WASHINGTON - Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. today called on President
Bush to convene an emergency energy summit to develop a comprehensive
solution to our dependence on oil. Ford also voted against a
Republican effort to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for
drilling because it was not part of a broader package on energy
reform. In a statement, Congressman Ford said:
"Our energy crisis will not be fixed until we develop a comprehensive
approach. Instead of continuing to rely on traditional fossil fuels,
we need to invest heavily in alternative sources of energy, such as
wind, solar and farm-based fuels. We also must reward efficiency
through innovation and conservation.
"Instead of incomplete answers - like drilling in ANWR without
simultaneously developing more fuel efficient cars and trucks,
increasing CAFÉ standards, increasing ethanol production and investing
in other renewable fuels - I have asked President Bush to convene an
emergency summit of experts to develop a serious plan to overcome our
addiction to oil."
Congressman Ford’s letter to President Bush follows:
May 25, 2006
President George W. Bush
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
I am writing to urge you to respond decisively to the nation’s growing
energy crisis by convening a national energy summit comprised of top
scientists and economists as well as bipartisan political leaders. The
summit’s mandate would be to forge a new national policy to address
the immediate challenge of rising energy costs and the long-term
imperative of reducing America’s dependence on oil.
The skyrocketing costs of energy pose the most immediate challenge to
the economy and the financial security of millions of American
families. Over the past five years, crude oil prices have increased by
143 percent; gasoline prices by 71 percent; and natural gas prices by
46 percent. Gas prices in Tennessee have hovered around $3 per gallon,
costing Tennessee drivers $50 to $70 every time they go to the pump.
Tennessee families will spend $1,770 more this year to fill up their
cars than in 2001, an increase of 87 percent. The average American
family will spend over $5,100 on gasoline and home energy expenses,
nearly $2,000 more than five years ago.
The effects of high energy costs are rippling throughout the economy,
undermining the economic competitiveness of businesses large and
small. International Paper in Memphis spent more than $1 billion on
energy last year alone. Facing increased competition internationally,
AFG Glass in Kingsport has seen its earnings squeezed as its energy
costs have soared from $900,000 a month to more than $3 million.
Ultimately, the burden of higher energy costs is borne by consumers in
the form of higher prices for goods and services: the indirect effects
are estimated to cost the average family an estimated $1,400 per year.
With the same policies in place, the problems will only get worse.
Rising economic powers - in particular the populous, fast-growing
economies of China, India and Indonesia - will drive up world energy
consumption by 57 percent by 2025. Global oil consumption alone will
increase from 82 million barrels a day in 2004 to 111 million barrels
a day in 2025. Over the same period, U.S. demand will increase by over
a third while domestic crude oil production will decline. The U.S. is
projected to import 5.25 billion barrels of oil in 2020, an increase
of 15 percent over this year. The meaning of these trends is clear: in
the coming years, we will be competing with more countries for less
oil, reinforcing the upward pressure on energy prices.
These converging trends also promise to exacerbate America’s
dependence on imported oil - the single greatest obstacle to an
effective anti-terrorism, pro-democracy foreign policy. Five years
ago, oil imported from abroad comprised 56 percent of U.S.
consumption; today, imports comprise 65 percent. The growing demand
for imported oil from within the U.S. and from the world’s growing
economies provides a windfall for the world’s top oil exporters, most
of which have dictatorial governments whose interests and commitment
to democracy sharply diverge from ours. America’s energy policy is
directly undermining our national security strategy.
Nearly five years after the September 11 attacks, we import more oil
than we did before then. Every day, we ask more than 150,000 brave men
and women to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect our lives and our
values. Yet we at home are unwilling to change the way we live, drive
and do business. Every time we fill our tanks with gas or turn on the
lights at home or at work, we subsidize nations that support
terrorists. As we wage the war on terror, our energy consumption funds
the other side. This is an inexcusable state of affairs.
While the summit should have broad authority to develop a
comprehensive policy, here are some suggestions.
First, to ease the burden of high gas prices for working Americans, we
should adopt a 30-day suspension of the 18.4 cent/gallon federal
gasoline tax. After the first 30 day suspension, we would assess
whether it should be extended. We can pay for this tax suspension with
a temporary windfall tax on oil companies.
Second, we should provide incentives for automakers to deploy
technology to dramatically increase mile per gallon standards,
commonly called CAFE standards, in their new cars and trucks.
Third, we should enact more aggressive tax credits for companies,
including those in Oak Ridge and the East Tennessee Technology
Corridor, that are developing new technologies and renewable sources
of energy.
The long term answer is to invest in the clean development and safe
use of bio-diesel, wind, solar, coal and nuclear energy to fuel the
enormous energy appetite of our country. We need a new energy policy
for America that rewards energy efficiency through innovation and
conservation. In addition to making us more secure, such a
forward-looking energy policy will unleash a new era of environmental
responsibility for the world to follow.
As always, Mr. President, you and your family remain in my prayers.
Sincerely,
HAROLD FORD, JR.
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Posted By: VICSKEYAS MOORE
Friday, May 26th 2006 at 12:04PM
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