Congress, to its discredit, recessed last week without addressing America’s energy woes in any meaningful way.
That prompted about two dozen Republicans, including Colorado Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, to hold court in Washington, hoping to coax House Speaker Nancy Pelosi into calling everyone back to deal with the issue.
“High energy prices are hurting American families,” Musgrave said. “It is unacceptable to wait five weeks” to resume debate over energy when Congress returns Sept. 8.
We agree in spirit with Musgrave, but we also think Republicans are just as guilty as Democrats of trying to convert the pain at the pump felt by American voters into partisan political advantage.
A recent USA Today/Gallup poll showed voters, by a 2 to 1 margin, “would be more likely to support a candidate who backs expanded offshore drilling” — as most Republicans do.
Of course, polls also show Americans favoring conservation, alternative energy, and other measures favored by Democrats. There’s no contradiction here, since ordinary voters seem to understand that neither party has a monopoly on wisdom.
Musgrave wants a vote on the American Energy Act, an “all of the above” effort by Republicans that supports many solutions to our energy problems, including increased use of biofuels and wind power, oil shale extraction, off-shore drilling and exploration, conservation, and development of new technologies.
Count us as skeptics on oil shale until its impact on the arid West’s scarce water supplies is assessed. Otherwise, we do think the country needs a comprehensive energy policy that includes increased domestic drilling, including off-shore exploration, investment in renewables and nuclear, and, of course, good old conservation, which already has helped draw down prices.
Even measures that might take five years or more to actually bring new energy to the pumps, such as offshore drilling, might bring price relief much sooner than expected. That’s because markets don’t just react to current events. Instead, they tend to overreact in anticipation of future developments. If speculators think relief is in the pipeline — either from new energy sources or reductions in demand — they could send crude oil futures downward just as swiftly as they bid them into the stratosphere this spring.
What America needs is action on energy, not more political bombast. It’s a safe bet members of Congress are getting that message in heated terms from their constituents during this summer break.
When the lawmakers return Sept. 8, they need to swiftly adopt some form of comprehensive energy legislation that protects our future rather than cynically playing on our fears.