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Republicans Plan "Stimulus Two"
03/10/09 10:58 AM EDT
by BYRON YORK
Chief Political Correspondent
I've just learned that a group of Republican lawmakers plans to introduce a second stimulus bill, which they call the "No Cost Stimulus Act of 2009." Members of the group, whose leaders include Rep. John Shadegg in the House and Sen. David Vitter in the Senate, have tried to come up with a plan that, in their estimation, would create two million new jobs, reduce the cost of energy, especially for lower-income Americans, make the U.S. less energy dependent, and not add to the national debt.
To do this, the plan would, among other things, speed up leasing for oil and gas exploration in the outer continental shelf; open up the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge for energy production "in an environmentally-sensitive way" and with revenues directed to renewable energy projects; speed the licensing procedure for new nuclear power plants; speed the resolutions of lawsuits over federal oil and gas leasing; and prohibit the Endangered Species Act and Clean Air Act from being used as the basis for cap-and-trade and other carbon regulation/taxation.
The proposal is sure to elicit howls some Democrats and environmental groups. From a Republican point of view, it seems designed to echo the GOP's last big legislative momentum-builder, its "Drill Here, Drill Now" campaign to beat back Democratic energy/environmental proposals. How it will fare in a political environment that is radically different from last summer's remains to be seen.
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