Oct. 10, 2005 – Under heavy pressure from party leaders and after holding the vote open for an extra 40 minutes, the US House of Representatives approved legislation Friday that would expand the nation’s ability to produce refined fossil fuels at the expense of the environment. The Gasoline for America’s Security (GAS) Act will eviscerate local, state and federal laws mandating lower levels of pollution emissions from gas and oil refining facilities.
A five-minute vote on the extremely controversial bill was held open for 45 minutes, reportedly giving GOP leaders enough time to twist the arms of the few moderate Republicans who disagreed with many provisions of the bill. The measure passed 212 to 210, largely along party lines, with 13 Republicans joining House Democrats in opposing the measure.
Among the most controversial items in the legislation are plans that open more coastal areas to oil exploration and knock down barriers to drilling in the Alaskan wildlife refuge, and promises to financially protect refineries from the burden of complying with existing and future pollution regulations.
"The Gasoline for America's Security Act will do nothing to help consumers at the pump, increase our security or promote new energy technologies," Kevin S. Curtis, Senior Vice President of the National Environmental Trust (NET) said in a statement Friday. "This bill is nothing more than a shameless attempt to use [the economic impact of Hurricane] Katrina and record-high gas prices to push through legislation that was yanked out of the last energy bill."
An 11-year-old nonprofit dedicated to educating people on how environmental policy affects the public, NET has long fought efforts to deregulate the energy industry. The group’s dismay at House passage of the GAS Act was shared by several other organizations.
In recent statements, the National League of Cities, the National Conference of State Legislatures and other organizations of elected local leaders decried provisions in the bill that usurp local authority in favor of federal jurisdiction over greenhouse gas emissions and site placement of new facilities. No new refineries have been built in the United States since 1976, the Los Angeles Times reported.
A contentious portion of the bill that would have made it easier for existing refineries to upgrade facilities without becoming subject to stricter federal oversight was dropped from the bill prior to the vote. The measure would have exempted companies from meeting stricter emission control standards so long as upgrades to existing facilities did not affect more than 20 percent of the plant’s overall size and capacity.
