Democrats in Congress Turn Up the Political Pressure on Energy Policies

[kerrygoddess]

Democrats in Congress Turn Up the Political Pressure on Energy Policies
October 8th, 2005

Yesterday in Congress the Republican majority held the vote on the Gas Act until they had strong-armed enough votes to squeak it by, by 1 vote. The objections on the floor by Democrats who were wholly united against the Gas Act, were boisterous, to say the least. (ThinkProgress has the video here) John Kerry is scheduled to give a speech today in Aspen: “Restoring American Leadership In Science; Time to Take Back Anti-Science Washington.”

Republicans muscled the bill through by a single vote, only after 40 minutes of arm-twisting on the House floor persuaded several moderate Republicans to change their minds and vote yes. The measure is designed to spur construction of new oil refineries through relaxed environmental standards and by opening up abandoned military bases to construction of refining facilities.

Democrats said the close nature of the vote suggests that deep frustration over soaring gas prices and the nation’s dependence on imported fossil fuels is changing the political dynamic. The vote led to an extraordinary breakdown of decorum in the House chamber, with Democrats shouting ‘’Shame!” and Republicans booing to drown out objections by Nancy Pelosi (Pelosi’s statement released after the vote is here), the House minority leader, to their tactics.

The bill faces uncertain prospects in the Senate. Though President Bush endorsed the bill yesterday, Senate Republicans have not embraced it, and Democratic opposition could thwart its passage.

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