THE OIL SPILL – CHENEY’S KATRINA

BP Disaster Is Cheney’s Katrina; Bush Administration Actions Created Unsafe Circumstances
Rebecca Lefton, June 2, 2010 (Center for American Progress)

"BP’s oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is without a doubt former Vice President Dick Cheney’s Katrina. President George W. Bush and Cheney consistently catered to Big Oil and other special interests to undercut renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives that would set the United States on a more secure clean energy path.

"Oil companies raked in record profits while benefitting from policies they wrote for themselves. These energy policies did nothing for our national security and left consumers to pay the price at the pump and on their energy bills, which rose more than $1,100 during the Bush administration…"

From the Center for American Progress (click to enlarge)

"2001…The Bush administration released the National Energy Policy Report on May 16…[It] was based on recommendations provided to Cheney from coal, oil, and nuclear companies and related trade groups…[which] secretly met with the Cheney and his staff as part of a task force to develop the country’s energy policy…Only 7 of the 105 recommendations in the plan involved renewable energy… [T]the fiscal year 2002 budget… included steep cuts for clean energy research and development…[The]
House energy bill [had] $33.5 billion in tax breaks for dirty energy…2002…[The] Senate clean energy bill…[passed] but was not reconciled with the House bill that closely followed the Cheney dirty energy task force proposal…[There were further renewable] energy budget cuts…

"…2003…[The] House energy bill [had] $23.5 billion in tax breaks for dirty energy…[There were further] renewable energy budget cuts…2004…[The] House [passed a] bill allowing companies to build oil refineries in minority communities…"

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"…2005…[There were further] renewable energy budget cuts…[The] Energy Policy Act of 2005…closely resembled Cheney’s 2001 plan and gave $27 billion to coal, oil and gas, and nuclear, and only $6.4 billion for renewable energy… Regulations [were put in place permiting] oil and gas industry to regulate itself… 2006…President Bush [stated] in the State of the Union Address…that, “America is addicted to oil.” …A House-passed bill [allowed] drilling in Arctic Refuge…[but] Arctic Refuge development was once again blocked in the Senate because drilling proponents were unable to muster the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster…[There were further] budget cuts for renewable energy…"

"2007…Investigators from the Interior Department…found that the Minerals Management Service [were informed of but failed to collect $865 million owed in oil and gas royalties due to a legal mistake]…[There were further] cuts for renewable energy… President Bush [blocked] the Energy Independence and Security Act because it included a renewable electricity standard and renewable energy tax credits funded by the elimination of many tax subsidies for major oil companies…2008…President Bush [proposed] a 27 percent cut for Department of Energy efficiency and renewable energy programs…opposed House passage of [a strong energy bill and]…lifted the executive moratorium on offshore drilling…Minerals Management Service officials [were found to have] accepted gifts, engaged in drug use and illicit sex with employees from energy firms, and showed favoritism in handling contracts…Gasoline prices soared to more than $4.00 per gallon, and oil set an all-time record high price of $147 per barrel…"