Gas-supply bill fuels outbursts in House
By Richard Simon
Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON — The House yesterday approved legislation designed to spur construction of oil refineries, the first major congressional response to rising energy prices and tight supplies after Hurricane Katrina.
The bill passed 212-210, but only after House GOP leaders extended the roll call from a scheduled five minutes to about 40 minutes to round up the votes. Partisan tensions boiled over, with Democrats shouting "Shame! Shame! Shame!" to protest the prolonged vote.
The measure was approved after its Republican sponsors dropped the most contentious provision — relaxing pollution rules for refinery projects — in response to moderate Republicans' threat to vote against the bill and possibly kill it.
Still, every Democrat who was present voted no, contending the legislation, which faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, was designed more to shield the Republican-controlled Congress from political fallout from high gas prices than to bring down fuel costs.
"Don't go home and tell your constituents you did anything for them. In truth, you haven't," said Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass.
Supporters of the measure said that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita made clear that the country needed more refineries, including new ones outside of the Gulf region. No new refinery has been built since 1976, although large refineries have been expanded to meet growing demand.
"We haven't built a new refinery in a generation. We need more," said Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich.
Highlights
The House-passed version of "Gasoline for America's Security Act" would:
Require the Federal Trade Commission to investigate price-gouging after a disaster and give the agency authority to impose fines of up $11,000 per violation.
Streamline government permits for refineries and open federal lands, including closed military bases, for refinery construction.
Limit the number of gasoline blends refiners have to produce, eliminating many blends now designed to reduce air pollution.
Waive federal, state and local fuel-additive requirements after a natural disaster that disrupts supplies.
The Associated Press
Senators are drafting their own proposals, including offering tax breaks to encourage refinery construction and expansion.
What act requires
The House-passed "Gasoline for America's Security Act," or the GAS Act, would direct the president to designate sites, including former military bases, for new refineries and streamline the permitting process. It also would limit the different gasoline blends produced to meet clean-air rules, an effort to make it easier to move fuel from one region to another during supply shortages. Different regions of the country use different blends.
In addition, it would require the Federal Trade Commission to investigate price-gouging after a disaster and give the agency authority to impose fines of as much as $11,000 per violation.
The bill also would direct the Department of Energy to promote car-pooling and create a $2.5 million ad campaign to alert drivers of gas-saving techniques. Critics have scoffed at these measures as weak and called on Congress to mandate tougher miles-per-gallon rules for vehicles.
"Perhaps worst of all, the bill still does virtually nothing to limit the nation's growing demand for oil: the core cause of price spikes," said Rep. Sherwood Boehlert of New York, one of 13 Republican opponents.
The measure is among energy-related bills that have shot to the top of the congressional agenda since Hurricane Katrina knocked out refineries in the Gulf Coast region, where about half of the U.S. refining capacity is located.
DeLay still wields power
As a sign of the bill's difficult prospects in the Senate, House Republican leaders were forced to scramble just to get enough votes from their own caucus.
If rank-and-file Republicans wondered what role former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, would play after his recent indictments on money-laundering and conspiracy charges, yesterday's theatrics provided the answer.
Even without a leadership title, DeLay made it clear he will still wield power. He was present for the whole vote, pressing dissenting Republicans, especially Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., who fidgeted with his voting card as DeLay pushed for his assent.
"It was a heck of a performance to turn this around," said Rep. Michael Castle, R-Del., one of the Republicans who joined 196 Democrats and one independent to nearly defeat the measure. "The lesson was that nothing's changed."
The Washington delegation split along party lines on the vote, with all Republicans voting for it and all Democrats voting against.
A half-hour after the vote was called, 15 Republicans had voted no, and the bill appeared headed for defeat. Then, after 38 minutes, Rep. Bill Young, R-Fla., switched to yes. A minute later, Rep. Jim Gerlach, R-Pa., switched to yes, after receiving assurances that a provision that calls on taxpayers to cover a refinery's legal bills if it is vindicated in court would be stripped out, according to Gerlach spokesman John Gentzel.
Moments later, Rep. Jeb Bradley, R-N.H., approached the front of the House chamber to change his vote from yes to no, only to find himself ignored as he motioned for attention. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., jumped forward to wildly shout that a member wanted attention.
"You see him. You recognize him," Hoyer shouted, finally allowing Bradley to switch and momentarily give the opponents the upper hand. Then, under heavy pressure, Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, R-Md., switched his vote to yes, and the vote was gaveled shut. A tie would have killed the bill.
"The Democratic leadership wanted to embarrass Republicans politically instead of helping the energy needs of the Gulf Coast," said Ron Bonjean, a spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.
Democrats were not about to let the political opportunity slip by.
"A vote that was supposed to take five minutes took more than nine times that long because the indicted Republican leader of the House of Representatives needed extra time to twist the arms necessary to pass a bill that is against the interests of the American people, against consumers, against taxpayers and against the environment," said Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Whether the legislation will be enough to spur the building of the first U.S. refinery in 30 years is uncertain. Currently, the nation's 148 refineries operate near capacity, producing about 17 million barrels of crude oil a day, about 4 million barrels short of the nation's daily consumption.
In a letter to lawmakers, the National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Association of Counties and the National Conference of State Legislatures contended that the legislation would "pre-empt state and local government authority to site and permit oil refineries."
Material from The Washington Post and The Associated Press is included in this report.
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