Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District
Issues
National Energy Issues & Events
Energy Radio Address
U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee delivered the Democratic Radio Response to the President's Weekly Radio Address on Saturday, 7 April 2001. Inslee was joined by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM).
- [ Listen to radio address ] (RealPlayer *).
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Radio Address Text:
INSLEE: Good morning, this is Congressman Jay Inslee from Washington State.
BINGAMAN: And this is Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico.
INSLEE: Today, we want to talk to you about our ongoing energy crisis. We know that in a crisis, inaction is not an option. To date, unfortunately, that is all America has received from the Bush Administration – inaction and excuses.
There are many people in the West who have been hurt by electricity price spikes of 35% to 100% per month. People are going to food banks for the first time. Seniors on fixed incomes, like a fellow named Cliff Sinden from Bothell, WA, are struggling with monthly bills that double even while Cliff cuts his home energy use by 40%. And small businesses are laying off workers, up to 43,000 in Washington State alone.
Bush Administration excuses and inaction won’t pay your bills. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has the responsibility to assure that only reasonable energy prices are charged. The Bush Administration, however, refuses to enforce fair pricing laws. Vice President Cheney and his Energy Task Force even refused to meet with Members of Congress, including myself, who asked for a discussion on this issue.
A drought in the Pacific Northwest and a deregulation failure in California, has given electricity generators an opportunity to game the Western electricity market, and earn unprecedented rates, up to twenty times usual prices. A megawatt hour that cost $23 last year, now costs at least $200, and sometimes as much as $750. These rate hikes are not a fair return on an investment by the generators, but they are profiteering in a dysfunctional market, similar to a merchant selling water for $200 a quart to the victims of an earthquake.
The Bush Administration's callous reference to this as simply a "California problem," with no short-term solution threatens not only consumers in the West, but the entire U.S. economy.
Forty Democratic Members of Congress have proposed legislation to ensure that Americans see reasonable energy rates enforced. The bill stabilizes prices, while also covering the costs and providing a profit to electricity generators. The legislation exempts power generated by new power plants, so that cost-based rates will not stymie the construction of new power plants which we need.
Americans, of whatever political stripe deserve a federal government that will enforce the law. The law says people should not be charged unreasonable costs for electricity. We must enforce that law so Americans can get what they deserve -- reasonable electricity prices.
But there are also more actions to take. Senator Bingaman...
BINGAMAN: Thank you, Jay. We also must help working families pay their energy bills. Congress appropriated more than $2 billion to fund the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program that helps families across the country cover their heating and cooling costs. Millions of families relied on the program this winter so they wouldn't have to choose between buying food and heating their homes.
Unfortunately, funding for the program recently ran out, and many families are already beginning to feel the pinch. According to a recent report, as many as 3.6 million families are at risk of having their utilities cut off because they can't keep up with rapidly rising energy costs.
In Michigan, 1.3 million families face the possibility that their electricity or their gas will be shut off. In South Carolina, 37,000 families are at risk. And in California, two of the state's leading utilities report that there are more than 1 million customers are behind in paying their bills. If we don't act soon, these families will only get further behind during what likely will be a long and expensive cooling season.
In Congress, Democrats are working to set aside emergency funds to get us through the summer, to expand the energy assistance program to thousands of other low-income families. During his campaign, President Bush voiced support for this program. Now is the time for him match those words with action by calling for emergency funding for this important program.
To meet our long-term energy challenges, our nation must adopt a comprehensive energy plan that balances our need to produce more domestic oil and natural gas, and to be more efficient in our energy usage.
Democrats believe in such a balanced solution to this problem. We can encourage natural gas development and oil drilling in regions where it has been done in an environmentally sound way for decades.
We can provide incentives that help families conserve energy, thereby cutting their utility bills. We need to promote greater energy efficiency – in our homes and in our businesses – cutting energy demand and costs for our entire economy. And we must invest in a full range of fuels and cleaner technologies – from fossil fuels to renewable energy, like wind power and solar power.
The Democrats in Congress have laid the groundwork for meeting the nation's short-term and long-term energy needs. For the sake of our economy and all American families, I hope the Bush Administration recognizes the need to step-up and work on a bipartisan basis to meet these challenges head-on.
This is Senator Jeff Bingaman.
INSLEE: And this is Congressman Jay Inslee. Thank you for listening.