Rep. Pence's False Radio Address
In the Republican Radio Address set to air on Saturday, June 13, 2009, Rep. Mike Pence repeats false statistics and touts a Republican energy plan based on the failed policies of President Bush.
Rep. Pence Uses False Cap-And-Trade Cost Estimate
Rep. Pence: "If the Democrats' cap and trade bill were to become law, estimates suggest that the average American family would face up to $4,300 a year in extra energy costs and anywhere between 1.8 and 7 million American jobs could be lost." [Republican Radio Address, 6/13/09]
Yet The American Clean Energy And Security Act Would Cost Households Less Than $12 A Month
Even Before Markup, The EPA Estimated Cap-And-Trade Bill Would Cost Less Than $150 Annually. According to the Wall Street Journal: "The Environmental Protection Agency presented its analysis of the Waxman-Markey bill on Tuesday and said the contentious plan would cost households less than $150 a year. That's a far cry from some of the dueling price tags that have been bandied about." [Wall Street Journal, 4/21/09; emphasis added]
- EPA: Markup Changes In Bill Decrease "The Impact On Household Energy Bills." According to an EPA report: "The change in early-year cap levels lowers allowance prices slightly. In the draft bill, the year-2020 emissions cap for covered sources was set at 20% below the year-2005 level. In H.R. 2454, the year-2020 cap is changed to 17% below the year-2005 level. (The 2012, 2030, and 2050 targets remain the same.) That relaxation of the cap, by itself, will lower allowance prices by 3%. Accordingly, that single change will lower the cost of the legislation for households, in part by lowering the impact on household energy bills." [EPA, accessed 5/27/09; emphasis and parentheses original]
Investment In Clean Energy Means More Jobs
Investment In Clean Energy Technology Will Create Over 1.5 Million American Jobs. According to the Center for American Progress, a $100 billion Green Recovery program would create 1,578, 282 American jobs. [Center for American Progress, "Green Recovery," September 2008]
- Pence's Home State Of Indiana Would Gain More Than 43,000 Jobs From Increased Investment In Clean Energy. According to the Center for American Progress, Indiana would gain 43,353 jobs from its share in a $100 billion Green Recovery program. [Center for American Progress, "Green Recovery," September 2008]
Investment In Clean Energy Technology Creates FOUR TIMES As Many Jobs As An Investment In Oil & Gas. According to the Center for American Progress: "Spending $100 billion within the domestic oil industry would create only about 542,000 jobs in the United States. A green infrastructure investment program would create nearly four times more jobs than spending the same amount of money on oil energy resources. And again, spending on oil offers no benefits in transitioning the U.S. economy toward a low-carbon future, while perpetuating the economic and national security vulnerabilities by continuing to rely on oil for the lifeblood of our economy." [Center for American Progress, "Green Recovery," September 2008]
Investment In Renewable Energy Has Already Salvaged Many Manufacturing Facilities Closed During Economic Downturn. Across America, factories and plants abandoned by the old economy have been re-tooled and re-opened to satisfy the growing demand for new energy technologies. For instance, once hopeless manufacturing plants in Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Michigan have re-energized their communities by creating jobs and leading the charge toward a new energy future. [Bloomberg, 4/2/09; Star Tribune, 4/22/09; Grand Rapids Press, 3/6/08]
GOP Energy Plan Embraces Bush's Failed Policies
Rep. Pence: "This past week, House Republicans introduced the American Energy Act. It's an 'all of the above' energy plan that offers energy independence, more jobs and a cleaner environment, without imposing a national energy tax." [Republican Radio Address, 6/13/09]
The "American Energy Act" Embraces Bush's Failed Policies
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House GOP |
President Bush |
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HOUSE GOP PLAN: Increase Oil Drilling In the Outer Continental Shelf. According to a summary of the House Republicans' American Energy Act: "The bill increases the supply of American energy by immediately moving forward with a leasing program on the already open [Outer Continental Shelf] OCS. The bill also simplifies and harmonizes the OCS mileage restrictions, expanding state territorial waters to 12 miles offshore (most state borders stop at three miles) and gives coastal states a share of the receipts from such energy exploration. A portion of the revenues created by OCS exploration would go to a renewable energy trust fund to pay for a variety of renewable, alternative and advanced energy programs." [American Energy Act Summary, accessed 6/10/09] |
BUSH PLAN: Increase Oil Drilling In the Outer Continental Shelf. President Bush said: "This morning, I asked Democratic Congressional leaders to move forward with four steps to expand American oil and gasoline production. First, we should expand American oil production by increasing access to the outer continental shelf or OSC. Experts believe that the OCS could produce about 18 billion barrels of oil. That would be enough to match the current oil production America for almost 10 years. The problem is that congress has restricted access to key parts of the OCS since the early 1980's. Since then, advances in technology have made it possible to conduct oil exploration in the OCS that is out of sight, protects coral reefs and habitats, and protects against oil spills. With these advances, and a dramatic increase in oil prices, Congressional restrictions on exploration have become outdated and counterproductive. Republicans in congress have proposed several promising bills that would lift the legislative ban on oil exploration in the OCS. I call on the House and Senate to pass good legislation as soon possible." [President Bush statement, 6/18/08] |
