Letters From Washington

Comment

Comment by Chandrashekar Tamirisa on March 28, 2009 at 7:52pm

Ted's zealousness in commenting on the blog posts of the messages some of us received from our respective state and Congressional district representatives is understandable but it would be best if we kept this discussion limited to the letters themselves which convey an evolving consensus in Washington on energy issues.

Some of the responses I received go back to before there ever was a Pickens Plan and partly this is the reason why some of us joined the plan, to join forces to advance the cause of energy independence.

Therefore, grading the responses from Congress may be inappropriate because the Pickens Plan has its seat at the table across the spectrum of efforts to eventually permanently eliminate the country's dependence on forms of energy that are not clean in their usage, as was demonstrated in the recent energy summit in Washington.

This is also the perspective the Congress takes when it intermediates among the various stakeholders and their perspectives on the future of the country's energy policy to reduce its dependence on imported oil.

The elephant in the room at this point is aligning the incentives for the financial markets with energy diversification in the United States so that non-governmental investment in this area rises to create a vibrant market place for private investments in everything from the backbone of the smart grid to the various modes of clean energy supply and consumption. Natural gas would be an important part of it for the foreseeable future.

Chandrashekar Tamirisa
District Leader, MD-08

Comment by Ted Wallace on March 28, 2009 at 4:25pm

10 Bonus Points for anybody who gets their rep to print he name Pickens in the response.

Comment by Marilyn on March 28, 2009 at 1:56pm

Email response received from Senator Specter Feb. 23, 2009.

Please read below:
Dear Friend:

Thank you for contacting my office regarding the energy provisions in the stimulus legislation. I supported final passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which tripled spending on energy priorities.

I appreciate your taking the time to bring your views on this important matter to my attention. As a United States Senator, it is essential that I be kept fully informed on the issues of concern to my constituents. Be assured that I will keep your thoughts on this issue in mind when the Senate considers this or related issues during the 111th Congress.

The concerns of my constituents are of great importance to me, and I rely on you and other Pennsylvanians to inform me of your views. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office or visit my website at http://specter.senate.gov. Thank you again for writing.


Sincerely,


Arlen Specter
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Comment by Chandrashekar Tamirisa on March 28, 2009 at 12:43pm

Dear Chandrashekar:

Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition to energy speculation. I appreciate hearing from you.

Americans are feeling the pressure at the pump from rising gas prices. A number of factors contribute to the price increase, including excessive speculation in the energy futures market. Speculator participation in the energy futures market has dramatically increased in recent years and assets allocated to unregulated commodity index strategies have risen nearly twenty-fold over the past four years. As a result, the energy market is enriching a small group of speculators at the public expense.

I agree with your recommendations, including re-establishing strict position limits on energy commodities, closing the London loophole, regulating "swap trades," fully closing the Enron loophole, and bringing transparency to all energy trading. You will be pleased to know that I have introduced a bill, the Energy Markets Anti-Manipulation and Integrity Restoration Act (HR 6341), that would accomplish all these goals.

I also introduced the Energy Markets Emergency Act (HR 6377), to direct the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to invoke its emergency authority under the Commodity Exchange Act and take all necessary means to curb excessive speculation and restore balance to today's energy markets. With this authority, the CFTC could close the Enron loophole on an emergency basis until Congress enacts a longer-term fix. The bill passed the House with a vote of 402-19, but has so far been blocked in the Senate. I will continue to encourage the CFTC to intervene while I work with my colleagues in Congress to effectively address this problem.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me, and please do not hesitate to let me know whenever I may be of service.

Sincerely,
Chris Van Hollen
Member of Congress

P.S. Please visit my website at www.house.gov/vanhollen. While there, you can sign up for my e-mail newsletter, view press releases and statements, see what legislation I have sponsored or co-sponsored and receive information on the various constituent services provided by my office.

Comment by Chandrashekar Tamirisa on March 28, 2009 at 12:40pm

Dear Mr. Tamirisa:

Thank you for getting in touch with me to express your views about global warming.

Your comments were helpful. I believe the best ideas come from the people, and they guide our actions here in Washington. I also want to be responsive to the needs of Marylanders, and information from people like you is essential if I'm to reach that goal.

If I can be of assistance in the future, or if there is any other federal issue on which you would like to comment, please feel free to let me know.

