Failed a procedural vote in the Senate which required a 60-vote supermajority: 12.07.07
The Legislation:
The Energy Independence and Security Act raises auto fuel economy standards; establishes a national standard for generating electricity from renewable energy sources; sets new standards for energy-efficient appliances and federal buildings; requires increased use of biofuels, including ethanol made from sources other than corn; and provides tax incentives to promote energy efficiency and the use of renewable fuels, paid for by repealing previous tax breaks for oil companies. The bill also includes provisions to train workers for “green” jobs such as retrofitting buildings to make them more energy efficient and provides assistance to small businesses to conserve energy. Under the new fuel economy standards, the overall industry average fuel use for cars, trucks, and SUVs would rise to 35 miles a gallon by 2020, a 40 percent increase over the current average fuel economy. In addition, the bill requires that 36 billion gallons of biofuel be generated by 2022 for use as motor fuel: to qualify, the fuel would have to create significantly less global warming pollution than gasoline. The new renewable electricity standard would require electric utilities across the country to generate at least 15 percent of their power from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2020. Finally, the tax provisions expand and extend subsidies to renewable energy industries, while also expanding tax credits for Americans who buy hybrid cars or make energy efficient improvements to their homes. Tax credits are also provided to the coal and auto industries and to electric utilities. The tax credits are fully offset by repealing more than $13 billion in tax breaks for U.S. oil companies over ten years, including subsidies provided by the 2005 energy bill.
The Middle-Class Position:
The Middle Class Supports. This legislation represents a major step toward redirecting U.S. energy usage in a cleaner, more sustainable direction. The bill will save American consumers money at the fuel pump and on their heating bills, reduce air and water pollution, and mitigate the threat of global warming. Like its earlier incarnation, the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007 this bill recognizes that fossil fuels are not a sustainable option for the nation’s growing energy needs, and that a substantial public investment is needed to jump start the development and promotion of renewable energy sources and energy-efficient technologies. In the short term, this investment would create jobs producing renewable energy and technology. In the long term, new energy sources and more efficient technology promise environmental and public health benefits, as well as lower costs, for the American middle class. The bill also funds the investments in an appropriate way: by repealing taxpayer subsidies to the oil industry, which is already making booming profits at the expense of middle-class consumers.
This legislation also goes beyond what the original CLEAN Energy Act attempted, by establishing a Renewable Electricity Standard and stricter fuel economy standards for cars. These improvements marshal even more of the nation’s resources in support of conservation and a shift toward renewable energy, building on advances already adopted in many states to create a more sustainable energy future for the nation.
From the Experts:
"With this renewable electricity standard, Congress would give Americans three gifts: lower electric bills, cleaner air, and more homegrown energy. When you combine this renewables requirement with one that would force automakers to produce more fuel-efficient cars, the bill would represent a big step forward in addressing the threat of global warming."-Marchant Wentworth, Union of Concerned Scientists Clean Energy Program (October 25, 2007)
“The UAW strongly supports this historic bill, which contains aggressive but still achievable fuel economy requirements. It will help consumers and the environment, and at the same time protect U.S. jobs.”–Ron Gettelfinger, President, the United Autoworkers Union (December 5, 2007)
“Our environment, our climate, and the pocketbooks of hardworking American families are hurting after decades of failed energy policy. This bill--unprecedented in its support for clean energy and action to combat global warming--will take America's energy policy in a dramatically different direction. It will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, save consumers over $26 billion at the pump and $18 billion on their energy bills, give us greener cars and clean electricity, put us on the road to energy independence, and make real progress in the fight against global warming.”–Carl Pope, President, the Sierra Club (November 30, 2007)
Beyond this Bill:
Even as The Energy Independence and Security Act moves the nation into the energy future, vestiges of the inefficient, polluting energy past remain embedded in the bill. For example, the new auto efficiency standards, while significant for representing the first efficiency increase in 32 years, remain far below what automakers are capable of. The bill also includes unnecessary subsidies to the coal industry and to utility companies. Another giant step beyond this bill would involve taxing carbon emissions, a highly effective way to reduce pollution and greenhouse gases.
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