Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., is calling for expansion of domestic oil and gas production and increased use of alternative energy but is resisting pressure to support a House-approved bill requiring electric companies to derive 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020.
Domenici’s stance pits him against U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., who secured a major victory recently when the House accepted his proposal to require that utility companies incrementally increase their use of renewable energy from 2.75 percent in 2010 to 15 percent by 2020.
As the ranking GOP member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Domenici’s stance is important to any debate on the establishment of what’s called a Renewable Energy Standard. He was instrumental in blocking such a standard from being included in an energy bill passed by the Senate in June.
The Sierra Club began a media campaign this week that includes billboards and radio and television advertisements. It’s called the “Domenici, Don’t Dim Our Future” campaign.
In a news release from the Sierra Club, Albuquerque City Councilor Isaac Benton pointed out that
“The federal government needs to do their part, and it starts with Sen. Domenici,” he said.
The Sierra Club accused Domenici of pushing for “billions in subsidies to the oil, gas, coal and nuclear industries,” but said he “has another chance this fall to do the right thing” when the differences between the two bills are reconciled.
Congress is on a break and Domenici, in a speech given today in Ruidoso, said he won’t support the House bill.
“The House bill raises oil and gas taxes and fees, and restricts production areas. In the long run, these provisions will hurt American businesses by giving a competitive advantage to foreign producers,” he said and a meeting of the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico, according to a news release. “A comprehensive strategy must include clean, renewable technology, conservation and efficiency and domestic production as the only way in providing a secure energy future.”
Domenici said the nation’s growth has contributed to an increasing demand for oil and natural gas supplies. In order to reduce the reliance on foreign sources, he said it is important to adopt policies that increase the amount of oil and natural gas produced domestically, while also pushing toward a shift to renewable energy sources.
“Increasing the domestic areas of production and implementing more efficient renewable resources is not simply an economic issue; it is also a national security issue,” Domenici said. “By producing more oil and natural gas in the
Expect this debate to continue in the fall, even though the House bill has little chance of being signed by the president.