Bingaman Slips On Oil: Watch Out for More Business As Usual

Read this Daily Kos diary and Senator Jeff Bingaman's public response to Speaker of the House Pelosi's stated intention to repeal oil company tax giveaways in the first 100 hours of the 110th Congress. Excerpt:

House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi's plan to repeal tax breaks for oil companies in the first 100 hours of the new Congress could face roadblocks in the Senate.

Trying to do it in the first couple of weeks would be rushing things, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, the coming chairman of the Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee, told the Associated Press on Friday.

Yeah, we wouldn't want to rush things, now would we? The corporate masters of way too many Senators might get upset. With the industry's monstrously massive windfall profits as a backdrop, why would we want to work expeditiously to stop handing them taxpayer dollars like there's no tomorrow? Do you know of any other industry that is literally paid hundreds of millions of dollars to do what it's already doing for its investors? Think what we could do with the billions in big oil tax breaks if we used them to fund research on renewables, as Pelosi and other Dems have proposed.

Defining What We Stand For
Instead of following Pelosi's lead, Bingaman apparently intends to continue the Senate's recent pattern of tip-toeing and delay on issues like this one. He wants to hold what would no doubt be drawn out hearings on the tax cut rollback because he's reportedly afraid that oil companies might drill overseas rather than in the U.S. Does he really believe oil companies would pursue an either - or strategy on oil drilling when prices are as high as they are and with demand soaring? And since when is it considered prudent to bribe corporations to do what's right? What Bingaman doesn't seem to get is this:

Passing the rollback of oil subsidies is an important signal on at least two fronts: it shows that Democrats aren't going to bow down to corporations over the interest of tax payers, and it indicates a real interest in moving beyond oil as a single source of transportation energy.  Failing to pass these rollbacks will be a powerful signal of business as usual on capital hill.

Bingman also voted the other day for a humongous, last-minute combo bill that was finally passed at 4:00 AM on the last day of Congress. It included opening up the Gulf Coast to massive oil and gas drilling with the royalties going to only four states rather than all of us, as current law requires. These are oil and gas reserves that are owned by all Americans, not just the residents in four states. As usual, Bingaman defends his vote by saying the bill also has tax breaks for renewable energy. Yeah, Jeff, we know. But the point is that with Dems coming into control in the Congress, we want Dems like you to propose such measures on their own, up front and not attached to other incredibly damaging measures ginned up in lobbyists' offices. This is a time to forcefully define our values, not accept damaging provisions to get some small concession we want.

Feet to the Fire
I think it's vital that we keep a close watch on Senator Bingaman generally and especially when he assumes the chairmanship of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee in January. We need to keep him informed of our views about what he does and how he handles the Committee and its business. Bingaman has a tendency to behave as if the Senate were still a congenial debating club run according to genteel rules and polite decorum. Civility and bipartisanship are fine when merited. But given the incredibly corrosive effects of big money on the process, and the often brutal legislative strategies employed by right-wing Repubs, I hope he wakes up and decides to fight, not capitulate right out of the gate

Bingaman apparently sees little value in taking the lead on issues, in being persuasive and bold. Instead, he all too often has his finger to the wind to see if something will fly before taking a stand. With voters around the nation positively aching for Dems to clearly define what they stand for, now is not the time for talking softly and compromising at the get go. Let's start proposing measures we strongly back and that make perfect common sense -- and then challenge Repubs to go on record fighting them. That's the way minds can be changed as we move closer to the 2008 presidential race.

Bottom Line
We can't let Bingaman begin his chairmanship with capitulation and weak-kneed compromise already dominating the process. If we start out strong, there's at least a chance we can get more of what's important to ordinary Americans passed. If we start out signaling fear of the Repubs and Bush, we have nowhere to go but down. Senator Bingaman has been an excellent steward of the environment in many respects, and has often employed a progressive approach to energy policy. However, I think it's crucial that we hold his feet to the fire to counteract his tendency to backslide in the face of Repub threats and powerful lobbies. Symbolism matters. Let's start out drawing lines in the sand, not backtracking at the first whiff of controversy.

Let Senator Bingaman know what you think about windfall profits, oil and tax policies.