Democrats press criticism on energy Boston Globe
Democrats in Congress are turning up political pressure over the nation's energy policies, with Senator John F. Kerry set to accuse the Bush administration of using ideology to undermine science, and united Democratic opposition to a Republican-backed energy bill forcing an intense House floor debate that nearly led to a rare defeat for the GOP. Republicans muscled the bill through by a single vote, only after 40 minutes of arm-twisting on the House floor persuaded several moderate Republicans to change their minds and vote yes. The measure is designed to spur construction of new oil refineries through relaxed environmental standards and by opening up abandoned military bases to construction of refining facilities. Democrats said the close nature of the vote suggests that deep frustration over soaring gas prices and the nation's dependence on imported fossil fuels is changing the political dynamic. The vote led to an extraordinary breakdown of decorum in the House chamber, with Democrats shouting ''Shame!" and Republicans booing to drown out objections by Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, to their tactics. The bill faces uncertain prospects in the Senate. Though President Bush endorsed the bill yesterday, Senate Republicans have not embraced it, and Democratic opposition could thwart its passage. Against that backdrop, Kerry today will tell a meeting of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in Aspen, Colo., that Bush and Republican lawmakers have turned a blind eye to alarming research that identifies global warming as a looming crisis. Kerry, who is mulling another run for the presidency in 2008, will ask for a national commitment to addressing climate change and energy dependence -- a call to arms he likens to the start of the space race after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957. ''Everything possible is being done to undercut respect for the truths research can reveal for us -- and worse yet -- respect for the very idea that truth can be found by the scientific method, rather than imposed by ideology," Kerry will say, according to an advance text of the speech. ''If we don't start getting it right in Washington on global warming -- and science and innovation in general -- then as a generation we risk failing our fundamental obligation to make sure that our children inherit a safer, stronger America," the text says. The fight on Capitol Hill began yesterday when Democrats in the Republican-controlled House sought to amend the energy bill to allow government crackdowns on price gouging at gas pumps, and to force automakers to create vehicles that are more fuel-efficient. They derided the Republicans' bill as a giveaway to the oil industry that does nothing to lower gas prices or develop new energy technologies. 'This energy bill leaves no millionaire behind," said Representative Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Malden, who sponsored the auto efficiency amendment. GOP House leaders, however, refused to even allow a vote on it, sparking some Republicans to join Democrats in opposition. The original energy bill appeared headed for defeat, with the roll call standing at 214 opposed and 210 in favor, well after the five-minute deadline for the vote had expired. But Republican leaders wouldn't gavel the vote to a close, even as Democrats howled in protest. On the House floor, top Republicans -- including Tom Delay of Texas, the former Majority leader who was forced from that post last week after his indictment on a felony charge -- went to work on wavering Republicans, persuading them to vote with their party. After a flurry of vote-switching, Republicans got the tally they wanted -- 212 yeas to 210 nays -- and quickly ended the vote to ensure a victory. Democrats were unanimous in opposition, and were joined by 13 Republicans and the House's lone independent. ''It's a sad day for democracy," said House minority whip Steny H. Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland. ''And it's a sad day that we didn't take the time to pass an energy bill which will, in fact, bring down gas prices, bring down home heating-oil prices, and make America energy-independent." Republicans shot back, accusing Democrats of trying to score political points. Ron Bonjean, a spokesman for House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, said Democrats tried to thwart a bill that will ease gas prices by increasing the nation's fuel supply. DeLay said the bill is vital because the two Gulf Coast hurricanes disrupted one-fifth of the nation's gas supplies and exposed major vulnerabilities in the oil refining system. ''House Republicans are committed to relieving consumers from surging gas prices, and the best way to do that is to increase our domestic supply," he said. (Three Massachusetts Democrats -- representatives William Delahunt of Quincy, Richard E. Neal of Springfield, and John W. Olver of Amherst -- missed the vote. Delahunt is traveling in Mexico and Neal was attending a funeral in his district, according to spokesmen for the congressmen. Olver's office did not return calls.) Kerry's Aspen speech today represents his sharpest and most comprehensive answer to the Bush administration's science policies. In recent months, the White House has come under fire for editing Environmental Protection Agency reports to make global warming research appear less conclusive, and has faced turmoil at the Food and Drug Administration over the agency's refusal to approve over-the-counter sales of an emergency contraceptive.
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