More headlines: George W. Bush on Energy & Oil

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Bush questions Gore’s tax break for oil interests

Campaigning here in the Midwest battleground where gas costs are the highest in the nation, Bush accused Gore of backing a multimillion-dollar tax break for oil companies. Bush’s claims are a direct counterattack on Gore’s recent charges that the Texas governor is too close to Big Oil, and they made Bush sound more like a Democratic populist than a conservative Republican. Bush specifically attacked a part of the Gore plan calling for the extension of a moratorium on payment of royalties to the government for natural gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico. “My opponent is giving major oil companies a huge tax break. I believe the royalties moratorium ought to happen when the price declines. We ought not have moratoriums when the price is high. I look forward to hearing his explanation on why big gas producers ought to be given a big tax break.” Source: Terry M. Neal & Thomas B. Edsall, Washington Post, p. A04 Jun 29, 2000

OPEC will increase oil supply out of respect for Bush

Bush said today that he would bring down gasoline prices by creating enough political good will with oil-producing nations that they would increase their supply of crude. “I would work with our friends in OPEC to convince them to open up the spigot, to increase the supply. Use the capital that my administration will earn, with the Kuwaitis or the Saudis, and convince them to open up the spigot.” Implicit in his comments was a criticism of the Clinton administration as failing to take advantage of the good will that the US built with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf war in 1991. Also implicit was that as the son of the president who built the coalition that drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait, Mr. Bush would be able to establish ties on a personal level that would persuade oil-producing nations that they owed the US something in return. Source: Katherine Q. Seelye, NY Times on 2000 election Jun 28, 2000

No withdrawals from strategic oil reserve needed

Q: The Energy Secretary said he would not tap US strategic petroleum reserves in order to drive down prices saying those reserves are for emergencies. But given the shortages that exist, do you consider this an appropriate time to tap those reserves?

A: No, I don’t. I agree with the energy secretary that the strategic petroleum reserve is meant for a national wartime emergency. What I think the president ought to do is get on the phone with the OPEC cartel and say we expect you to open your spigots. One reason why the price is so high is because the price of crude oil has been driven up. OPEC has gotten its supply act together and it’s driving the price, like it did in the past. And the president must jawbone OPEC members to lower the price. And if in fact there is collusion amongst big oil, he ought to intercede there as well.

Source: GOP Debate in Manchester NH Jan 26, 2000

Encourage oil exploration and more natural gas

Q: What would you do to get the price of oil down again? A: I would encourage exploration. It’s a matter of supply & demand. I would keep plans in place to say to our drillers we want you to continue exploring. I also have got great hope for the natural gas business, which is immune to OPEC and hemispheric in nature. The natural gas business is finally recovering from the foolish ways of the Jimmy Carter era when they tried to nationalize in essence the natural gas business with price fixing and demand. Source: Phoenix Arizona GOP Debate Dec 7, 1999

Against Kyoto & national monuments; for drilling ANWR

	Bush	Gore
Climate Change	Opposes Kyoto agreement; wants more research on causes & impact of global warming	Supports Kyoto agreement; believes human-induced global warming is a real threat and must be remedied
Arctic Wildlife Refuge	Supports opening 8% of refuge area to oil exploration	Opposes opening the refuge to oil exploration
Conservation	Supports Land and Water Conservation Act; opposes new national monuments; backs tax breaks and incentives for private conservation	Supports Land and Water Conservation Act; Clinton/Gore created 13 new national parks
Energy	Backs increased domestic exploration of natural gas & oil; more research on clean-coal technology	Supports tax credits & incentives for renewable-energy or efficiency improvements in homes, cars, power plants; backs aid for cleaner mass transit

Source: Boston Globe on 2000 race, p. A28 Nov 3, 2000

Ignores scientific consensus:pollution causes global warming

Had the standard of accuracy operating in the first debate been applied in the second, Bush would not have fared as well. Bush, in arguing against the Kyoto environmental agreement, seemed unaware of the scientific consensus that pollution does indeed cause global warning. [See Issues2000 background information for details]. Source: Time, p. 62, “Double Standard” at Wake Forest debate Oct 19, 2000

Drill ANWR and leave only footprints

“Gore says he would rather protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge than gain the energy [from drilling for oil there],” Bush said. “But this is a false choice. We can do both-taking out energy, and leaving only footprints. Critics of increased exploration and production ignore the remarkable technological advances in the last 10 years that have dramatically decreased the environmental impact of oil and gas exploration.” Source: Mike Allen, Washington Post, p. A7 on 2000 election Oct 1, 2000

Got voluntary emission reductions from grandfathered plants

Bush last year offered a voluntary compliance program to address Texas’ “grandfather” loophole, and invited the big polluters to draft the program. Bush’s voluntary approach was approved by the Texas legislature this year. “Bush addressed emissions from grandfathered sources,” said a spokesperson. “At Bush’s urging, more than 100 plants pledged to reduce emissions. Texas has become only the 3rd state to require pollution reductions as part of the permitting process from grandfathered utility companies.” Source: Boston Sunday Globe, p. A30 Oct 3, 1999

Reduce emissions from old plants

“I believe business and a healthy environment can co-exist. I look forward to working with Senator Buster Brown and Representative Ray Allen on legislation to make our Texas air cleaner by significantly reducing emissions from older grandfathered plants.“ [“Grandfathered plants” are those which are exempt from emission standards because their emissions preceded the laws which restrict pollution.] Source: 1999 State of the State Address, Austin TX Jan 27, 1999

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