| Item |
S. 517 |
H.R.
4 | Grange
Policy |
| OIL
AND GAS |
|
Arctic
National
Wildlife Refuge | No
provision | Allows
oil production with surpace impact of 2,000 acres or less, not including exploration
activities, gravel mines or raised pipeline. | Favors
the complete utilization of petroleum and the other mineral resources, including
the exploration and production of oil reserves on the coastal plain of the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge. |
| Alaska
Natural Gas Pipeline | Mandates
same route; expedites approval, construction and initial operation of pipeline;
offers an 80% loan guarantee. | Mandates
southern route, turning east in Canada anywhere below 68 degrees north latitude
(south of the Brooks Range, norht of Fairanks). | Supports
a national energy policy that will encourage the development of all forms of domestic
energy. |
| Strategic
Petroleum Reserve | Directs
president to fill the Strategic petroleum Reserve.
Directs Energy secretary
to eliminate SPR infrastructure impediments. | No
provision | Opposes
any further releases from the US Strategic Oil Reserves for any purpose other
than war or interruption of delivery of foreign suplies of petroleum into the
U.S. |
| Energy
Productionon Public Lands | No
provision | Directs
secretaries of Energy, Interior and Agriculture to asses within two years production
on federal lands. | Opposed
prohibitive regulations on public land use.
Favors use of non resrved land
in order to achieve energy exploraaion and development. |
| Great Lakes Drilling
Ban | No
provision | Encourages
states to maintain Great Lakes offshore drilling ban. | Support
maintaining miniumum water levels along the Great Lakes in order to continue the
current amounts of commerce, hydroelectric production and tourism.
Opposes
any removan and use of the waters of the Great Lakes other than by those states
and provinces that belong to the International Joint Commission on the Great Lakes. |
| Oil
and Gas Marginal WellProductio | Provides
$3.2 billion in tax credits/breaks for marginal well/oil and gas production. | Provides
$1.1 billion in tax credits/breaks for marginal well production. | Supports
a national energy policy that will encourage the development of all forms of domestic
energy. |
| Deepwater
Drilling | Establishes
an ultra-deepwater program for research and development. | Provides
royalty relief; authorizes $3 billion for a research and development fund for
ultra-deepwater. | Favors
the complete utilization of petroleum and the other mineral resources, including
the exploration and production of oil reserves on the coastal plain of the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge and from any outer continental shelf lease sales in accordance
with the terms of an environmentally sound development plan. |
| Marginal
Wells | Tax
credit | Tax
credit and royalty relief | Supports
regulated oil and gas production in the United States that protects landowners
and allows adequate compensation, yet allows production to continue. |
| Royalty-In-Kind | Directs
president to use royalty-in-kind(RIK) to fill Strategic Petroleum Reserve | Expands
program and allows RIK on case-by case basis | Supports
one billion barrels of U.S. oil reserve while supplies are adequate to guard against
supply uncertainty and unreasonable high prices. |
| Coalbed
Methane | Extends
tax credit and includes new wells; calls for NAS study on coalbed methane's (CBM's)
effects on surface and water resources. | Extends
tax credit for existing CBM wells | Urges
the repeal of laws and regulations that have blocked or discouraged United States'
energy production by private enterprise.
Supports a national energy policy
that will encourage the development of all forms of domestic energy, including
coal gasification, in an environmentally sound manner without exploiting our parks
and wildernesses in order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil . |
| COAL |
| Coal
TaxIncentives | $1.9
billion in tax breaks for "clean coal" development. |
$3.3 billion
in tax breaks for "clean coal" development. |
Favors
a greater use of coal while protecting agriculture, water, and timber resources
from any adverse effects. |
| ELECTRICITY |
|
Federal/StateTransmission
Coordination | Directs
secretary of Energy to oversee regional coordination of power transmissionDirects
secretary of Energy to hold annual conference to promote regional coordination. |
No provision |
Urges Congress
to allow the states to draft legislation regarding deregulation of the power industry
within their state.
Supports legislation assuring all classes of consumers
have universal access to electric service, with no exception to rural America. |
| PUHCA
Repeal | Repeals
the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935.
Gives FERC access to utility
holding company books and records.
Gives states access to books and records
under their jurisdiction . |
No provision |
Urges Congress
to allow the states to draft legislation regarding deregulation of the power industry
within their state. Supports legislation assuring all classes of consumers have
universal access to electric service, with no exception to rural America. |
| PURPA
Repeal | Repeals
the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act with modifications.
Eliminates
mandatory purchase requirement with exceptions for cogeneration.
