Democrats Press Plan to Channel Billions in Oil Subsidies to Renewable Fuels

NYT: Democrats Press Plan to Channel Billions in Oil Subsidies to Renewable Fuels
By EDMUND L. ANDREWS
Published: June 18, 2007


(Stephen Crowley/The New York Times)
Senators Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota discussed energy legislation on Friday at a news conference.

WASHINGTON, June 16 — Senate Democrats are seeking a major reversal of energy tax policies that would take billions of dollars in tax breaks and other benefits from the oil industry to underwrite renewable fuels.

The tax increases would reverse incentives passed as recently as three years ago to increase domestic exploration and production of oil and gas. The change reflects a shift from the Republican focus on expanding oil production to the Democratic concern about reducing global warming.

On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee will take up a bill that would raise about $14 billion from oil companies over 10 years and would give about the same amount of money on new incentives for solar power, wind power, cellulosic ethanol and numerous other renewable energy sources. The bill is one of the signature issues this year for Democrats, along with immigration and the war in Iraq, and one in which they hope to clearly distinguish themselves from the Republicans.

But Senate Democrats are expected to go beyond the $14 billion in tax changes in the draft bill. Democratic officials said the committee is all but certain to adopt a proposal by Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico that would raise $10 billion from companies that drill for oil and gas in federal waters but do not currently pay royalties to the government....

It is unclear how much President Bush or Republicans in Congress will fight the proposed tax shift. The ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, has already endorsed the $14 billion package.

But the plan could easily founder because of opposition to any one of many hotly disputed provisions in the broader energy bill....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/18/washington/18oil.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1182168014-XEf3a/qKnMINOxSWbLaE+A

And before someone brings up Lieberman, no, he's an I/D, and Independent Democrat, whatever the hell that is.

zalinda