Sherrod Brown: “Mr. Speaker, America does need an energy policy, but not this one. This policy started with bad process as Vice…”

“Mr. Speaker, America does need an energy policy, but not this one. This policy started with bad process as Vice President Cheney himself, a former oil man, actually still on the payroll at $3,000 a week of an oil company, Halliburton, when Vice President Cheney convened a secret group of energy lobbyists to draft the administration's energy plan. It ended with bad process as the conference committee met last night for only the second time, and then only to take a series of party line votes and rubber stamp this bill. When we use bad process, we usually get bad product. That is why our colleague in the other body, John McCain, a Republican, called this conference report a ``no lobbyist left behind bill.'' This was a great week for lobbyists. Like the Medicare bill we will debate later this week, which throws uncounted taxpayer dollars at prescription drug companies and insurance companies, this energy bill is an early present, an early Christmas present for the oil, gas, and utility lobbyists. Mr. Speaker, $100 billion in all, according to some estimates. These special interest giveaways line the pockets of this Chamber's most influential lobbyists. They do so at the expense of clean air, at the expense of safe drinking water, at the expense of public health and public safety.”