Sincerely,
Barbara A. Mikulski
United States Senator

P.S. If I can be of further assistance in the future,
please visit my website at http://mikulski.senate.gov
or call my Washington D.C. office at 202-224-4654

Comment by Chandrashekar Tamirisa on March 28, 2009 at 12:39pm

Dear Mr. Tamirisa:

Knowing of your support for the Climate Security Act (S. 3036), I'd like to take a moment to update you my actions.

As you may know, the Senate recently held a procedural vote on this legislation. While this procedural vote failed by a vote of 48-36, you will be happy to know that I supported the motion to proceed to further consideration of the bill.

I want you to know that I share your very serious concerns about the threats posed by global warming. That's why I am fighting for a sensible energy plan that includes incentives for new renewable and energy efficient technologies. This plan must decrease our reliance on foreign fossil fuels and significantly reduce global warming pollution.

Thank you for allowing me to update you on my actions. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future.

Sincerely,
Barbara A. Mikulski
United States Senator

P.S. If I can be of further assistance in the future,
please visit my website at http://mikulski.senate.gov
or call my Washington D.C. office at 202-224-4654

Comment by Chandrashekar Tamirisa on March 28, 2009 at 12:37pm

Dear Mr. Tamirisa:

Thank you for contacting me about the America's Climate Security Act (S. 2191). It's great to hear from you.

I absolutely share your very serious concerns about the threats posed by global warming. That's why I am a cosponsor of the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act (S. 309). This bill would cap greenhouse gas emissions beginning in 2010 and reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Further requirements would steadily reduce emissions to just 20% of 1990 levels by 2050. I am proud to cosponsor this legislation because it gives us a roadmap to reduce greenhouse gases and improve our environment.

S. 2191 is projected to reduce total U.S. greenhouse emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and 65% below 1990 levels in 2050. This bill would also provide emission credits to certain industries. This legislation is currently pending in the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Knowing your views on this legislation will be very helpful to me.

You should know that I am fighting for a sensible energy plan that includes incentives for new renewable and energy efficient technologies. This plan must decrease our reliance on foreign fossil fuels and significantly reduce global warming pollution.

Thanks again for contacting me. Please let me know if I can be of help to you in the future.

Sincerely,
Barbara A. Mikulski
United States Senator

P.S. If I can be of further assistance in the future,
please visit my website at http://mikulski.senate.gov
or call my Washington D.C. office at 202-224-4654

Comment by Chandrashekar Tamirisa on March 28, 2009 at 12:35pm

Dear Mr. Tamirisa:

Thank you for contacting me about the high price of oil and gasoline. It's nice to hear from you.

Gas prices are putting a tremendous burden on family budgets at a time when they are already stretched. That's why I am a cosponsor of Prevent Unfair Manipulation of Prices (PUMP) Act of 2008 (S. 3185).

This bill comprehensively addresses loopholes that are allowing energy futures traders to evade federal oversight and artificially elevate oil prices and the prices Americans face at the pump. Many industry experts agree that passing the PUMP Act would limit excessive speculation in the commodity market, bringing oil prices to as low as $60 a barrel.

There are currently two types of oil futures speculation: market trading, which takes place through the New York Mercantile Exchange and is overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and "over-the-counter" trades. Most oil speculation occurs over-the-counter which happens off the market, and is not regulated by CFTC. The PUMP Act would increase oversight of the energy markets by requiring over-the-counter speculators to report to CFTC, just as on-market traders do.

I also supported a suspension of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve through December 2008 (P.L. 110-232), which will help increase supply and lower prices, and to increase the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks (P.L. 110-140), which will decrease demand.

You should also know that I am an original cosponsor of the Consumer First Energy Act (S. 3440), which would create tough new federal protections to guard against profiteering and market manipulation by oil and gas companies, create a temporary windfall profits tax on oil companies reaping record profits, and prevent commodity traders of U.S. crude oil from routing transactions through off-shore markets to evade speculative limits. This bill would also empower the U.S. Attorney General to bring an enforcement action against OPEC and any country or company that is colluding to set the price of oil, natural gas, or any other petroleum product. Unfortunately, this bill did not receive the necessary votes on June 10th to pass a procedural motion to allow for further debate.

You can count on me to continue to fight for an energy policy that protects consumers as Congress continues to address energy issues.

