as] revive a plan, passed by the House last year, to require electric utilities to get at least 15% of their energy from wind, solar, geothermal or other renewable sources by 2020. Both parties are already game-planning for another scenario: On Sept. 30, the congressional moratorium on offshore drilling and a similar ban on oil shale development are set to expire. President Bush already has lifted the presidential moratorium on offshore drilling. Congress also must move a temporary spending bill by Sept. 30 to keep the government funded and prevent a government shutdown. Democrats are expected to include a renewal of the two moratoriums as part of the spending bill, arguing that the only way they will let the bans lapse is as part of a broader energy bill that moves the country toward renewable sources. But Republicans say they may call the Democrats' bluff and risk a government shutdown, and then lay the blame at Pelosi's doorstep. It would be a huge gamble. The last time Republicans took the risk of forcing a temporary government shutdown -- during a 1995 budget showdown with President Bill Clinton -- they faced a major public backlash and ended up losing seats in the 2006 House elections."