Obama Pushes for Energy Bill

April 3, 2006 – Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) criticized President Bush’s lack of efforts to end the nation’s reliance on foreign oil, an initiative he first announced at the State of the Union address in January, and said that more was needed to be done to reduce greenhouse gas emission and address worsening climate change.

"His funding for renewable fuels is at the same level it was the day he took office. He refuses to call for even a modest increase in fuel-efficiency standards for cars. And his latest budget funds less than half of the energy bill that he himself signed into law—leaving hundreds of millions of dollars in under-funded energy proposals," Obama said.

In partnership with Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), Obama recently introduced S.2446, the American Fuels Act. This legislation requires the government to improve public access to alternative fueling stations and seeks to provide incentives for Americans to switch to using alternative sources energy. It would create short-term tax credits of 35 cents per gallon for consumers who choose E85 fuel, a fuel blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, and give auto manufacturers a $100 tax credit per vehicle for installing flexible fuel tanks in their vehicles.

Obama also discussed his plan for legislation to help pay for some retiree health-care costs for U.S. automakers in exchange for the automaker companies' promise to spend the savings on building more environmental friendly vehicles.

Citizens for Global Solutions commends Sen. Obama for his commitment to creating awareness about the current energy and environmental issues that face the United States. Through the creation and implementation of legislation like S.2446, the United States can step forward into an era of more sound environmental and energy policies.