2003 Energy Act
<div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">note several competing bills but Tauzin beats mccain lieberman and bingaman Dem?</font></div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">energy bill 2003 tauzin, delay domenici, ethanol, mod gop got anwr out in return for new power plants and hummer $100K tax break, protected delay biggest donor lyondell chem from mtbe suits and keep on mkt max p 113 "oinking mastodon" heritage and cato ~ ! did not pass, big defeat b2, but redone next yr: strat ignor?
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">secret task force report led to bills:</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Haliburton</b> gave 1 mil gop 97-02, and all soft money 1/2 mil to gop <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">; incentive to</span></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">pollute added to rep. bill, tho O'N says does not cost more to do right.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">conservation a private virtue, not basis of public policy</span> DC TO speech mo before</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">rep released 107 but 1 mpg increase = ANWR 2.6 = iraq and kuwait import, 8 all</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">of ME 108 JC cafe up 7.5, shortage --> glut p108, 86 rolled by RR; lovens says if</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">not, we need no persian gulf oil after 86; no need for wars; since 1990 80 mil car</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">$ , cancelled tax ded for green cars, less effic st'ds <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">$100K tax break hummers e</span>tc.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">result worst effic in 20 yrs </span>109 tax cuts to offset energy prices [basically</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">another subsidy !?] <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> bill ~ Daschle</span> but end-run, by june 02 3/4 of 105 recs in</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">place</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/108/hr6</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">H.R. 6 (108th): <b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Energy Policy Act of 2003</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Introduced:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Apr 7, 2003 (108th Congress, 2003–2004)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Status:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Died (Conference Report Agreed to by House) in a previous session of Congress</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/108/hr6#summary/libraryofcongress</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px; background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">GHG Emission Limits</font></strong></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><strong style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240); margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">S.17</strong><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);">: </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The Global Climate Security Act of 2003,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"> which includes several climate change measures, including a provision establishing a commission to review measures necessary to prevent a doubling of GHG concentrations in the atmosphere, a provision which would require large emitters to report and disclose their GHG emissions (see S.194), and a resolution urging U.S. participation in international climate change negotiations (see S.925 under “International Negotiations”). </span><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);">Sponsor: Sen. Thomas A. Daschle (D-SD) (17 cosponsors)</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">S.139</strong>: The Climate Stewardship Act of 2003</span><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);">, which would cap the GHG emissions of the electricity, manufacturing, commercial and transportation sectors of the economy (representing 85% of U.S. emissions) at their 2000 level by 2010 and their 1990 level by 2016. Emitters would be able to trade GHG emissions credits and get credit for pre-enactment GHG reductions, carbon sequestration, and international GHG reductions, up to a limit. (See S.Amdt.2028.)</span><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);">Sponsor: </span><b style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);">Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">) (9 cosponsors) also Mccain?</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><strong style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240); margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">S.Amdt.2028</strong><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);">: The Climate Stewardship Act of 2003, a revision of S.139, which would cap the GHG emissions of the electricity, manufacturing, commercial and transportation sectors of the economy (representing 85% of U.S. emissions) at their 2000 level by 2010. Emitters would be able to trade GHG emissions credits and get credit for pre-enactment GHG reductions, carbon sequestration, and international GHG reductions, up to a limit.</span><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);">Sponsor: Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) (15 cosponsors) – Action: 10/30/03: Offered as an amendment to S.139. </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Not accepted by the Senate by a vote of 43 – 55.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><strong style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240); margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Global Warming Amendment to the Energy Policy Act (H.R.6)</strong><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"> offered during markup in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which would require the President to establish a voluntary program to reduce the carbon intensity of the United States by 18% by 2012 (which is the same target announced in February 2002 by President Bush). The amendment would not grant new regulatory authority. (See H.R.6 E.H. under “Energy Policy.”)</span><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Sponsor: Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) </span><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);">– Action: 4/2/03:</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Not accepted by the House Energy and Commerce Committee by voice vote.