foe.Senate Democrats Prepare to Roll Over on Energy Bill

December 13, 2007

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Nick Berning, 202-222-0748

WASHINGTON—Friends of the Earth Action President Brent Blackwelder released the following statement in response to reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to further weaken the energy bill after failing to achieve cloture on an already-weakened version of the bill earlier today:

“It’s clear that Democratic capitulation isn’t limited to Iraq. When the Republican leadership and the polluter lobby have blocked important legislation, Senate Democrats have been all too willing to move in their direction. The result is that the two most positive provisions of the energy bill—a clean energy mandate and a tax package reining in handouts for fossil fuels and promoting clean energy—are being removed while detrimental provisions, such as a radical five-fold increase in unsustainable biofuel use, remain.

“This is the wrong approach. Instead of capitulating, the Senate Democrats should show some backbone. If Republicans want to block progress on clean energy and global warming, they should be forced to mount a real filibuster—for weeks if necessary. If President Bush and Republican senators persist in their obstruction, Democrats should pull the energy bill from the floor and make it an issue at the ballot box instead. Let’s be clear. What the Republicans are doing here is morally repugnant. They are jeopardizing our children’s future in order to help corporate polluters make more money. The American people have signaled that they want a different direction, and Democrats should not yield to this obstruction.

“The basic truth is that our system of energy production and consumption is wholly unsustainable, and dramatic changes are needed or we risk a systemic collapse. Unfortunately, we are not yet getting the bold leadership from the Senate that is required to bring about these changes.”

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