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HOUSE GOP PLAN: Expedite Construction Of More Oil Refineries. According to a summary of the House Republicans' American Energy Act: "The bill increases American supplies of gasoline and diesel by encouraging greater refinery capacity by streamlining and accelerating the refinery permitting process. The bill also requires the President to designate at least three closed military installations as potentially suitable for construction of a refinery, including at least one suitable for refining biomass to produce biofuel." [American Energy Act Summary, accessed 6/10/09] |
BUSH PLAN: Expedite Construction Of More Oil Refineries. President Bush said: "We need to expand and enhance our refining capacity. Refineries are the critical link between crude oil and the gasoline and diesel fuel that drivers put in their tanks. Recent changes in the makeup of our fuel supply, upgrades in our refining capacity are urgently needed. Yet it has been nearly 30 years since our nation built a new refinery, and lawsuits and red tape have made it extremely costly to expand and modify existing refineries ... So today I am proposing measures to expedite the refinery permitting process. Under the reform process that I propose, challenges to refineries and other energy projects permits must be brought before the DC circuit court of appeals within 60 days of the issuance of a permit decision. Congress should also empower the secretary of energy to establish binding deadlines for permit decisions and to ensure that the various levels of approval required in the refinery permitting process are handled in a timely way." [President Bush statement, 6/18/08] |
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HOUSE GOP PLAN: Build More Nuclear Power Plants. According to a summary of the House Republicans' American Energy Act: "The bill reinforces a commitment to protect public health and safety while providing for an accelerated regulatory process for new nuclear applications where there is a design already certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); a site already licensed for operating reactors; an operator in good standing with the NRC; and a full and complete Combined Operations and Construction License application. This bill also lowers construction costs by suspending import tariffs and duties on imported nuclear components for five years if there is no domestic manufacturer. The bill also provides a long-term solution for spent nuclear fuel. The legislation allows the NRC to finish its review of the Yucca Mountain repository without political interference, and repeals its 70,000 metric ton limitation, letting science and technology dictate how much the repository can safely hold. The bill also provides for recycling of spent nuclear fuel, thereby decreasing the demand for storage space at Yucca Mountain and amounts accumulating." [American Energy Act Summary, accessed 6/10/09] |
BUSH PLAN: Build More Nuclear Power Plants. During a weekly radio address, President Bush said: "Nuclear power generates large amounts of low-cost electricity without emitting air pollution or greenhouse gases. Yet nuclear power now produces only about 20 percent of America's electricity. It has the potential to play an even greater role. For example, over the past three decades, France has built 58 nuclear power plants and now gets more than 78 percent of its electricity from nuclear power. Yet here in America, we have not ordered a new nuclear powerplant since the 1970s. So last summer, I signed energy legislation that offered incentives to encourage the building of new nuclear plants in America. Our goal is to start the construction of new nuclear power plants by the end of this decade." [President Bush's Weekly Radio Address, 2/18/08] |
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HOUSE GOP PLAN: Open The Arctic For Drilling. According to a summary of the House Republicans' American Energy Act: "The bill increases American energy by opening the Arctic Coastal Plain to exploration in an environmentally-sound manner, which could provide an additional 1 million barrels of oil per day. The bill requires timely lease sales, provides for revenue sharing with the State, designates a fund to mitigate the effects of exploration and development and provide for local community support, and devotes a portion of the revenues for a renewable energy trust fund to pay for renewable, alternative and advanced energy programs." [American Energy Act Summary, accessed 6/10/09] |
BUSH PLAN: Open The Arctic For Drilling. During a question and answer session in Florida, President Bush said: "I thought you were going to ask, how come we don't have the gas pipeline coming down yet, because there's a lot of untapped oil and gas up there that can be explored in environmentally friendly ways. And I think we ought to be drilling in ANWR--it's called ANWR. I know we can do it and protect the environment at the same time. And I know there's a lot of untapped gas up there that we ought to get down through pipeline as well. I don't know where all the oil goes coming out of the pipeline now. I'll try to find out for you." [Bush Press Conference, 5/9/06] |
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HOUSE GOP PLAN: Increase Production Of Oil Shale. According to a summary of the House Republicans' American Energy Act: "It is estimated that more than 70 percent of American oil shale lies on federal lands which contain an estimated 1.23 trillion barrels of oil, more than 50 times the nation's proven conventional oil reserves. The bill codifies the oil shale lease program and restores leasing activities that were already underway prior to being halted in February 2009, by the current Administration. The bill mandates that a lease sale be held within 180 days of enactment." [American Energy Act Summary, accessed 6/10/09] |
BUSH PLAN: Increase Production Of Oil Shale. While speaking to the Coalition for Affordable American Energy, President Bush said, "Congress can do some more. Once they solve this problem, they can allow us to drill in northern Alaska, which we can do in environmentally friendly ways. They should allow us to tap into the extraordinary potential of oil shale. And we need to expand our refining capacity here in America." [Bush Remarks in EEOB, 8/12/08] |