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><strong style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240); margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">H.R. 4067</strong><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);">: </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The Climate Stewardship Act of 2004,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"> which would cap the GHG emissions of the electricity, manufacturing, commercial and transportation sectors of the economy (representing 85% of U.S. emissions) at their 2000 level by 2010. Emitters would be able to trade GHG emissions credits and get credit for pre-enactment GHG reductions, carbon sequestration, and international GHG reductions, up to a limit. The bill would also require periodic NOAA reports on the projected impacts of climate change on coastal communities and oceanic and coastal ecosystems, and would identify adaptation measures that might be used to protect these resources and to estimate the costs of the measures.</span><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Sponsor: Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) (85 cosponsors)<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><a href="http://www.c2es.org/federal/congress/108" style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">back</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px; background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px; background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a id="emissionreport" name="emissionreport" title="emissionreport" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">GHG Emission Reporting</font></a></strong></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px; background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">S.194</strong>: The National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Registry Act of 2003, which would require large GHG emitters to report and disclose their emissions. Entities could also register their GHG reductions. (See S.17 under “Greenhouse Gas Reduction.”)<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Sponsor: Sen. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) (2 cosponsors)</font></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);">Energy and Climate Change Amendment to the Energy Policy Act (</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">S.14)</span><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);">,</span></strong><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"> which </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">would require large GHG emitters to report and disclose their emissions. </span><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"> Entities could also register their GHG reductions. The amendment would also establish a National Climate Change Strategy, a White House Director of Climate Change Policy, an Office of Climate Change Technology at the Department of Energy, and a Forest Carbon Program at the Department of Agriculture. (See S.14 and H.R.6 E.A.S. under “Energy Policy.”)</span><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Sponsor: Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) –</span><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"> Action: 4/29/03 The amendment was filed but not offered during markup in the Senate Energy Committee.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><strong style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240); margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">S.485:</strong><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"> </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The Clear Skies Act of 2003, </span><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);">which would require reductions of power plant emissions of SO2, NOX, and mercury, but not CO2, and would exempt new power plants from the current requirement that they disclose their CO2 emissions. (See S.1844 and H.R.999.)</span><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Sponsor: Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-OK)</span><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"> (1 cosponsor) Introduced at the request of the Administration.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px; background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">S.1844:</strong> The Clear Skies Act of 2003, which would require reductions of power plant emissions of SO2, NOX, and mercury, but not CO2, and would exempt new power plants from the current requirement that they disclose their CO2 emissions. (See S.485 and H.R.999.)<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Sponsor: Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-OK)</font></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">H.R.6 E.A.S.:</strong> <b>The Energy Policy Act of 2003 </b>as passed by the Senate, which is </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">identical to H.R.4 E.A.S. in 2002, the Senate-passed Energy Policy Act of 2002</span><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);">. The bill included three climate change titles. Title XI would establish a National Greenhouse Gas Registry and allow entities to report<b> voluntarily</b> their GHG emissions and emission reductions to the registry. If, five years after enactment, less than 60% of U.S. anthropogenic GHG emissions had been reported voluntarily, reporting would be required of large GHG emitters. The title also would encourage future Congresses to consider registered reductions as applicable towards future GHG reduction requirements. Title X would establish a National Climate Change Strategy with the goal of stabilization of GHG concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system; an Office of National Climate Change Policy within the White House; and a research and development program toward the goal of stabilization of GHG concentrations. Title X also includes a Sense of the Congress Resolution urging the U.S. to participate in international negotiations, with the objective of securing U.S. participation in a future binding climate change treaty. Title XIII would authorize various climate change research activities. (See Energy and Climate Change Amendment under “Greenhouse Gas Reporting.”)</span><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Sponsor: Rep. W.J. “Billy” Tauzin (R-LA)</span><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"> (4 cosponsors) –</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"> Action: 7/31/03:</span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Passed by the Senate by a vote of 84 – 14, in lieu of S.14</b><span style="background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"> (see below).