Directs utilities
to provide real-time pricing and net-metering services. |
No provision |
Supports
reform to the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act, so that non-utility generating
stations operate to sell their output to competitive market rates and eliminate
the oppressive rates being passed on to the consumer. |
| Federal
PowerAct | Amends
FPA to define Tennessee Valley Authority and federal power marketing agencies
as electric utilities. |
No provision |
Supports
the present federal Power Marketing Administrations.
Opposes the forced deregulation
of the publicly owned power industry to repair an entity that is not broken. |
| CLIMATE
CHANGE |
| Climate
Change/GHG Registry | Keeps
greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting voluntary for at least five years, but adds the
Environmental Protection Agency to the agencies managing the registry and includes
a trigger making the registry mandatory if after five years it accounts for less
than 60 percent of U.S. GHG emissions | No
provisions | Opposes
the United States ratifying the United Nations Climate Change Treaty in its present
form.
Urges Congress to oppose the Kyoto Protocol until all major countries,
developed and developing, agree to abide by the same standards.
Supports:
a) The expansion
of voluntary efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
b) Scientific research
and educational programs on climate.
c) Investing in the development and deployment
of new technologies and urging utilities to update their older plants bringing
them into compliance with the current Clean Air Act. |
| Climate
Change/National Policy &White House Office | Creates
a White House Office of Climate Policy and requires it to present to Congress
within a year a strategy to stabilize U.S. GHG emissions |
| TRANSPORTATION
FUELS |
| Fuel
Economy Standards | Gives
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 15 months to propose tougher
corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards. | Requires
the administration to pass CAFE rules saving at least 5 billion gallons of oil
between 2004 and 2010 and authorizes the National Academy of Sciences to study
the effects of imposing tougher standards after 2010. | Opposes
establishing unrealistic new fuel economy standards. Instead, we support legislation
to direct the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to set fuel economy standards at
their maximum feasible level, taking into account technical feasibility, safety,
and the economic impact to the public. |
| Alternative
Vehicle Tax Incentives | Credits
for purchase of cars, trucks and industrial classes; amounts vary as to weight
class. | Credits
for purchase of cars, trucks and industrial classes; amounts vary as to emissions
level. | Supports
a program of government incentives that will reduce commuting by private vehicle,
increase subsidies for mass transportation or car pooling, and sponsor more research
to make alternative energy cars viable. |
| RFG Reform |
1. Bans methyl
tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), state exemptions possible
2. Eliminates Clean
Air Act 2 percent oxygenate mandate
3. 5 billion gallon renewable fuels mandate
by 2012, with bank and trade program
4. Prevents air pollution backsliding
by strengthening EPA's 2001 mobile source toxic rule
5. Same
6. Authorizes
$200 million for MTBE FY '03 cleanup and $2.5 billion for other related efforts
7. No provision
8. No provision | 1.
No provision
2. No provision
3. Environmental Protection Agency Department
of Energy study of a 15-year renewable fuels mandate with bank and trade program
4. No provision
5. Study requirements leading to the nation's balkanized RFG
system
6. Authorizes $200 million for MTBE FY '03 cleanup
7. Reduces paperwork
on refiners (EPA addressed in Feb. rulemaking)
8. More flexibility for refiners
prior to 2002 spring transition season (EPA addressed in Feb. rulemaking) | Supports
a clean air policy that will best protect agricultural interests, relieve automotive
passengers, freight users and carriers of costly and unnecessary restrictions,
and will protect the physical and economic health of industry and the general
publicSeeks the passage of legislation banning the use of Methyl Tertiary Butyl
Ether (MTBE) in motor fuels and substituting it with ethanol, biodiesel or other
alternative fuels proven to be environmentally safe. |
| Ethanol | Federal
fleets must purchase at least 10 percent ethanol-blended gasoline. | Calls
for reduction in petroleum-based fuels used by light-duty government motor fleet. | Supports
increased development and use of ethanol and ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE)
in gasoline blends with adequate income tax incentives to make the production
and use of ethanol and ETBE economically feasible.
Supports the goal of at
least a 10% blend of ethanol to be used in at least 50% of all gasoline's sold
for motor fuel to be made available in all states.
Encourages an investigation
as to why ethanol blended fuels raised in price at the same rate as conventional
petroleum products. |
| RENEWABLES,
HYDRO AND EFFICIENCY |
| Hydropower
Relicensing | Allows
administration to review any party's suggestions for alternative conditions dictating
dam operations or construction of fishways, but requires administration to approve
conditions submitted by licensee so long as the conditions meet mandatory environmental
protection conditions. | Allows
licensee and any other party to submit alternative conditions for operation of
construction of fishways if they will cost less or produce more electricity while
offering same environmental protections. | Supports
the preference concept of the Federal Power Act being granted to public power
utilities in the licensing and relicensing of federal hydroelectric facilities
.
