- Energy Tax Facts
- 29 Jan 14
Politico Pro: IPAA on the SOTU: Increasing Taxes on O&G Producers Will Not Meet the Strides the President Has Applauded
Independent Petroleum Association of America spokesman Jeff Eshelman: “[Oil and natural gas producers] can’t continue the progress we’ve made — more jobs, more revenues, a major decrease in the trade imbalance — without holding the administration accountable to continuing these trends. And increasing taxes on oil and natural gas, which decreases the capital available for American energy, will not meet the strides the President has applauded and the momentum our industry can continue.”
President Barack Obama proclaimed the “all-of-the-above” approach to energy is working in America, touting the nation’s soaring oil and natural gas production and solar investments, and he laid out his 2014 energy agenda Tuesday during his State of the Union speech. He sidestepped any mention of the Keystone XL pipeline, but said pointedly that “climate change is a fact.”
Still, this is Washington, and no single speech will make everyone happy.
Here’s a roundup of some of the notable reactions to the State of the Union from energy policy players:
Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org: “An all of the above energy strategy is exactly as sensible as an all of the above foreign policy — I kept waiting for the part of the speech where he’d explain why North Korea and England should be treated the same. If he actually took climate change seriously, he’d understand that more oil means higher temperatures — that’s just how physics works.”
Eileen Claussen, president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions: “The coming year will be critical in shaping America’s response to climate change and, in turn, prospects for a meaningful international agreement next year in Paris. The president has a credible and comprehensive plan to cut emissions, expand clean energy and strengthen resilience to climate impacts. Now is the time to put it into action.”
Sen. Jim Inhofe, former ranking member on the Environment and Public Works Committee: “President Obama also talked around energy but will continue his war on coal, oil and gas. Sure, he mentioned natural gas — an abundant resource in my state of Oklahoma — but he will kill natural gas by killing hydraulic fracturing.”
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of the Environment and Public Works Committee: “… We can’t wait while foreign nations out-compete the United States for the clean energy jobs of tomorrow. And we can’t wait while rising oceans and warmer waters threaten our seaside communities. I’m glad the president is committed to acting on these problems, and I will continue working to convince congressional Republicans to wake up and join us in the fight.”
Natural Resources Defense Council President Frances Beinecke: “Power plants account for 40 percent of our carbon pollution, and President Obama tonight underscored why we must move quickly to impose limits on them, as we do now for other pollutants. His Climate Action Plan points the way to using the Clean Air Act to allow even our most coal-dependent states to cut their emissions without economic impact.”
Rep. Ed Whitfield, House Energy and Power Subcommittee chairman: “While I recognize climate change may be an issue some people care about, the president’s extreme actions on the matter are of little comfort to those who cannot find a job and are worried about how they are going to make ends meet. … I will continue working on behalf of Kentuckians to push back against the president’s extreme agenda that does little to put Americans back to work, which is what both the people across the country and I truly care about.”
American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Jack Gerard: “If the president is serious about combating income inequality, we must take full advantage of the opportunities in energy that are before us. …Punishing energy companies by raising taxes is not sound energy policy and could lead to less energy, less government revenue, and fewer jobs.”
Graham Richard, CEO of Advanced Energy Economy: “President Obama is the first president in a half-century able to tout America’s emerging energy independence. … If we continue on this path, someday soon a future president just may announce at a State of the Union that the United States is the world’s biggest exporter of energy. That is a goal worth pursuing.”
Energy and Enterprise Initiative Executive Director Bob Inglis: “Americans deserve leaders who lead. Sometimes that means saying uncomfortable things to one’s own base. President Obama needs to tell the Environmental Left that natural gas is a great bridge fuel, that it sure makes sense to pipe rather than ship fossil resources via rail, truck & tanker, and that centralized regulations for greenhouse gases are a costly mirage that won’t cut emissions for decades.”
Matt Lee-Ashley, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress: “… the president tonight laid out a plan for America to win the long game on energy. He made clear that for America’s energy boom to be sustainable over the long-term, we must take bold steps to both cut carbon pollution and better protect lands and waters that are too special to drill.”
