Charles Taylor's Energy Record: Gotta Keep Consumption and Profits High

Even in the absence of public statements, it is not difficult to see where Mr Taylor's allegiance lies. In this light, what his positions represent, boggles the mind. Mr Taylor's record shows that, not only does he line the pockets of industry with massive tax gifts, but he also works tirelessly to promote consumption, again to the benefit of industry, and thus keep his constituents over a barrel. As such, his positions are in direct contravention of our national security and global competitiveness along the way.

Scrutiny Holligans ran a story in early September which highlighted Mr Taylor's well known vote for The 2005 Energy Policy Act, which granted billions in tax breaks to major oil companies and his contributions from this sector. But this is the tip of the iceberg, let us look his performance in just the 21st century.

2001 was banner year of damaging moves for WNC consumers and the nation in energy by the man from Brevard. On HR-4, Taylor voted AGAINST, increases in CAFE standards and to grant incentives for alternate fuel vehicles. While paying lip service over the years to energy independence, his vote here, instead of lessening consumption left us as a nation with mpg that is a full 15mpg behind our global competitors, and protects the future of big oil. With the USA using 40% of the world's gasoline, and 40% of our energy going to passenger vehicles alone, this vote is abominable and at complete odds with his public rhetoric of consumer relief and freedom from imports.

As if this was not enough, he even tried that same year to increase consumption by sponsoring 01-HR-1694, a resolution to repeal 4.3 cents of the Fed Motor Fuel Tax. Can someone outline the logic for tax relief here, when even the CATO Institute demonstrates that fuel prices are at inflation adjusted lows?

"If gas prices were as high today as they were in the late 1970s, we would now be paying about $6 a gallon for gas."

Just for good measure, Mr Taylor completed with votes in 2001 against The Kyoto Protocol, and the protection of ANWR, HR 4690 and 4, respectively.

In 2003, Taylor supported HR-6, The Energy Omnibus Bill, which gave $14.4 billion to fossil fuels, and only 1/7th of that amount to alternate fuel vehicles. The bill also protected industry from the insidious use of MTBE, and promoted consolidation and mergers in electricity.

The GOP likes to point out that the bill also ordered the phase out of MTBE, (looks real green, right?). The fact is that the bill eliminated the oxygenate requirement for RFG gasoline. Rather than require ethanol to replace MTBE, (clean and renewable), what the bill really did was to allow potentially worse components, which are not oxygenates, such as aromatics, (more fossil fuel derivatives, dirty and non - renewable). Energy independence and conservation, yeah, right.

Mr Taylor pretty much reprised this in 2004 by supporting The Energy Policy Act, which apportioned similar amounts of money to fossil fuels, at the expense of any alternatives. Leaving us in the present day, with his support of the 2005 Bushco energy bill which gave even more money to oil firms.

Our man from NC-11 is part of a complete GOP strategy, policy, or conspiracy, (take your pick), that undermines our nation's security and consumers for the sake of stimulating consumption and profits. It is either incredibly uninformed or incredibly dissembling to compile this kind of record while at the same time pledging price relief for consumers and freedom from oil imports.