Again, thanks for contacting me. If I can be of further assistance, please feel free to get in touch with me again.

Sincerely,
Barbara A. Mikulski
United States Senator

P.S. If I can be of further assistance in the future,
please visit my website at http://mikulski.senate.gov
or call my Washington D.C. office at 202-224-4654

Comment by Chandrashekar Tamirisa on March 28, 2009 at 12:30pm

Dear Mr. Tamirisa:

Thank you for contacting me about the troubling national energy situation. I am deeply concerned about record gasoline and diesel prices and the financial stress that skyrocketing energy prices are placing on Marylanders and our national economy. I am currently working with my colleagues in the Senate to deliver short-term relief for Americans and to develop a comprehensive national strategy that will solve our energy problems over the long run.

Our nation's dependence on foreign sources of crude oil is largely to blame for the recent spike in gasoline, diesel, and heating oil prices. Gas and diesel prices in the U.S. are closely linked to prices in the world crude oil market, which has been strained recently by unexpected supply disruptions, increasing worldwide demand, and other factors over which the U.S. government has little or no control. Because the U.S. imports over 65 percent of its crude oil from foreign countries, we are deeply vulnerable to global forces beyond our control.

Many of the foreign countries and regimes which supply us with our oil are openly hostile to our government and the American way of life. Consequently, American consumers have been unintentionally financing anti-American regimes and extremist groups when they pay for gas, compromising our national security one tank at a time.

At the same time, American consumption of carbon-rich oil and other fossil fuels is permanently altering our environment. Recently, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report stating with 90 percent certainty that carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping greenhouse gases (GHGs) released through burning oil , coal , and other human activity have caused substantial global warming since the 1950's. Many energy and environmental experts believe carbon dioxide concentrations in our atmosphere will double by the middle of the 21st century , due to human influence. This could cause a climate-wide temperature increase of 3.5 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit, and a wide range of other disconcerting consequences, including ocean acidification, melting Arctic ice caps, species extinctions, and rising global sea levels.

It will take the concerted efforts and ingenuity of the American people to get us out of this difficult situation. Selling new leases for oil exploration and drilling in areas of the United States that are proven to be rich in oil, such as the Outer Continental Shelf and in the Gulf of New Mexico , may help displace some of the oil we currently import from abroad. This is why I support new lease sales and increased oil and natural gas drilling on the public lands and the parts of the open seas that the government has opened for drilling and where it is possible without great environmental loss . With the price of oil at an all-time high, the economic incentive for oil companies to explore for new oil and gas, drill in untapped reservoirs, and extract more from the wells already built, is higher than ever.

You will also be pleased that I have supported a number of legislative efforts in order to provide quick relief to American consumers at the gas pump. Earlier this year, I voted for H.R. 6022, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Fill Suspension and Consumer Protection Act of 2008, which the President signed into law on May 19. This bipartisan bill suspended, through the beginning of next year, the U.S. government's petroleum acquisition for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Th is has helped reduce our demand for oil, which helps lower gasoline prices.

I have also been on the record in support of efforts to prohibit gasoline and diesel price gouging and clamp down on rampant speculation in the crude oil markets. Excessive speculation especially plays a significant role in inflating gasoline prices. In fact, energy security analyst Edward Krapels has said that excessive index speculation may be responsible for as much as 50 percent of the pump price. To address price gouging, I voted for the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act, which was included as part of last year's Energy Bill, and which the President signed into law on December 17, 2007 (H.R. 6 - P.L. 110-140). This Act makes the sale of gasoline at excessive prices punishable when the President has declared an energy emergency. In addition, I am a co-sponsor of S. 2991, the Consumer First Energy Act of 2008, which would further punish price gouging; limit excessive speculation in the oil markets; and crack down on the monopolistic practices of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

In the long run, however, increased domestic production will not solve our problem. We consume 20 to 25 percent of the world's oil, but we have just 3 percent of the proven reserves.

As former oil executive T. Boone Pickens put it, "I've been an oilman all my life, but this is one emergency we can't drill our way out of." Until we significantly reduce economy-wide demand for gasoline and other petroleum products, we will remain beholden to a volatile world oil market and the nations and regimes of OPEC - such as Saudi Arabia , Venezuela , Nigeria , Iran , and Russia -- which control a majority of the world's oil reserves.

