The Philadelphia Inquirer called the energy bill an "unbalanced shameful mess." The Houston Chronicle called it "half a loaf dropped repeatedly in the dirt." Senator John McCain called it "a twelve-hundred-page monstrosity" so stuffed with taxpayer pork that "the outbreak of Washington trichinosis" would necessitate the opening of a "field office of the Centers for Disease Control right next to the Capitol." Not surprisingly, Wyoming Congressional Representative Barbara Cubin touted the bill as a "great victory for Wyoming" and Senator Mike Enzi called it "a chance to grab the brass ring and ride on the energy merry-go-round."

In late November, after swift passage in the U.S. House of Representatives and concerted lobbying by the White House and energy companies, the Senate voted against further debate on HR 6, the controversial national energy bill. After failing to gain two more votes needed to break a bipartisan filibuster, Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) decided to abandon further pursuit of the legislation, at least until the New Year.

Many hunters, ranchers, conservationists and fiscally minded Americans breathed a collective sigh of relief at the news. According to congressional lawmakers, the two most glaring problems with the bill were: 1) a liability waiver for producers of MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether), a toxic fuel additive that has contaminated the drinking water of more than 1,500 U.S. cities and 2) more than $31 billion in corporate subsidies and tax breaks, primarily for oil and gas producers, coal companies and nuclear energy corporations. The bill’s pork-barrel projects ranged from $1 billion in funding for an experimental nuclear power reactor in Idaho to $2 billion in tax-exempt bonds for a plethora of energy-efficient construction projects, including an eco-friendly Hooters Restaurant.

Beyond the bill’s bizarre mix of pet projects and its negative financial and legal ramifications lurked provisions that were disastrous to the environment. Although provisions to drill the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and sensitive coastal ecosystems were dropped at the last minute, the laundry list of anti-environmental, pro-business mandates was long enough to make Teddy Roosevelt roll over in his grave. They included:

Contrary to its proponents’ claims, the bill would have further hindered America’s efforts to become less dependent on fossil fuels by failing to increase fuel efficiency standards for passenger cars and trucks. HR 6 also failed to include a renewable electricity standard requiring utilities to purchase increasing amounts of power from cleaner sources such as wind and solar.

In Wyoming, which is predicted to have up to 70,000 oil, gas and coalbed methane wells by 2020, the energy bill would have further threatened already besieged expanses of the Red Desert, the Upper Green River Valley and the Powder River Basin. Reportedly, the GOP leadership has announced that a national energy bill will be a high priority in 2004, although pundits respond that the chances of passing such legislation during an election year are slim. We must all redouble our efforts to counter such a bill while urging our lawmakers to advance a more balanced, sustainable energy policy for the country. For now, we can take a measure of comfort from the knowledge that a number of U.S. Senators from both parties courageously opposed this morass of energy-related pork that had very little to do with creating a sound national energy policy and that, according to Congressional Quarterly, the lobbyists of the Edison Electric Institute had to cancel plans for a celebratory soiree at Charlie Palmer Steak House in Washington, DC.