Marty Durbin, president and CEO America’s Natural Gas Alliance: “It is clear from tonight’s speech that the president recognizes the role natural gas is playing in meeting our nation’s economic and environmental needs. … We continue to disagree with the president on how this industry’s tax provisions should be treated, but we stand ready to work with the administration, Congress and policymakers around the country to see that our nation capitalizes on the many environmental, economic and national security benefits offered by natural gas.”
Harold Wimmer, national president and CEO of the American Lung Association: “President Obama can make the next generation of America’s power plants the least toxic and most modern in the world. … Anything less shortchanges our children and our health.”
Michael Breen, executive director of the Truman National Security Project & Center for National Policy: “The U.S. military knows climate change is making the world a more dangerous place, posing a real threat to international stability and security. … President Obama’s continued commitment to combatting climate change will keep the United States on the right trajectory to be a global leader in reducing the production of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change and strengthen our national security.”
Margot Anderson, executive director of the Energy Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center: “The president rightly touted the nation’s many gains across the entire energy spectrum and described an America not imagined a decade ago. Now is the time to find common ground to capitalize on our emerging energy wealth, expand the economy, and build a cleaner energy future.”
Rep. Gregg Harper of the House Energy and Commerce Committee: “The president’s attempt to intimidate Congress by abusing executive power demonstrates a serious unwillingness to work with the coequal legislative branch of government. If the president is serious about helping people, he will swap his recycled campaign-style speeches for action on issues that create equal opportunity for success and self-reliance.”
Phil Radford, executive director of Greenpeace: “It’s good to hear that President Obama plans to move forward with his plan to address climate change, but unfortunately, his administration continues to undermine this plan by encouraging the extraction of coal, oil, and gas from our public lands and waters, unlocking huge quantities of carbon pollution. … If you want to bend history in one direction, you need to pick a side and put your all into it. Unfortunately, the president continues to stand right in the middle.”
Rep. Doc Hastings, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee: “If President Obama was serious about helping middle class families, he would work with House Republicans instead of constantly blocking our bipartisan efforts to create much-needed jobs, grow America’s economy, and lower energy prices. Instead of just talking about jobs, he should work to break the log-jam in the Senate and get our job-creating proposals signed into law.”
Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters: “President Obama sent a clear signal that action to address the climate crisis won’t be held hostage by the climate change deniers running the House of Representatives.”
Rep. Rob Bishop, House Natural Resources Committee member: “The president did get something right in that energy production is up, but it has little or nothing to do with him or his administration. The production occurring can be attributed to ingenuity and dedication on behalf of hard working Americans and policies set into place before this Administration. His touting this as a personal accomplishment is cute, but it’s far from reality.”
Sen. Tom Carper, Environment and Public Works Committee member: “I was also encouraged by the President’s persistent commitment to stemming the tide of climate change. … By advocating a multi-faceted and common-sense approach to our nation’s environmental and energy challenges, we can reduce harmful pollutants, lead healthier lives, lower our energy costs, and help put Americans to work.”
Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association: “On behalf of the 143,000 Americans who work in the U.S. solar industry — and the tens of millions of people who support it — the best way to thank the president for his leadership is to go out and prove him right.”
Mike Duncan, president and CEO of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity: “The president ignored the opportunity to level with the American people about the damage his Climate Action Plan will have on the U.S. economy and jobs across the country. …Regulations spearheaded by his own Environmental Protection Agency aimed at coal-fueled electricity will weaken our economy and our energy security.”
Margie Alt, executive director of Environment America: “It is clear from his speech and his actions that President Obama has no intention of looking his children or perhaps someday his grandchildren in the eyes and telling them he failed to act when faced with the greatest environmental challenge of our time.”
Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity: “President Obama’s ‘year of action’ rightly includes climate change, but his plans for fighting carbon pollution just aren’t bold enough or big enough to head off disaster. … Unless [Obama] changes course, he will help usher in an era of climate chaos.”
EDF President Fred Krupp: “In addition to the groundbreaking Climate Action Plan, the Obama Administration has set cleaner standards for our cars and trucks, doubled down on its renewable energy goal and — most important — proposed the first-ever national limits on carbon pollution from power plants. We look forward now to action on methane, another powerful climate pollutant.”