</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px; background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">H.R.999:</strong> The Clear Skies Act of 2003, which would require reductions of power plant emissions of SO2, NOX, and mercury, but not CO2, and would exempt new power plants from the current requirement that they disclose their CO2 emissions. (See S.485.)<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Sponsor: Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) (1 cosponsor) Introduced at the request of the Administration.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px; background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">H.R.1245</strong>: The National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Act of 2003, which would require large GHG emitters to report and disclose their emissions. Entities could also register their GHG reductions.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Sponsor: Rep. John W. Olver (D-MA) (51 cosponsors)</font></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px; background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Amendment to the Energy Policy Act (H.R.6)</strong>, which would require large emitters of GHGs to report and disclose their emissions and allow entities to register their GHG reductions (language identical to H.R.1245). (See H.R.6 E.H. under “Energy Policy.”)<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Sponsor: Rep. Diana L. DeGette (D-CO) – Action: 4/2/03 The amendment was filed but not offered during markup in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px; background-color: rgb(244, 245, 240);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">(See also H.R.6 E.A.S. under “Energy Policy,” and S.17 under “Greenhouse Gas Reduction.”)</font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/?&Db=d108&querybd=@FIELD(FLD004+@4((@1(Rep+Boehlert++Sherwood))+00101))" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep Boehlert, Sherwood</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> [NY-24] - 4/7/2003 </span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/?&Db=d108&querybd=@FIELD(FLD004+@4((@1(Rep+Oxley++Michael+G.))+00885))" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep Oxley, Michael G.</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> [OH-4] - 4/7/2003 </span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/?&Db=d108&querybd=@FIELD(FLD004+@4((@1(Rep+Pombo++Richard+W.))+00921))" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Rep Pombo, Richard W</a><a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/?&Db=d108&querybd=@FIELD(FLD004+@4((@1(Rep+Pombo++Richard+W.))+00921))" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> [CA-11] - 4/7/2003 </span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/?&Db=d108&querybd=@FIELD(FLD004+@4((@1(Rep+Thomas++William+M.))+01148))" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep Thomas, William M.</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> [CA-22] - 4/7/2003</span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Not to be confused with: Am for Am energy</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div class="section field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 22.4px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="field-items" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="field-item odd" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The industry-funded former civil rights group <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Congress_of_Racial_Equality" target="blank" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Congress of Racial Equality</a> (CORE) continues to bash environmentalists, to the benefit of the energy industry. In July 2008, CORE, the conservative <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/High_Impact_Leadership_Coalition" target="blank" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">High Impact Leadership Coalition</a> (HILC) and the pro-drilling <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/front_group" target="blank" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">front group</a> <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Americans_for_American_Energy" target="blank" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Americans for American Energy</a>pushed for increased domestic oil and gas production, under the banner "<a href="http://www.prwatch.org/node/7579" target="blank" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">stop the war on the poor</a>." Now, CORE and HILC have a campaign called "don't freeze us out," which supports "a <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Bush_administration" target="blank" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Bush administration</a> auction in Utah of oil and gas leases, some near national parks." Environmentalists, including <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Robert_Redford" target="blank" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Robert Redford</a>, are urging President-elect <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Barack_Obama" target="blank" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Barack Obama</a> to overturn the already-completed auction. CORE's <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Niger_Innis" target="blank" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Niger Innis</a> vowed, "We are not going to stand by as Robert Redford tries to slow the flow of home heating fuel from the Rockies and drive up home heating prices to millions of Americans in his lust for environmental headlines." Innis "also recently appeared at a press conference in Washington ... in support of the Americans for American Energy Act sponsored by Rep. <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Rob_Bishop" target="blank" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Rob Bishop</a>, R-Utah." CORE has received funding from <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/ExxonMobil" target="blank" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">ExxonMobil</a>.