August 15, 2003

GOP Voted Down Repair Money for Electric Grid

Well, this is interesting:


In June of 2001, Bush opposed and the congressional GOP voted down legislation to provide $350 million worth of loans to modernize the nation's power grid because of known weaknesses in reliability and capacity. Supporters of the amendment pointed to studies by the Energy Department showing that the grid was in desperate need of upgrades as proof that their legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) should pass.

Unfortunately, the Bush Administration lobbied against it and the Republicans voted it down three separate times: First, on a straight party line in the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, then on a straight party line the U.S. House Rules Committee, and finally on a party line on the floor of the full House [Roll Call Vote #169, 6/20/01].

So when George said that the power grid needed to be modernized, he knew because he had been told this back in 2001.

Now, the report is not clear on whether or not the upgrades would have done any good for this problem (and how could it? We don't yet know what the problem was.), but Bush was warned in 2001 that the power grid needed an upgrade, and he and the GOP prevented one from happening.


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Comments

Nuh-uh! It's his advisers' faults!

Posted by: tgirsch

Whatever the merits of this particular bill might be, Bush does not benefit from his party's position on electricity matters.

As a resident of Washington state, the "California" energy crisis has cost me over $20,000 and still counting, despite the fact that I am relatively insulated by a municipal utility that generates much of its own power, and the Bonneville Power Administration, a cousin of the TVA.

I understand the residents of CA, OR, ID, MT, and other states are similarly burdened.

This new electricity problem, affecting a different region gives new life to old stories about electricity problems.

I know that the issues are complex, that there is plenty of blame to go around, and that acts of God, like a drought, have played a role, but the simplistic formulation of Bush=Ken Lay=Enron=something not far removed from robbery is a charicature that Bush desperately needs to put to bed.

Posted by: etc,
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