Senate Fails The Grade On Energy Bill Votes: Key Tests To Come On Arctic Refuge Protection And Sound Energy Policy

The Senate has failed to make the grade with votes so far on a national energy bill, according to a new energy report released today by a coalition of environmental groups including the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council and Defenders of Wildlife.

"With key tests yet to come on drilling in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, protecting families and other energy policies, the Senate has so far failed to make the grade for a smarter, cleaner, and more secure energy future," said Sierra Club Legislative Director Debbie Sease.

"The Senate energy bill began as a promising step toward a smarter, cleaner energy future, and a far cry from the dirty, dangerous House energy bill and Bush/Cheney energy plan, which were written by the polluters, for the polluters. Unfortunately, in vote after vote, the Senate bill has been plundered by the auto, oil and nuclear industry," said U.S. PIRG Legislative Director Anna Aurilio. "The Senate left for Spring Break with a bill that fails to reduce our dependence on imported oil, fails to increase our nation's energy security, fails to protect energy consumers, and fails to safeguard our environment," she added

"Now more than ever, the Senate's responsibility is to ensure America's energy security. Unfortunately, while the Senate energy bill started off with high marks, right now it flunks every test," said NRDC Legislative Director Alyssondra Campaigne.

At a minimum, forward-thinking energy legislation should reduce consumption of oil by at least one million barrels a day, guarantee that at least 10 percent of electricity supplies come from new clean renewable energy, cut subsidies to polluting energy sources, ensure a reliable and consumer-friendly electric system, reduce pollution to our air, land and water, and safeguard the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other wild places, said the groups. The groups releasing the report, including U.S. PIRG, Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, called on senators to oppose efforts to drill in our last pristine wilderness areas, in particular the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and block further attempts to pollute this bill with special interest handouts. The groups also called on senators to ensure that any energy bill that emerges from the Senate solves, rather than exacerbates, our nation's overall energy problems.

With a vote on drilling the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other energy issues expected when the Senate returns from the Spring Recess, the coalition highlighted the following amendments in evaluating the Senate's progress on energy policy:

The Senate leadership has announced plans to complete action on the energy bill when it returns from its two-week recess on April 9. At that time, it will likely take up the issue of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Pointing to U.S. Geological Survey data that demonstrates that the refuge would produce, at current consumption, only six months worth of oil that would not reach the Lower 48 for ten years, U.S. PIRG's Aurilio said, "The Senate's next test after the recess will be a vote on drilling the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. To study for this test, they should listen to the overwhelming majority of Americans, who oppose drilling and support protecting this national treasure."

"The Senate should pass an energy bill that protects America's special places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, reduces our dependence on foreign oil by cutting oil consumption, mitigates our over-reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear power for electricity by significantly increasing generation from clean renewable sources, and decreases pollution to our air, land and water," said Aurilio. "If the Senate does anything short of that, it fails to make the grade, and fails the American public."

U.S. PIRG is the national lobby office for the state Public Interest Research Groups. State PIRGs are non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy groups.

Sierra Club is America's largest and oldest grassroots environmental organization with over 700,000 members nationwide. Sierra Club's mission is to explore, enjoy and protect the Earth.

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, non-profit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has more than 500,000 members nationwide, served from offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco.