Maine Democrat calls for energy policy shift

PORTLAND – U.S. Rep. Tom Allen said Thursday that sharp increases in gasoline and home heating fuel prices linked to the damage to oil and gas infrastructure from Hurricane Katrina point up the need for a shift in the nation’s energy policy.

The Maine Democrat called for scrapping recently enacted energy legislation that he said provides billions in corporate subsidies, enlarges the federal deficit and increases the nation’s dependence on dwindling supplies of fossil fuels. Instead, Allen told reporters, he is pushing for legislation that offers incentives for conservation and promotes cleaner forms of energy such as wind and solar power.

“Let’s be honest, far more than the impact of Hurricane Katrina, our current energy dilemma is the result of the failure to enact the right energy policies years ago,” he said.

Allen urged President Bush to insist that big oil companies reduce their profit margins to levels in place before Katrina first threatened the Gulf Coast.

He also called on the president to use his “bully pulpit” to persuade Americans to take steps to increase energy efficiency by 5 percent and to order federal agencies to curtail non-essential energy consumption and increase efficiency by 10 percent.