Here is a letter from Harry Reid outlining the Democratic Party's energy agenda to reduce our nation's reliance on foreign oil:

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Dear Friend,

It seems as though every time I flip on the television some pundit is talking about how Democrats have no agenda. Well just because a myth is repeated a few thousand times doesn't make it true. The other day I heard one say "Democrats have no energy agenda." Actually it's Republicans whose only energy agenda seems to be giving tax breaks to their friends at oil companies.

Anyone who is serious about national and economic security, knows we must be serious about moving our country toward energy independence. While the Republican energy bill did nothing to lower gas prices or make us more energy independent, Democrats have a 2020 Energy Independence plan that will reduce our reliance on foreign oil over the next 15 years. Our plan will create innovative new jobs and build a cleaner, greener, and stronger America. You can read the details of our 2020 Energy Plan below.

Why does the myth get spread? The White House public relations machine has an annual budget of millions of dollars a year, plus Republicans have thousands of flacks spinning their message at every government agency. Not to mention the millions Republican cronies in Big Oil spend to prevent change that will free our great nation from our malignant overdependence on Mid-Eastern oil. I need your help to get our message out.

So today I am asking you to visit GiveEmHellHarry.com and use our simple tool to write a letter to the editor talking about Democrats' plan. Letters to the editor are one of the most read sections of any paper, so you can really help get the word out by visiting:

http://giveemhellharry.com/page/speakout/2020energy

Democrats believe reducing dependence on foreign oil is crucial to our nation's future. Republicans, on the other hand, believe high gas prices and our dependence on Middle Eastern oil are tolerable. And now they are using the devastation of Hurricane Katrina as an excuse to push through environmental rollbacks and more oil industry handouts. This is simply unacceptable.

The Democrats' 2020 Energy Independence plan will spur new jobs and build a cleaner, greener and stronger America. Help me get the word out and write a letter to the editor today by visiting:

http://giveemhellharry.com/page/speakout/2020energy

Thank you,

Harry Reid

P.S. I also wanted to let you know that more than 20,000 people have used GiveEmHellHarry.com to write letters to oil companies asking them about their record profits while American consumers are being gauged at the pump. We are going to keep the pressure on these companies, so ask your friends to send letters as well by visiting:

http://giveemhellharry.com/page/petition/gas


ENERGY INDEPENDENCE 2020
FOR A CLEANER, GREENER, AND STRONGER AMERICA

Democrats believe the Federal government can and must do a better job of protecting consumers, businesses, and farmers burdened by today's skyrocketing energy prices. We must break our country's dangerous reliance on foreign energy. We believe our leadership and vision can help ensure low cost supplies of sustainable energy to improve American competitiveness and the security of our nation. That's why Democrats have a strategy to make America energy independent by the year 2020. We plan to:

Launch an Apollo Project for Energy
- Create a massive commitment to support research and development necessary to develop alternative energy sources to free us from foreign oil by 2020.

Diversify and Expand Our Energy Supplies
- Increase dramatically the production of domestically grown biofuels - Institute a national renewable portfolio standard
- Enhance incentives for energy production from solar, wind, and geothermal
- Utilize existing domestic oil and gas leases' for environmentally compatible extraction
- Encourage construction of the Alaskan natural gas pipeline
- Support the development of a hydrogen economy
- Increase the deployment of advanced clean coal technology like integrated gasification and coal-to-liquids, in conjunction with carbon capture and storage approaches

Protect Consumers and the Environment
- Prevent oil company price gouging, market manipulation, and disaster profiteering
- Increase energy market transparency and consumer choice at the pump
- Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit to cover increased household energy costs
- Provide car buyers with accurate fuel economy information
- Protect pristine public lands from short-sighted oil and gas exploitation
- Enhance funding for weatherization and low-income energy assistance needs in all climates

Improve Energy Security and Prevent Price Volatility
- Create geographically diverse strategic gasoline and jet fuel reserves
- Streamline fuel specifications while maintaining state clean air protections
- Encourage the development of a smarter and more distributed electricity system
- Leverage trade relationships to maintain competitiveness of energy-intensive U.S. manufacturers

Reduce Demand for Oil and Natural Gas
- Lower petroleum use in the federal fleet and improve government conservation efforts
- Provide consumers with more fuel efficient vehicle choices
- Develop renewable substitutes to replace natural gas use in the petrochemical industry
- Improve infrastructure and electricity options for hybrids and plug-in hybrids
- Increase mass transit use and incentivize transit-oriented development
- Advance air traffic management to shorten flight times
- Reduce tractor trailer fuel needs by improving aerodynamics, logistics, and idling

Invest in Energy Efficiency and American Jobs
- Update efficiency standards for appliances and small engines
- Invest in math and science education for the next generation of energy engineers
- Ensure access to worker training and retraining in advanced energy technologies

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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