FACT CHECK: Romney’s Energy Plan Is Written By Big Oil for Big Oil, And Can’t Get Us To Energy Independence He Promises
Despite Mitt Romney’s claims that his plan would make North America energy independent, the truth is that Romney’s energy plan was written by Big Oil, focuses principally on oil drilling, and would maintain $4 billion in subsidies for Romney’s Big Oil friends, while not getting us to the energy independence he promises. He cannot achieve energy independence by 2020 while opposing President Obama’s fuel efficiency standards and other clean energy investments. Mitt Romney would walk away from the critical investments in renewable and incentives – like the wind production tax credit – that have helped make us, under President Obama’s leadership, the least dependent on foreign oil that we’ve been in 20 years, and will help get us to cut our net oil imports in half by 2020.
ROMNEY’S ENERGY PLAN WAS WRITTEN BY BIG OIL, FOCUSES ON OIL DRILLING AND WOULD MAINTAIN SUBSIDIES FOR ROMNEY’S FRIENDS IN THE OIL INDUSTRY
Romney’s Energy Plan “Is Basically All About Oil, Coal And Gas.” “No sooner had Mitt Romney released his long-awaited energy policy Aug. 23 than a small army of reporters and pundits started drilling into the details and coming up with barely a kilowatt of vision or substance. The plan is basically all about oil, coal and gas.” [K Kaufmann, Desert Sun, 9/1/12<
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20120902/BUSINESS0302/209020303/Romney-platform-anything-green ? odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CBusiness%7Cs>]
A Romney Aide Revealed The Energy Plan Had Been Developed In Consultation With Oil And Gas Executives, Including Harold Hamm, Romney Advisor And Donor Who Owned Continental Resources Oil Company. “An individual close to the Romney campaign said that Mr. Romney’s staff drafted the proposal in consultation with industry executives, including Harold Hamm, an Oklahoma billionaire who is the chairman of the campaign’s energy advisory committee and chief executive of Continental Resources, an oil and gas driller. Just this week, the oil and gas industry gave nearly $10 million toward the Romney election effort in two fund-raisers. The Romney aide, who said she was not authorized to speak on the record about the plan, said that any consultation with industry officials was simply to tap their expertise and did not mean the proposal was being shaped to serve their interests. Mr. Romney’s proposal drew immediate praise from the industry, which has complained that gas production on public lands has slowed under President Obama, even while it has surged on private lands.” [New York Times, 8/24/12<
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/us/romney-would-give-reins-to-states-on-drilling-on-federal-lands.html ? _r=1&hp>]
Huffington Post: Romney’s Energy “Plan Underlines The Fact That The Republican Party And The Oil, Gas And Coal Industries, Long In Agreement On Policy And Ideology, Have Grown Closer Than Ever Before” – And Romney’s “Top Energy Adviser Is The Wealthiest Oilman In The Country.” “Two days later, before a crowd wearing a mix of hardhats and cowboy hats in Hobbs, N.M., Romney unveiled his energy plan, which makes no mention of climate change and focuses on reaching energy independence by 2020 through increased extraction and use of oil, gas and coal, accompanied by reduced regulation for these industries. The plan underlines the fact that the Republican Party and the oil, gas and coal industries, long in agreement on policy and ideology, have grown closer than ever before. Romney, whose top energy adviser is the wealthiest oilman in the country, is on pace to raise more money from these industries than either George W. Bush or Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) did when he ran for president. The industries are also pumping millions into the new unlimited money vehicles, super PACs and dark money nonprofits, that are spending tens of millions of dollars per month to influence the election.” [Huffington Post, 8/24/12<
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/24/mitt-romney-energy-plan_n_1826681.html ? utm_hp_ref=elections-2012>]
Romney Would Keep $4 Billion A Year In Tax Incentives And Tax Breaks For Oil And Gas Drilling. Romney’s energy positions include: “Keep tax incentives and tax breaks for oil and gas drilling. These amount to about $4 billion a year.” [Washington Post, 9/11/12<
http://www.washingtonpost.com/postlive/obama-vs-romney-where-their-energy-policies-differ/2012/09/10/2b6c9e56-f9c8-11e1-a945-6cd36411d000_story.html> ]
ROMNEY WOULD CUT OFF FUNDING FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY WHICH HE DEEMED IMAGINARY ENERGY AND OPPOSES THE PRESIDENT’S INCREASED EFFICIENCY STANDARDS
Romney Has The “View That The Government Should Cut Off Aid To Renewable Energy.” “Romney’s view that the government should cut off aid to renewable energy marks a reversal for the candidate.” [Washington Post, 6/8/12<
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/romney-energy-plan-shows-changing-views-draws-questions-about-job-claims/2012/06/08/gJQAnPANOV_print..html> ]
Under Romney’s Energy Plan Renewable Energy And Energy-Efficiency Would Get The Short Shrift – Romney Zeros Out Federal Incentives For Solar, Wind Or Renewable Businesses. “Then there's the glaring absence of any mention of climate change or how much more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases all that mining, transportation and fossil fuel-burning will cause, not to mention public health impact. Renewable energy and energy-efficiency also get short shrift from Romney. Any federal support would be limited to basic research — no incentives for solar, wind or other renewable businesses.” [K Kaufmann, Desert Sun, 9/1/12<
