Editorial
Time to do better on energy policy

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The senators who stalled a vote Friday on sweeping changes to U.S. energy policy did the nation a favor.

If their votes against ending a filibuster on the measure hold, senators can take the holiday recess to rethink the bill, which is a cynical boost to the fossil fuel and nuclear industries and doesn't do enough to meet the stated goal of making the United States more independent from foreign oil sources.

Congress can do better. The bill passed the U.S. House easily last week, but Senate supporters fell three votes short of the 60 needed to force a vote. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., led the fight to stop the bill.

The measure would give huge subsidies to oil, coal, gas and nuclear industries while short-changing renewable energy sources. Only about 20 percent of the bill's $23 billion in tax credits goes to renewable energy or conservation.

Supporters say the measure would help make the nation less dependent on Middle Eastern oil, yet it does little to increase automobile efficiency. Underscoring that the U.S. can do better, China announced last week it was imposing fuel-efficiency standards higher than those for American vehicles.

The bill is flawed policy in general but it's an especially bad fit for the Northwest. The region still deals with the effects of the 2001 energy crisis, which was exacerbated by predatory market manipulation by Enron and others. Despite that fiasco's lessons, the bill bans only one type of market manipulation and is silent on others used to bilk utilities and ratepayers.

The bill's endorsement of regional transmission organizations doesn't sit well with many utility officials in the Northwest, either. They're concerned the benefits of the region's hydropower system with its cost-based rates would take a back seat to higher bidders.

Public utilities, which serve much of Washington, would not be eligible for the same incentives as for-profit companies to invest in renewable energy.

Among some troubling environmental-protection rollbacks, coastal states, like Washington, would lose some rights to manage their coasts. A bill provision would let the Department of Interior authorize energy projects on the Outer Continental Shelf.

Now is a good time to update U.S. energy policy. The U.S. war on terrorism, the energy crisis and the huge blackout in the East recently all provide good reasons for responsible and balanced reforms. But this bill, with its obsession with the fossil-fuel industry and indifference to environmental protections, is a disappointing attempt that should be abandoned.

Congress can — and should — do better.

Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company