Congress Passes 'Deeply Flawed' Energy Bill

"'Instead of helping the American people save money, the bill is loaded with tax breaks and royalty relief for oil and gas companies,' the House minority leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, said. Democrats successfully maneuvered to force a vote directly on the proposal to strip MTBE product liability protection from the measure, putting lawmakers on the spot who backed the bill but represent communities that have contended with MTBE contamination. Critics of the legal immunity, which has been championed by Mr. Barton and the majority leaders, Representative Tom DeLay, Republican of Texas, say it will leave local communities bearing the costs of any MTBE cleanup when oil companies were aware of risks when they used the substance. 'MTBE contamination is a huge problem and it is not going away,' said Representative Lois Capps, Democrat of California, author of the plan to strip the protection from the bill. But Mr. Barton and others said the additive was instrumental in cutting air pollution and that oil refiners used it with the consent of the federal government after being ordered to produce gas with reduced emissions under the Clean Air Act."

Thanks to Michael Dudley