Andrew Duck For Congress Committee

Stong and Determined Leadership on Energy

Two weeks ago today, at an Energy Conference held at Frederick Community College, Roscoe Bartlett said that we need strong and determined leadership on energy policy. Friday afternoon, Congressman Bartlett demonstrated that he was incapable of providing that leadership.

In a vote on House Resolution 3893, Roscoe Bartlett voted to provide oil companies with millions of dollars of government handouts, despite the fact that they are currently reaping record profits. This bill will not effectively reduce gas prices. This bill will not prevent price gouging. And this bill does nothing to address the price of natural gas, which is expected to soar as home heating increases this winter. It will give oil companies millions of taxpayer dollars when we are paying $3.00 a gallon at the pump and oil company profits are soaring. This bill was a bad bill.

And Roscoe Bartlett knows it was a bad bill. He had not planned to vote for it. He knows that we are facing a problem with "peak oil," and that this bill would not address the problem. When a similar bill was presented a few months ago, he voted against it. But that bill passed without his support. Roscoe Bartlett could have stopped House Resolution 3893. The bill passed by a vote of 210 to 212. If he had voted his conscience, it would have been a 211 to 211 deadlock. But instead, he flip-flopped on this issue, and voted for a bad bill.

Roscoe abandoned his principles and voted for this bill because indicted Congressman Tom Delay told him to. When it became clear that the bill would not pass, the leadership of the House improperly delayed closing the vote, while Tom Delay went to work on Roscoe Bartlett. And Roscoe Bartlett caved in to the pressure.

We need a representative in Congress who will vote for our interests, not Tom Delay's interests. Not only is Tom Delay currently under indictment for conspiracy and money laundering, he has also had to face ethics charges for accepting trips from a lobbyist who is being investigated on other charges. Tom Delay's ethics do not meet the standard we expect here in Maryland's Sixth District. We need a representative who will listen to us, not to ethically challenged politicians like Tom Delay.

Here are the facts about this issue. We know that Tom Delay donated over $10,000 to Roscoe Bartlett's campaign fund. We know that Friday, Tom Delay was the person who pressured Roscoe Bartlett to vote for this bill. And we know that after Tom Delay talked to him, Roscoe Bartlett voted for the bill he had previously opposed.

I have no way to know what Tom Delay said, did, threatened or promised. But what is clear is that Roscoe Bartlett voted for a bill that he knew was bad for Maryland, and was bad for America. But he voted for it anyway, because he lacks the courage to stand up for what he believes.

Unfortunately, Friday's vote is part of what has become a pattern for Roscoe Bartlett. Roscoe says he is for a balanced budget, but he votes for the biggest budget deficits ever. He says he is for smaller government, but he votes to increase the size of government to the biggest government ever. He says he opposes CAFTA, but he votes for it. He says he wants to protect the Constitution and individual rights, but he votes for the PATRIOT Act. Then he says that was the biggest mistake he has made in his life. So when it comes up for renewal, he votes to renew it for four years. Time after time, Roscoe Bartlett says one thing, but votes for another.

Two weeks ago, Roscoe Bartlett said that America needs "the determination of World War II and the Manhattan Project" to address our energy crisis. Friday, he showed that he does not have the determination that we need.

I have a plan to move America toward energy independence within ten years. We need policies that will encourage both conservation and innovation. My plan will do that.

If elected, I will propose implementing a series of tax credits for conservation efforts, including improved insulation, improved energy controls, use of mass transit and re-engineering of factories. The Federal Government should lead by example, improving energy conservation efforts in Federal Government buildings and increasing the use of alternative fuels in Federal vehicles. If elected, I would also support increased Federal funding for Mass Transit, which would have the added benefit of improving our ability to evacuate major cities, assisting with emergencies due to natural disaster or for homeland defense.

While conservation is necessary, conservation alone will not get us to Energy Independence. We will need to rely on research and innovation, areas where America has always excelled. To do that, I will propose doubling the current Federal expenditures on research for alternative energy sources. This research needs to be spread over a wide portfolio of alternative energy sources, to include biomass, methane, ethanol, bio-diesel, wind power, solar power, geo-thermal power, and improved coal technologies. This increased funding should be directed to the small and medium sized business, where innovation is most likely to occur, not directed to the large oil companies.

This is the sort of leadership America needs in the area of energy. We are not getting this leadership from Roscoe Bartlett. It is time for a change.

More than any specific policy, we need determined leadership. We can no longer afford to have a Congressman who says one thing, but does another. We need a leader who will stand up for what he knows is right. We need a leader who has the courage to act, not just talk. Roscoe Bartlett is not the man for the job. It is time for a change.