Views on Bush energy vision mixed at State House

AUGUSTA – Democratic and Republican leaders at the State House may have found two small kernels of consensus this week when President Bush acknowledged that “America is addicted to oil” in his Tuesday evening State of the Union address.

House Speaker John Richardson, D-Brunswick, and Assistant Minority Leader Carol Weston, R-Montville, said it was time for the president to declare publicly that American dependence on foreign oil cannot be sustained at the current rate of consumption. They also agreed that Maine’s efforts to deliver energy relief to residents are considerably more immediate than any of the remedies outlined by the president.

Bush’s concerns about coping with rising oil and gasoline prices resonated with Maine residents who have been offered some respite by a remarkably mild winter and a $1 decline in gasoline prices since a $3.50 a gallon spike in September.

The president’s plans to invest in zero-emission coal-fired plants, solar and wind technologies, and nuclear energy were pitched by the administration as a blueprint for replacing more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025.

But while Republicans lauded the president for offering an energy vision for the future, Democratic praise was tempered by the realities associated with the costs for Bush’s bold power agenda.

“I’m glad he finally said we’re ‘addicted to oil,'” said Senate President Beth Edmonds, D-Freeport. “I thought it was a little ironic coming from an administration that is peopled by folks in the energy business. And I was unhappy that he didn’t talk about what we need to do in terms of lowering emission standards or encouraging the development of cars that achieve higher miles per gallon.”

“The president offered us a realistic look at addiction to oil, and it was a realistic appraisal,” Weston said. “The most important thing was the competition piece. We have to be able to compete worldwide, and if we’re the greatest energy user, we have to keep our competitive edge. That means addressing all of the energy issues and looking at all of the alternatives.”

Richardson joined those who approved of the president’s decision to honestly confront America’s energy dependence. But of all the legislative leaders, Richardson offered the most critical assessment of Bush’s views that he characterized as more like “goals.”

“My concern with the president is that he has just three years left in his presidency,” Richardson said. “While these all sound like very good ideas, they lack specifics, and they take us out past his presidency and rely on others to follow through with that vision. In Washington, I’ve lost confidence in the administration and Congress’ ability to follow through on much of anything.”

Furthermore, Richardson said Bush’s plans for new nuclear plants and massive investment in ethanol production as a gasoline substitute were not achievable using the president’s priority scale.

“This country is not equipped to provide that type of diversification because of deficit spending,” he said. “We have provided a tax break to the wealthiest of citizens in the United States – a tax break they don’t really need – and yet we’re not investing in all of the ideas that the president put forward.”

Even if the president offered no means for achieving his goals during the final three years of his presidency, Rep. Joshua Tardy of Newport, the assistant Republican House leader, said it was just as important for Americans to hear the president’s candid assessment of the country’s energy needs.

“I think the president’s remarks are vastly appreciated by the majority of Americans, and I think it’s an honest recognition in a State of the Union address of where we need to go,” he said. “It’s an honest recognition of the problems facing Americans today and his general vision of what we have to do to change and move into the future with respect to energy dependence issues.”

Democrats, with a plurality in the House, a majority in the Senate and a governor in the Blaine House, have largely been in charge of initiating much of the state’s energy policy. But Republicans, Weston said, tend not to perceive energy legislation as particularly partisan since cold weather and gasoline costs clearly affect those on both sides of the aisle.

In fact, Republicans enthusiastically joined with Democrats in January to fast-track legislation that provided $5 million for low-income home heating oil assistance. Gov. John E. Baldacci has used his office to promote the Maine Charitable Fuel Fund in an effort to raise another $5 million. To further that goal, Baldacci convinced the state’s past three chief executives, independent Gov. Angus S. King, Republican Gov. John R. McKernan and Democratic Gov. Joseph E. Brennan, to collaborate on a fundraising public service announcement that will air on the radio throughout the state.

“As governors, we have put all differences aside and come together to help Mainers in need,” Baldacci said in a prepared statement. “The money generated from the public service announcements will help our seniors and our disabled stay warm this winter.”

Democrats and Republicans also have joined the governor in other energy-related initiatives, particular measures such as “Operation Keep ME Warm,” which assists Maine residents in home winter weatherization as well as conservation efforts to reduce gasoline, oil and electric consumption. Next week, Baldacci plans to unveil a multipronged energy bill that will represent the legislative cornerstone of his energy conservation policy.

“The governor is introducing an omnibus energy bill,” said Beth Nagusky, the governor’s director of the Office of Energy Independence and Security. “It’s going to focus on energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy. It will be fairly comprehensive and also address biodiesel fuel and electric energy.”

Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Philip Bartlett of Gorham, co-chairman of the Legislature’s Utilities and Energy Committee, said his panel is pursuing a comprehensive approach to energy legislation and is not likely to “rely on any single mechanism” as the committee develops its own bill.

“We’re looking at the supply side to see what investments we can make in renewable energy over the long term to get more wind power, biomass and tidal power,” Bartlett said. “We have a lot of great resources here in Maine for renewable energy, and there’s a real opportunity to tap into those and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.”

Rep. John R. Brautigam, D-Falmouth, also sits on the Utilities and Energy Committee and shares Bartlett’s views on a diversified approach to Maine’s energy needs. While he’s interested in developing new power sources, he remains convinced that there is still a wealth of savings to be achieved through intensified conservation efforts.

“Sometimes people come up to me and say, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if we had an oil field right here in the state of Maine?'” Brautigam said. “But efficiency is like our own energy that we haven’t tapped yet. It exists in homes and businesses and home construction, electric lights and refrigeration. If you could put them all together, it would be like building a couple of new power plants.”