</font></p></div></div></div><div class="section field field-name-field-main-source field-type-link-field field-label-inline clearfix" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; clear: both; line-height: 22.4px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h3 class="field-label" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.25; float: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Main Source: </font></h3><div class="field-items" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; float: left;"><div class="field-item odd" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://deseretnews.com/article/0,5143,705274231,00.html" target="blank" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Deseret News (Utah), December 31, 2008</font></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-13 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix clearfix" style="border: 0px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 20px; clear: both; line-height: 20px; background: url("http://www.prwatch.org/sites/all/themes/tb_nex/images/bg-ico-categories.png") 0% 50% no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p class="field-label" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-weight: bold; float: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Topics: </font></p><ul class="field-items" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; float: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><li class="field-item even" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.prwatch.org/topics/public-relations/front-groups" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Front Groups</a></font></font></font></font></li> <li class="field-item odd" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px !important;"><a href="http://www.prwatch.org/topics/environment" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Environment</a></li> <li class="field-item even" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px !important;"><a href="http://www.prwatch.org/topics/race-ethnic-issues" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Race / Ethnic Issues</a></li></ul></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Group protests Redford's stand on drilling</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By Lee Davidson, Deseret News</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Published: Saturday, Jan. 3 2009</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; border: 0px solid rgb(225, 225, 225); line-height: 1.3; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> civil rights group says it is organizing protests against actor Robert Redford for what it says is his political role as the Grinch who is hurting low-income families by fighting oil and gas drilling in Utah.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; border: 0px solid rgb(225, 225, 225); line-height: 1.3; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"If Robert Redford succeeds in blocking natural gas production in Utah, it's going to hurt a lot of people on the other end of the pipeline — especially low-income families who are struggling to pay their heating bills," said Niger Innis, national chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; border: 0px solid rgb(225, 225, 225); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Redford appeared via satellite on Dec. 17 at a National Press Club briefing </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">to lend his star power to fight a Bush administration auction in Utah of oil and gas leases, some near national parks. Redford said the sale had "morally criminal" intent. The auction occurred anyway on Dec. 19, but environmental groups and supporters have urged President-elect Barack Obama to overturn it when he takes office.</span></font></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; border: 0px solid rgb(225, 225, 225); line-height: 1.3; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Innis said CORE and the High Impact Leadership Coalition are launching a "Don't Freeze Us Out" campaign that will seek to organize churches, civil rights groups, consumer groups and others "to fight Redford and self-styled environmental groups that are working to constrict supplies of natural gas and other energy resources," a press release said.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; border: 0px solid rgb(225, 225, 225); line-height: 1.3; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"We are not going to stand by as Robert Redford tries to slow the flow of home heating fuel from the Rockies and drive up home heating prices to millions of Americans in his lust for environmental headlines," Innis said. "There are literally people whose lives are at stake this winter because they can barely afford to heat their homes now."</font></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; border: 0px solid rgb(225, 225, 225); line-height: 1.3; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Innis also recently appeared at a press conference in Washington of state legislators from around the country who rallied in support of the <b>Americans for American Energy Act </b>sponsored by Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah. It is designed to push for greater development of domestic oil, natural gas, coal, oil shale, nuclear, wind, solar and other energy sources in the "all of the above" approach pushed by Republicans.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; border: 0px solid rgb(225, 225, 225); line-height: 1.3; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Innis said at that rally, "Environmental extremists and their allies in the media act like the energy crisis is over because of the drop in gas prices. What they fail to recognize ... is that the radical increase (projected this winter) in home heating costs is going to create an economic tsunami for millions of poor and working-class Americans."</font></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; border: 0px solid rgb(225, 225, 225); line-height: 1.3; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Innis added in his new press release, "The Hollywood crowd likes to pontificate in front of the cameras to show their love for the environment, but what they are actually doing is leading a 'war on the poor' by constricting energy supply and encouraging prices to go higher."</font></p><span style="line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Innis said, "Hollywood may be insensitive to the needs of low-income Americans on affordable energy, but President-elect Obama is not. We are convinced that he will answer the call of our community, and poor families everywhere, who need access to affordable and reliable energy."</font></span><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; border: 0px solid rgb(225, 225, 225); line-height: 1.3; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; border: 0px solid rgb(225, 225, 225); line-height: 1.3; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="italic-text" style="font-style: italic;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">E-mail: <a href="mailto:lee@desnews.com" style="text-decoration: none;">lee@desnews.com</a></font></span></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div>