Washington, D.C. – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today released the following text of a December 4 letter sent to the House of Representatives urging members to oppose H.R. 6, the energy bill.  Although the full text of the bill has yet to be released, the bill is expected to be voted on today without opportunity for amendment.

“This week, the House may consider energy legislation that was crafted in a backroom deal without bipartisan negotiations.  With little time to consider the implications of the bill, you are being asked to vote to raise taxes to offset billions that supposedly will be lost to cars and trucks using less fuel, dramatically change the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards, mandate the use of 20.5 billion gallons of ethanol and other biofuels by 2015, and create a Renewable Portfolio Standard requiring private utilities to produce 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020.  These initiatives will do nothing to make the U.S. energy independent. 

“Passing this bill will exacerbate the problems created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005.  That bill mandated that 4 billion gallons of renewable fuel (mostly ethanol) be added to our gasoline supply by 2006 and 7.5 billion gallons by 2012.  This has raised the price of corn and increased the cost of other grains, meat, and poultry.  Estimates are that last year ethanol production cost Americans an additional $14 billion in food prices and taxpayers $2.7 billion in subsidies.  Plus, ethanol is only a tiny proportion of the 140 billion gallons of gasoline the U.S. uses each year.  According to an article in July’s Rolling Stone, if the entire corn crop was used to make ethanol, it would replace only 12 percent of current gasoline use.

“The Renewable Portfolio Standard will burden many states that will not be able to meet the requirements because they do not have access to sufficient natural resources.  This will raise electricity costs to consumers, particularly those that live in Southern states.

“Gasoline is more than $3.00 a gallon for regular grade and the nation imports more than 60 percent of its oil despite past government policies that were supposed to make the U.S. energy independent.  Congress is repeating its mistakes by interfering with the energy market and following the road of unintended consequences.  Instead, federal lands should be opened up to domestic energy companies and the market should be allowed to work without stifling regulations, higher taxes, and political decrees.  That will encourage private investment and research that will develop cleaner and more efficient energy for the nation.  All votes on this legislation will be among those considered in CCAGW’s 2007 Congressional Ratings.”

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.