The Bush Administration is pushing an energy
policy that will make America more dependent on foreign and fossil
fuels. Part of this includes the proposed
construction of some 40 LNG (liquefied natural gas terminals)
on the East, Gulf and West coasts. The policy forsakes national,
global and environmental interests to bring benefit to big oil
and energy companies.
Bush's energy policy may result in hundreds of
billions invested in new LNG infrastructure here and around the
world. The final bill will be paid for by American ratepayers
and taxpayers—with money that will be diverted from renewable
energy development. Though LNG is cleaner than other fossil fuels,
it still pollutes and contributes to global warming. LNG will
further our dependence on foreign sources, will require heightened
military preparedness and will add vast sums to America's trade
deficit. Even fuel that comes from friendly nations may need to
be shipped through less than friendly waters.
Particularly alarming to California is that federal
agencies (like the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) and Congress are asserting
that the final authority to site and approve energy facilities
should rest with the federal government. Federal regulations are
more lax than California environmental and safety standards. Court
battles are likely to ensue to determine whether California or
the Washington should be the highest authority.
More broadly, the siting of an LNG terminal and
refinery in Long Beach may prove to be a legal test case in the
tug-of-war between the states and Washington. If Washington wins
politically and in the courts, California's cherished protections
may fall by the wayside, not just for LNG terminals, but for refinery
clean-air standards, off shore oil and the siting of new nuclear
power plants. If the Bush administration has its way, California
would not be allowed to "Just say no" to polluting energy
projects. Nor would California be permitted to protect its own
citizens from the safety hazards posed by some of these facilities.
The speakers in the Power Play program will address
America's appetite for fossil fuels, and its consequences on the
local, national and global stages. According to Redefining
Progress, The Sierra Club, the United Steel Workers and the
Blue-Green Alliance, our nation would do well to invest in renewable
energy. According to recent Public Utilities Commissioner president
Loretta Lynch, California doesn't need the fuel from the LNG terminals
the Bush administration hopes to see built here.
The well-orchestrated and fast-moving White House
and Congressional push for expanding fossil and nuclear fuels
calls for prompt unified action to be taken by environmental,
peace, labor, human rights, indigenous peoples', ratepayer and
taxpayer groups.
