The U.S. House of Representatives passed a new energy bill Thursday aiming to increase renewable energy sources while protecting the environment.
Members of the House passed the bill 249-183, with 41 Democrats joining the Republican majority to vote on the bill that broadly reflects GOP energy priorities.
Though supporters of the bill claim the legislation is a success in reducing dependency on foreign oil, opponents believe a bill allowing the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil drilling is not the way to achieve this goal.
If passed, 5 billion gallons of renewable fuel would be included in all U.S. gas sold by 2015.
U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Wisconsin, who represents the state’s 8th district, said this increased used of ethanol will save 1.3 billion barrels of oil by 2016.
Green said he believes the bill is a step in the right direction.
“Congress took a significant step in establishing a comprehensive national energy plan to help lower gas prices and improve the reliability and accessibility of energy in Wisconsin,” Green said in a release. “This legislation contains language I strongly support to reduce the price spikes caused by ’boutique fuels’ and helps expand the domestic supply of oil and gas.”
Boutique fuels are fuel blends states produce to reach government compliance rates. The energy bill caps the number of boutique fuels states can have. Officials argue if blends are refined only for specific areas, it is possible for supply lines to fail and deplete the resources of this specific fuel, which could cause the prices to swell.
There are no other suppliers to drive down the price of the specialized fuels so the companies producing them control the market.
According to U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner Jr., R-Wisconsin, the bill also hopes to give increased funding to energy efficiency programs. It would provide additional funding for the Department of Transportation to improve fuel efficiency.
The bill faces criticism, however, due to tenets that may potentially harm the environment or cause harm to consumers.
“It’s unfortunate that at a time when Wisconsin citizens are facing high gas prices at the pump, Congress’s answer is to provide more profits for big oil companies,” spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle Ethnie Groves said. “We feel that Congress should be more focused on promoting alternative energy resources, such as ethanol.”
Many politicians remain critical because the bill allows for oil drilling in ANWR and does not forbid drilling other areas, such as the Great Lakes.
“There was an attempt to add an amendment to halt, or extend the ban on drilling in the Great Lakes,” Green’s spokesperson Luke Punzenberger said. “That amendment was not included in the final bill.”
Also included is a liability waiver for MTBE, a gasoline additive, which shields petroleum companies from defective product lawsuits. MTBE is known to contaminate ground water and is a proven carcinogen.
Green stated in his release that he is in support of the bill but plans to keep fighting to remove the MTBE liability waiver from the final version. Green said the bill would be good for the people of Wisconsin.
“It’s a question of waiting for the bill to advance at this point and fighting for an energy bill we think is best for the folks in Wisconsin,” Punzenberger said.