The United States urgently needs a new national energy strategy that will reduce national demand for oil in the transportation and industrial sectors of our economy. Most importantly, oil needs to be replaced with more stable and sustainable domestic alternatives, such as bio-fuels, hydrogen, and nuclear power. This is the most responsible path to national energy security. I have supported a number of measures in this Congress that will take us down the path to energy security, notably increased Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards; funding for public transit projects; and the Production and Investment Tax Credits (PTC & ITC) for renewable energy.

Increasing CAFE standards for automobiles on American roads is an important first step towards energy security . I was pleased that the Senate passed last year's Energy Bill with an amendment increasing CAFE standards to 35 miles per gallon by Model Year 2020 for combined automobile and light fleet trucks. These new standards will promote renewable bio-fuels and the development of vehicles that have better mileage and consume less gasoline, including electric hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. As more of the cars and trucks operating on our nation's roads and highways perform more efficiently, demand for oil will fall.

We must also continue to fund public transit infrastructure projects, smart investments which lower demand for gasoline and offer Americans an inexpensive alternative to personal vehicles. Among several public transit bills that I have supported , I am a co-sponsor of S. 294, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, which would provide an average of $1.9 billion annually over the next six years for capital improvements and operating costs to improve Amtrak and regional commuter rail systems, including MARC. In this bill and through other efforts, I favor a bold and unprecedented investment of public resources into our nation's mass transit.

Another important policy change I have supported is a level playing field for companies that invest in clean, renewable energy, such as bio-fuels, hydrogen, wind, geothermal, and solar energy. Congress can reward energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions reductions by offering tax credits for production and investment (PTC & ITC) to individuals and businesses that utilize clean, renewable energy. I have long supported the expansion of such provisions , and in this Congress I voted for several bills which would extend both the PTC & ITC for renewable energy beyond December 31, 2008, including S. 2821, H.R. 6049, and S. 3335. As technologies like electric hybrid plug-in cars become marketable on a wider scale, I look forward to the day when clean and inexpensive sources of electricity can power our nation's electric grid and also fuel our cars and trucks .

While Congress can pass measures to provide some relief from volatile energy prices in the short term, it is critical to the nation's future economic and national security that we develop policies that put us on the path to energy security. Now is the time to prepare for the future. As long as I am a member of Congress, that will be my objective.

Again, I appreciate your sharing your concerns about the energy crisis. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of concern to you.

Please visit my website at http://cardin.senate.gov to sign up for my e-newsletter.

Comment by Chandrashekar Tamirisa on March 28, 2009 at 12:26pm

Dear Mr. Tamirisa:

Thank you for writing to me about funding for alternative energy in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (P.L. 111-5). It's great to hear from you.

I have good news! The ARRA included over $41 billion to improve the way our country uses, produces and conserves energy. This will support projects such as the Weatherization Assistance Program, modernizing the electric grid, repairing federal buildings to increase energy efficiency, fossil energy research and development, energy efficiency and renewable energy research and many others. Securing our energy future is important. I supported this funding legislation because I believe in a sensible energy plan that promotes alternative energy and energy efficiency and reduces global warming pollution.

President Obama and Congress have taken a major step forward by enacting the ARRA. Only a few weeks into a new Congress and a new Administration, we stood up for America and enacted the most significant economic stimulus legislation in our nation's history. By standing with President Obama, we stand up for America to create jobs for people who have lost them and to help those who have jobs keep them.

The ARRA creates jobs by investing in our infrastructure. It fixes aging physical infrastructure like roads, bridges, public transit and water systems. It invests in the technological infrastructure like broadband to expand small businesses. And it makes major improvements to our social infrastructure by investing in education so that families and local school districts can help special needs children, extending unemployment insurance for struggling families, and increasing federal assistance for the Medicaid program so states won't cut care for seniors and the poor. It also has targeted tax breaks to help families and small businesses.

For more information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, you may be interested in the White House website http://www.recovery.gov, where you can read the full text of the legislation and see how the money is being spent.

Thanks once again for writing. Please let me know if I can be of assistance in the future.

Sincerely,
Barbara A. Mikulski
United States Senator

P.S. If I can be of further assistance in the future,
please visit my website at http://mikulski.senate.gov
or call my Washington D.C. office at 202-224-4654

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