While the United states Armed Forces (private mercenaries) are in Afghanistan, Djibouti, Iraq, the Philippines and west Africa defending “all freedom-loving people everywhere in the world”—the Ostensibly pro-State’s Rights—Republican (fascist/socialist) President George W. Bush signs the Energy Policy Act of 2005, nullifying state environmental regulations that are more stringent than those of the Federal government.

       The act provides 12,300,000,000 “dollars” in subsidies to various energy interests, including:

• To the oil industry (which is enjoying record profits) 6,000,000,000 “dollars” in tax breaks to expand their gasoline refining capacities;
• To the natural gas industry 1,035,000,000 “dollars” in faster equipment depreciation write-offs at a time when the gas industry is also enjoying record profits;
• To the coal industry 9,000,000,000 “dollars,” which includes:
• 5,937,000,000 to build new coal powered electricity generation facilities;
• 90,000,000 “dollars” for research into methods to remove carbon dioxide from the Burning of coal; and
• 75,000,000 “dollars” to develop new coal mining technologies.
• To the nuclear power industry 12,000,000,000 “dollars,” which includes:
• 2,000,000,000 “dollars,” to compensate for construction delays imposed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or state agencies, for new nuclear plants;
• Reauthorization of the Price-Anderson Act, which places a limit on civil liabilities for harm caused to other by new nuclear power plants built in the next 20 years.

       NOTES:

• The act usurps the prerogative of state governments—in their proper purview—to regulate the construction, expansion, or operation of liquefied natural gas facilities.  Instead exclusive authority is given to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.  So much for “States Rights” Republicans!
• This act subsidizes the diversion of basic food staples such as corn, into “biofuels,” in an effort to reduce petroleum energy dependence.  The result has been to help to reverse a steady three-decade decline in world food prices, bringing about a 40% average increase in around the world over the next two years, prompting food shortages and riots in Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan and Yemen.
• The act also prohibits the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or their contractors from punishing “whistle-blowers” (those who alert CONgress of illegal or unethical activities—Although there are still no protections for those who inform private investigators).
• This act reversed a steady three-decade decline in world food prices, bringing about a 40% average increase in basic food staple around the world over the next two years, prompting food shortages and riots in Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan and Yemen.

       The 2004 Republican Party Platform contained the following passages:

• Our leaders must make sure that the growth of the federal government remains in check.
• We must maintain our commitment to free and fair trade, lower taxes, limited regulation, and a limited, efficient government that keeps up with the new realities of a changing world.
• We endorse creating a commission to evaluate discretionary spending on federal agencies and programs to ensure that taxpayer Funds are being used for the best, most efficient purposes. Such a commission would determine whether certain programs are duplicative, wasteful or inefficient, outdated or irrelevant, or failed. It would recommend to Congress programs that could be terminated, moved, or restructured to make the government more efficient.

       Postscript: Afterward Bush issued a signing statement asserting that the executive will determine whether or not Federal employees (French for “government workers”) may cooperate with CONgress.

       [restored 1/21/2024] Thanks to Bill Holmes, Jim Lorenz and Chuck McGlawn for this entry.