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20120902/BUSINESS0302/209020303/Romney-platform-anything-green ? odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CBusiness%7Cs>]
TIME: “Romney Has Suggested That Wind And Solar Are ‘Imaginary’ Sources Of Energy, But They Can Now Power 15 Million Homes, And Their Industries Employ More Than 300,000 Americans. That’s Real.” “Before President Obama took office, the U.S. had 25 gigawatts of wind power, and the government’s ‘base case’ energy forecast expected 40 GW by 2030. Well, it’s not quite 2030 yet, but we’ve already got 50 GW of wind. We’ve also got about 5 GW of solar, which isn’t much, but is over six times more than we had before Obama. Mitt Romney has suggested that wind and solar are ‘imaginary’ sources of energy, but they can now power 15 million homes, and their industries employ more than 300,000 Americans. That’s real.” [Michael Grunwald, TIME, 8/10/12<
http://swampland.time.com/2012/08/10/a-new-wind-blowing-obamas-clean-energy-revolution/> ]
The Hill Headline: “Romney Campaign: Let Wind Energy Credit Die This Year..” [The Hill, 7/30/12<
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/241107-romney-campaign-let-wind-energy-credit-die-this-year> ]
NBC’s Mike O’Brien Tweet: “Romney Spox Saul On The New CAFE Standards: ‘Governor Romney Opposes The Extreme Standards That President Obama Has Imposed…’” [@mpoindc, Twitter, 8/28/12<https://twitter.com/mpoindc/status/240494678477271040%5d>]
AS GOVERNOR, ROMNEY CONDEMNED COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS, CLAIMING THEY KILL PEOPLE…
Bloomberg: “As Governor Of Massachusetts, Romney Once Vowed To Close A Coal Plant Because It ‘Kills People.’” [Bloomberg, 8/24/12<
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-24/oil-donors-fete-romney-days-before-unveiling-energy-plan.html> ]
2003: Romney Vowed To Close An Aged Coal-Fired Power Plant Declaring “That Plant Kills People.” “Just after he took office, in 2003, he had attended a news conference at Salem Harbor, Mass., vowing to close an aged coal-fired power plant and declaring: ‘That plant kills people.’ His administration went to work on what would become the nation's first regulations on the emission of carbon dioxide, and helped launch negotiations on a Northeast regional compact to curb greenhouse-gas emissions.” [Wall Street Journal, 11/11/11<
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204505304577004352121240264.html ? mod=WSJ_Election_LEFTSecondStories>]
In The Same 2003 Press Conference In Which Romney Claimed A Coal Plant “Kills People” Romney Said The Salem Harbor Coal Plant’s Extension To Comply With Massachusetts Clean-Air Guidelines Should Be Denied. “To detract from that narrative, the Obama campaign often points to Romney’s 2003 press conference outside the PG&E Salem Harbor plant at which he said ‘that plant kills people.’ During that same press conference – called so Romney could affirm his position that the Salem Harbor plant should not be given a two-year extension to comply with Massachusetts clean-air guidelines established in 2001 – Romney said some other things that if applied to this year’s presidential election could be construed as undermining his current attack against Obama.” [Columbus Dispatch, 9/21/12<
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/09/21/coal-becoming-issue-in-presidential-campaign.html> ]
…AND CHAMPIONED HIS POWER PLANT REGULATIONS FOR MASSACHUSETTS AS “TOUGHEST IN THE NATION”
Romney Described His New Mercury Rules As A Part Of Massachusetts’ “Toughest-In-The-Nation Clean Air Rules.” “Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, R, has set in motion new rules that he said would ‘significantly limit mercury emissions from the state's four coal-fired power plants as part of Massachusetts' toughest-in-the-nation clean air rules.’ The regulations codify a proposal he first made last September.” [Electric Utility Week, 6/07/04]
Romney’s Environmental Czar Ellen Roy Herzfelder Stated: “We Really Are First In The Nation To Create A Standard For Mercury In The Electricity Sector… It’s A Huge Step Forward In Bringing Clean Air To Massachusetts.” [Boston Globe, 5/26/04]
2005: Romney Touted Massachusetts As “The First And Only State To Set CO2 Emissions Limits On Power Plants.” “On Dec. 7, 2005, the Romney administration unveiled the final orders. ‘These carbon emission limits will provide real and immediate progress in the battle to improve our environment,’ then-Gov. Romney said in a press release touting Massachusetts as ‘the first and only state to set CO2 emissions limits on power plants.’” [Wall Street Journal, 10/6/11<
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203388804576613293746516756.html> ]
UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA, THE UNITED STATES’ DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL WAS AT ITS LOWEST LEVEL IN 20 YEARS, AND IS CALLING ON CONGRESS TO EXTEND THE PRODUCTION TAX CREDIT
In The First Eight Months Of 2012, The United States’ Dependence On Foreign Oil Was At Its Lowest Level In 20 Years. According to the Energy Information Administration, in the first seven months of 2012, the percent of net imports of petroleum as a share of petroleum products supplied averaged 41..9%. According to Energy Information Administration data, this is the lowest level since 1992 when the percent of net petroleum imports as a share of petroleum product supplied was 40.7%. [Calculated from Energy Information Administration data, Monthly Energy Review, September 2012<
