MANY A FACTION ‘TWIXT THE SPEECH AND THE ACTION (POLITICAL INFIGHTING OVER ENERGY ALREADY)

A sampling of past presidents’ promises about energy reveals the unsurprising truth that they, Democrats and Republicans alike, often don’t do what they say they will.

President Nixon (R): "Let us set our national goal ... that by the end of this decade we will have developed the potential to meet our own energy needs without depending on any foreign energy sources. Let us pledge that by 1980, under Project Independence, we shall be able to meet America's energy needs from America's own energy resources." (Nov. 7, 1973)

President Ford (R): "I am recommending a plan to make us invulnerable to cutoffs of foreign oil. It will require sacrifice, but it — and this is most important — it will work." (Jan. 15, 1975)

President Carter (D): "This intolerable dependence on foreign oil threatens our economic independence and the very security of our nation. ... Beginning this moment, this nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977 — never." (July l5, 1979)


President Reagan (R): "We must take steps to better protect ourselves from potential oil supply interruptions and increase our energy and national security." (May 6, 1987)

President Bush I (R): "Conservation efforts are essential to keep our energy needs as low as possible. And we must then take advantage of our energy sources across the board: coal, natural gas, hydro and nuclear. Our failure to do these things has made us more dependent on foreign oil than ever before." (Sept. 11, 1990)

President Clinton (D): "The nation's growing reliance on imports of crude oil and refined products threatens the nation's security because they make us more vulnerable to oil supply disruptions." (Feb. 16, 1995)

President Bush II (R): "We can promote alternative energy sources and conservation, and we must. America must become more energy independent, and we will." (Feb. 7, 2001)

There are reasons presidents don’t do what they promise to do. The main one is politics.

Unless human nature did a sharp Darwin (evolved) while NewEnergyNews was googling “greed,” the Obama administration’s biggest obstacle just took the stage in Washington, D.C.

Mr. President, meet your new best friends (who are also your new worst nightmare): The power brokers in Congress.

The Washington Post calls veteran Congressman Henry Waxman’s challenge to even more veteran Congressman John Dingell for the chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee “the first sign of Democratic intraparty strife since the election.”

How the Democrats settle this will be indicative of how President-elect Obama can expect the heavily Democratic House to handle the infighting between liberal and moderate factions in the party.

Waxman represents the more liberal wing of the party and would likely push for big changes in energy policy – like the ones President-elect Obama called for in his campaign. Dingell has long championed and protected the Big 3 Detroit automakers and would continue a more conservative approach to energy.

That Waxman represents Obama’s policies more than Dingell is not in doubt. The question is how to manage the opposition between the moderate and liberal factions’ differences without creating hostility that could lead to legislation-stopping party divisions.

Dingell represents the thin end of a serious wedge of Blue Dog Democrats whose constituencies will not readily go for the kind of policies strongly advocated by many of President-elect Obama’s urban, blue coast and progressive supporters.

It is not a coincidence that one of the earliest confrontations is taking place over who controls energy policy. Much Obama administration spending is expected to flow to New Energy and Energy Efficiency bills overseen by the committee Waxman and Dingell will fight over for the gavel.

In this amazing 3 minutes, Chairman Waxman passionately goes after the stonewalling Bush EPA head. Republican Rep. Issa tries to protect President Bush’s man. Chairman Waxman wants the EPA head to answer and threatens to throw Issa out of the room for blocking questioning. From Veracifier via YouTube.

Power Play Emerges On House Energy Panel
Steven Mufson, November 6, 2008 (Wasington Post)
and
What the presidents said about energy
October 31, 2008 (AP via Yahoo News)
and
Waxman Wants to Push Dingell From Energy and Commerce Chairmanship
Drew Armstrong, November 5, 2008 (CQ Politics)

WHO
Congressman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.); John D. Dingell (D-Mich.); Charles Drevna, president, National Petrochemical and Refiners Association; Obama-Biden transition website

WHAT
Waxman will challenge Dingell for the chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Greenpeace on Congressman Dingell. From greenpeaceusa via YouTube.

WHEN
- Waxman has been in the House since 1974.
- Dingell has been in the House since 1955.
- The 2 congressmen have fueded since the 1980s.

WHERE
- Insiders say: Waxman probably counted the Democratic caucus and the committee’s votes before revealing his move.
- The next step: The House Steering and Policy Committee must vote to send the matter to the Democratic caucus for a vote.

WHY
- Dingell and Waxman have clashed over federal fuel economy standards, acid rain and the regulation of vehicle tailpipe emissions, Dingell consistently taking the more conservative position.
- Waxman:
(1) Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
(2) No. 2 ranking member of Energy and Commerce Committee
(3) One of the most liberal members of the House
(4) A leading supporter of universal health care, tobacco regulation and environmental protections.
(5) Has conducted oversight investigations of (a) Iraqi reconstruction contracts, (b) steroids in Major League Baseball, and (3) Bush administration politics in government agencies' scientific reports.
- Dingell:
(1) Present Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, took over the House seat vacated when his father died.
(2) Best known as a defender of the U.S. automobile industry.
(3) Supports national health insurance and environmental measures.
- Both health-care legislation and energy legislation (including New Energy projects, “clean coal projects and any cap-and-trade plan), both priorities for President-elect Obama, go through the Energy and Commerce Committee.
- Waxman advocates stricter vehicle tailpipe-emissions standards, tighter controls on carbon emissions from fuels and stricter limits on offshore oil drilling than Dingell.

Congressman Dingell gives a speech. From HuggLinton via YouTube.

QUOTES
- Charles Drevna, president, National Petrochemical and Refiners Association: "It's the nature of the game…Mr. Waxman comes at things a little bit differently than Mr. Dingell. We will put our recommendations to anyone who has the gavel."
- Unnamed congressional aide: "It was kind of sprung on us this morning, and everyone's trying to see where the ground stands..."
- Waxman, in 2007: "John Dingell promised to work with me closely on this, and not to go back to the positions he took back when he was fighting for the auto industry...This is a gratuitous slap at California and 11 other states. Dingell and I battled for over a decade before we reached an agreement over the Clean Air Act. We certainly indicated to each other that we never wanted another one of those fights. But now . . . we're going to have a fight. We're going to fight this as hard as we can."