Joe Lieberman: “I rise in the strong opposition to the bill before us, the conference Energy Policy Act of 2003. The bill before us is a…”

“I rise in the strong opposition to the bill before us, the conference Energy Policy Act of 2003. The bill before us is a pork-laden, budget-busting, fossil-fuel promoting vestige of the past, developed largely in secret by a handful of GOP Members. This legislation is a mere shadow of what it was and could be. This could have been a proud moment for this Congress and for the Nation. Rather than caving to special interests and wallowing in pork barrel politics, we could have risen to the challenge and met our obligation to help prevent such crises as the Enron energy scandal and the blackout of 2003 from reoccurring. We could have acted to promote our economic prosperity, strengthen our national security, and protect the health and welfare of all Americans through bold, balanced legislation. We could have finally tackled global warming--the greatest environmental challenge of our time. We could have considered a real jobs bill, based on opening new markets and spurring new technologies. We could have set American energy policy on a better, brighter course. Instead, we are stuck with this--a sewer of an Energy bill. The bill that has emerged from the closed door, Republican-only conference, and which we consider today is a legislative disaster. Sadly, it bears little resemblance to the balanced, bipartisan legislation that passed the Senate last July.”