http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/sec3_7.pdf> ]
· The Energy Information Administration Projects That Net Oil And Petroleum Imports As A Share Of Consumption Will Fall From 45 Percent In 2011 To 41 Percent In 2012 And 39 Percent In 2013. According to the Energy Information Administration’s Short Term Energy Outlook: “The share of total U.S. consumption met by total liquid fuel net imports of both crude oil and products has been falling since peaking at over 60 percent in 2005. In 2011, it averaged 45 percent, down from 49 percent in 2010. EIA expects that the total net import share of consumption will continue to decline to 41 percent in 2012 and to 39 percent in 2013 because of the substantial increases in domestic crude oil production. If the 2013 forecast holds true, it would be the first time the share of total U.S. consumption met by total liquid fuel imports is less than 40 percent since 1991.” [Energy Information Administration, Short Term Energy Outlook, September 2012<
http://www.eia..gov/forecasts/steo/pdf/steo_full.pdf> ]
President Obama Is Calling On Congress To Extend The Production Tax Credit That Spurs Clean Energy Production By Providing A Tax Credit For The Production Of Clean Energy Like Wind. From a White House fact sheet: “The Production Tax Credit, which expires at the end of 2012, provides a 2.2 cent per kilowatt hour credit for utility scale wind producers. Congress should act to extend the credit. By extending the PTC benefits for American clean energy producers we can avoid layoffs across the country: The wind industry projects that nearly 30,000 jobs will be lost next year if the PTC expires, including direct jobs as well as those in its supply chain.” [White House Fact Sheet, 5/22/12<
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/05/22/president-obama-calls-congress-act-clean-energy-tax-credits-do-list> ]
· The American Wind Energy Association Projects That Failing To Extend The Production Tax Credits Would Put 37,000 Jobs At Risk. According to a press release from the American Wind Energy Association: “A recent study by Navigant Consulting found that extending the Production Tax Credit for wind energy will allow the industry to grow to 100,000 jobs in just four years, while an expiration would kill 37,000 jobs within a year.” [American Wind Energy Association, 4/25/12<
http://www.awea.org/newsroom/pressreleases/Layoffs_wind_power.cfm> ]
UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA, EMPLOYMENT IN THE COAL MINING INDUSTRY REACHED ITS HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE 1996, AND THE PRESIDENT HAS MADE HISTORIC INVESTMENTS IN CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGY
EMPLOYMENT IN THE COAL MINING INDUSTRY REACHED A 15-YEAR HIGH IN 2011
Nationwide In 2011, Employment In The Coal Mining Industry Hit Its Highest Level Since 1996. According to preliminary data from the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the average number of employees in the coal mining industry was 94,729, the highest average employment since 1996 when there were 96,324 people employed in the coal mining industry. [Mine Safety and Health Administration, Mine Injury and Worktime Quarterly Statistics Coal Data 1993-2010, accessed 4/15/12<
http://www.msha.gov/ACCINJ/ALLCOAL.HTM>; Mine Safety and Health Administration, Mine Injury and Worktime, Quarterly, January – December 2011<
http://www.msha.gov/Stats/Part50/WQ/MasterFiles/MIWQ%20Master_20114.pdf> , Final]
THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION HAS MADE HISTORIC INVESTMENTS IN CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGY AND IS SUPPORTING DOZENS OF PROJECTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
The Obama Administration Is Implementing A More Than $5 Billion Investment Strategy In Clean Coal Research And Development Which Has Attracted More Than $10 Billion In Private Investment. “Today’s awards are part of a more than $5 billion investment strategy by the Obama Administration in clean coal technologies and R&D. This strategy, which has attracted over $10 billion in additional private capital investment, is designed to accelerate commercial deployment of clean coal technologies –particularly carbon capture and storage (CCS) – and to position the United States as a leader in the global clean energy race.” [Department of Energy Press Release, 6/6/12<
http://www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/advresearch/ucr_announcement_060612.pdf> ]
The Recovery Act Made The Most Significant Investment In Federal Carbon Capture Research And Development Since The 2007 Energy Bill. According to a report by the Congressional Research Service: “In addition to the annual appropriations provided for CCS RD&D, the legislation most significant to federal CCS RD&D program activities since passage of [Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007] EISA has been the Recovery Act (P.L. 111-5). As discussed below, $3.4 billion in funding from the Recovery Act was intended to expand and accelerate the commercial deployment of CCS technologies to allow for commercial-scale demonstration in both new and retrofitted power plants and industrial facilities by 2020.” [Congressional Research Service, “Carbon Capture and Sequestration: Research, Development, and Demonstration at the U.S. Department of Energy,” 4/23/12<
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42496.pdf
