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Other Requests For Information: Sierra Club's case has been consolidated
with a FACA case brought by Judicial Watch. In addition, the General
Accounting Office (GAO) also sued (under a different law), seeking similar
information. (GAO's case was dismissed in December, 2002, and GAO did not
appeal.) Finally, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) used the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to seek information from various agencies
about the Task Force. When these agencies did not comply with FOIA, NRDC
sued, and its case is currently pending in federal district court.
Energy Bill Takes Us Backward -- America Can Do Better
The Energy Policy Act of 2003 threatens the environment and takes us
backwards by entrenching our dependence on polluting sources of energy.
From opening up our coasts and special places to oil development, to
removing key consumer protections in electricity markets, to funneling
billions of dollars to polluting industries, this bill fails on all counts.
Instead of an energy bill that takes us backwards, the country needs an
energy policy that cuts our dependence on oil, increases our use of clean,
renewable energy sources like wind and solar power and protects our special
places from drilling. The current bill is even worse than last year's
energy bill and should not be passed. The Sierra Club calls on the Senate
to reject this irresponsible and environmentally destructive legislation.
* Threatens our coasts and other public lands. The bill allows new oil
exploration all along the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) using invasive
technologies that will damage sea life and ocean habitat in environmentally
sensitive areas. In addition, the bill would open our public lands to
further destructive drilling and mining operations. These provisions
threaten some of our nation's most unique wilderness areas and critical
fish and wildlife habitats that provide the headwaters for most of the
drinking water in the West.
* Puts consumers at risk from electricity market manipulation. The bill
repeals the nation's oldest law that protects electricity consumers -- the
Public Utilities Holding Company Act (PUHCA). This would allow power
companies to set up multiple subsidiaries and blur their financial reports,
opening the door to the type of market manipulation that was seen during
the California energy crisis.
* Funnels billions of dollars to polluting industries. The bill
provides close to 10.7 billion dollars in tax breaks to polluters,
including a first-ever tax break for burning coal. In addition, the bill
provides tens of billions of dollars in loan guarantees to build new
nuclear plants and indefinitely exempts the nuclear industry from
liability. The bill also allows the oil and gas industry to stop or reduce
royalty payments to the government and states at a time when they are in a
fiscal crisis.
* Undermines the property rights of farmers and ranchers by providing
incentives for destructive coalbed methane drilling that ignores the rights
of surface property owners. This practice threatens thousands of acres of
sensitive lands in the West and its scarce water resources.
* Removes environmental protections for Native American lands. The bill
removes the protections of the nation's hallmark environmental law, the
Nation Environmental Protection Act, from Native American lands, opening
them up to destructive mining and drilling projects.
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