Support granting co-preference in the licensing and relicensing of federal
hydroelectric facilities to rural electric cooperatives. |
| Hydropower/BPA | Increases
Bonneville Power Administration's borrowing authority from the administration's
FY '03 budget request of $700 million to $1.3 billion. | No
provision |
Opposes any change in the 1937 congressional Bonneville Power Administration repayment
agreement. |
| Renewable
Portfolio Standard | Electricity
suppliers must generate 10 percent of power from renewable energy sources by 2020. | No
provision | Supports
concept thereof requiring the nation's fuels to contain a renewable component
(Biodiesel and or Ethanol). Supports
legislation to establish solid waste-to-energy plants that will produce power
that can be accessed by public utility districts, rural electric cooperatives,
and municipal utilities in an environmentally safe manner. |
| Federal
Purchase Requirement | Government
must buy 7.5 percent of its energy from renewables by 2010. | No
provision |
| Credit
Cost Cap | The
cost of renewable energy credits to help companies satisfy the RPS will cost 1.5
cents per kilowatt hour | No
provision |
| Renewable
Energy Assessment | Includes
incremental hydropower in its definition for the same assessment. | DOE
will assess all available renewable energy resources within one year. |
| Hydrogen
Power | Research
and development (R&D) for production, storage and fuel-cell programs. | Establishes
research program and calls for a study. | Urges
the repeal of laws and regulations that have blocked or discouraged United States'
energy production by private enterprise. Supports
a national energy policy that will encourage the development of all forms of domestic
energy, traditional and alternative, including solar, wind, geothermal, ethanol,
surf, shale, tar sands, hydroelectric, agricultural . |
| Bioenergy | Research
programs should create fossil-fuel competitive technologies by 2010. | Authorizes
R&D, extends tax credit for closed-loop biomass facilities until 2007. |
| Wind | Calls
for research program for low wind speed technologies. | Extends
tax credit for wind power until 2007. |
| Geothermal | Research
to reduce drilling costs and improve exploration. | Provides
for royalty reduction and relief. |
| Solar | Research
programs should create fossil-fuel competitive technologies by 2015. | Creates
residential solar tax credit |
| Distributed
Generation Incentives | No
provision | Includes
a 10-percent credit for purchase of qualified fuel-cell power plants |
| Cogeneration
Incentives | No
provision | Includes
a 10-percent credit for purchase of combined heat/power property. |
| Energy
Star | Lists
appliances eligible for tax credits | Names
new appliances to be evaluated for Energy Star requirements. | Supports
energy conservation in agriculture, industry, commerce and the home by the use
of tax credits and incentives. |
| Energy Sun
Program | No
provision | Creates
new program to label renewable energy products and technologies. |
Urges the repeal of laws
and regulations that have blocked or discouraged United States' energy production
by private enterprise. Supports
a national energy policy that will encourage the development of all forms of domestic
energy, traditional and alternative, including solar, wind, geothermal, ethanol,
surf, shale, tar sands, hydroelectric, agricultural products, wastes, peat, wood,
coal, coal gasification, oil, natural gas, nuclear, hydrogen, biodiesel and methanol
in an environmentally sound manner without exploiting our parks and wildernesses
in order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. |
| NUCLEAR |
| Future
Nuclear Plants | DOE
will aggressively pursue construction of a new nuclear power plant by 2010. | DOE
shall submit a report on the feasibility of using federal site for new reactors. | Supports
a policy that will encourage the development of all forms of domestic energy,
including nuclear. |
| Spent
Fuel Reprocessing | Establishes
a DOE Office of Spent Nuclear Fuel Research. | Calls
for an advanced fuel recycling technology research and development programs. |
Urges greater research toward
safer disposal of nuclear waste. Supports
the careful selection by the Department of Energy of sites for the disposal of
low level nuclear wastes, excluding prime agricultural, forest, and park land.
We urge that the public be involved in the decision to conduct additional research
on the long-term consequences to the environment of the disposal of nuclear wastes.
The National Grange further urges the Department of Energy to conduct an extensive
educational program to inform citizens of the safeguards and hazards that are
involved in the disposal of these wastes. |
| MISCELLANEOUS |
| LIHEAP
Funding | Doubles
authorization for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program | Same | Supports
economic assistance to low-income persons and those who are on small, fixed incomes
to assist them in paying for the high cost of energy. |
