Energy Bill 2007: Crashing the Senate Gates

On Tuesday, I argued that the 2007 Energy Bill is A Test for America... and for DKos.  So how'd we do?

Many of you saw Rep Hall's answer (my emphasis)

Pressure from the online community and Democratic freshmen members who were elected... to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, fight skyrocketing energy prices, and protect the environment helped make this happen.

So we're doing ok... so far.

The Progressive movement and this community are growing stronger.  We are no longer fighting a rear-guard action to defend ANWR, we are taking the offensive to reduce oil subsidies, increase efficiency, expand solar and wind, and budget more money for research.

And the need for these policies keeps going stronger.

The fossil fuel defenders are digging in.  "If it comes over here, we have no alternative but to have war," said Sen Domenici on Tuesday (quoted in VoteSolar email).

We're on the offensive, folks.  Yesterday the House... Tomorrow the Senate.

Reports are that the vote will be tomorrow.  Will there be a filibuster?  Will it stand?  Tomorrow we will find out.

What we are struggling for.

As a reminder.. this bill Repeals $21bn worth of oil subsidies that the free marketers in the GOP love so much.  It provides incentives for plugin hybrids and electric vehicles to drastically cut our gasoline and oil usage.  It establishes standards and provides subsidies for energy efficiency, focusing on appliances and home improvement.  It establishes nationwide renewable portfolio standards (RPS), requiring that all states generate 15% of their power from renewable power sources (only 25 states have such requirements today.)  It modestly increases CAFE standards to 35 mpg by 2020.  

It also fails to enact tens of billions of dollars of previously planned subsidies for nuclear power, which will greatly set back the wave of nuke plant building to occur.  [Note:  I know this issue divides the community.. let's not get side-tracked on this.  No matter where you stand, there's a lot to like about the bill.]

The Bill isn't perfect: it has massive support for biofuels, particularly ethanol, and subsidizes research into "clean" coal.  ("Clean" coal still poisons rivers and levels mountains.)  Several provisions are weaker than they should be (CAFE, RPS, etc).  Most seriously the bill has no moratorium on new coal, no Carbon tax, etc.  That's ok.. This Bill is a start.  The 2009 Energy Bill will be better...if we convince Senators that how they vote on this Bill will affect their careers.

Who to call
Obviously, we want to work as hard as possible on the weakest link in the chain of fossil-fuel supporters.  Who is that?  I'm not an expert on this, beyond saying obviously GOP Sens, preferably those up for re-election.  One AltEn lobbying organization is focusing efforts on

Bob Corker (R-TN) 202 224-3344
John Ensign (R-NV)  202 224-6244
Judd Gregg (R-NH)  202 224-3324
Mel Martinez (R-FL)  202 224-3041
John Sununu (R-NH)  202 224-2841

Daaaaave adds
Norm Coleman (R-MN) 202 224-5641
Susan Collins (R-ME) 202 224-2523
Gordon Smith (R-OR) 202 224-3753

If any of these represent you, call them.  Heck, if any non-hopeless Republican represents you, check the list of Senate phone numbers and call.  (Note: if anyone has a better list of Senators to pressure, I will update.)

What if my Senators are hopeless/already on board?
First, let me be absolutely clear (with no snark) that no one should call a Senator's office and lie about where they are from.  We simply do not do that sort of thing.

But that doesn't mean you're helpless.  I (like many of you) have knocked on doors in neighboring states in election campaigns.. and may do so again.   I (like many of you) have donated to campaigns in other states.  I (like many of you) have made an awful lot of phone calls through MoveOn and other virtual phone banks.  Like many of you, I have cast my whole vote, my whole influence beyond the borders of my state.  And I will do so again.

In 2006, I called up two Senators in nearby states who were facing tough reelection battles.  I told the staff member, "I'm not a constituent, so I can't vote for your boss.  But there are no close races where I live this year, so I'm trying to decide how to spend my campaign-volunteering time.  In the past, I've volunteered in your state.  By the way, the Senator's vote on this Bill will heavily influence my decision whether to visit your state in 2008.  You're probably in a better position than me to judge how many votes a day of knocking on doors will swing... but I suspect its more than 1.  Oh.. sometimes when I campaign in other states, I bring friends."  (All of this was true.)

Now imagine a Senator facing a tough reelection battle being flooded with calls like that.  Or with minor variations (donating money, making calls through virtual phonebanks, etc.)  There's more than one way to crash the gates.

If none of the above works for you, call Harry Reid (202-224-3542; fax [phone]) to thank him for this Bill and encourage him to make the GOP actually filibuster.. to give us more time to hold the GOP's feet to the fire.

What to tell them
Tell them we do not want to subsidize oil companies or their share buybacks.
Tell them polls show Americans overwhelmingly want clean, renewable energy.
Tell them the most innovative American car companies need PHEV and EV credits-- not subsidies for oil, or CAFE standards several decades behind the rest of the world.
Tell them America's backward energy policy is increasingly isolating us from the world.
Tell them this Bill is a start.. we expect a better one in 2009.
Tell them that not everyone in the Senate will vote on that 2009 bill... elections have consequences.

Remember, when you speak to the staff member, its ok to be firm... but be polite.  We are trying to influence people.

Let's S-CHIP them
(Heck, let's verb S-CHIP.)  As A Siegel and others have noted, in the S-CHIP struggle Bush found himself defending an unpopular position... and ultimately lost.

Let's do what we can to force the fossil fuel defenders to defend an unpopular (and ridiculous) policy.
Let's do what we can to raise the pressure on wavering Republicans.
Let's do what we can to encourage the Democrats to stop pre-capitulating.
Let's do what we can to promote reality-based energy policy (at least compared to the current one).

Tomorrow the Senate votes.  Today we crash the gates.