VERMONT -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, cofounders of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., urging them to replace cow's milk they use in their ice cream products with human breast milk, according to a statement recently released by a PETA spokeswoman.

Faced with a looming bail-out of the financial sector hovering around the $700 billion dollar mark, I’ve signed a letter written by Congressman Joe Barton (Ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee) urging the President to consider opening up ANWR and the Eastern Gulf of the OCS to improve our energy security, lower energy prices, and provide needed revenue to the Treasury to help shoulder the burden the bail-out will place on the American taxpayer.

Here's a portion of the letter:

"As we work to strengthen our markets through an assistance package, we should also offset some of the liability, without raising taxes.  This package should contain some means to pay at least part of the cost of rescuing these financial giants, and do it without asking the taxpayers to shoulder a burden which is, after all, not their responsibility.  We therefore encourage you to include legislative language that would open up ANWR to leasing, along with the Outer Continental Shelf of the Eastern Gulf. 

The Congressional Research Service reports that in ANWR alone, if producers were able to recover 10.3 billion barrels of oil over the life of the properties - with prices at $125/barrel - the federal government could collect $191 billion in revenues over the production period, estimated to be at least 30 years once production commences.

Allowing lease sales in these areas, will not only increase revenue to the Treasury through royalties and corporate income taxes, but will also improve our energy security...."

I am sure many of you have been paying attention to the debate (or lack thereof) on energy in Congress.  Well now the majority has decided to take up a bill after months of pleas from Republican members of the House.  However, this bill is designed to fail, and worse yet it increases spending and taxes.  Don’t believe it?  Here are some of the details.

Lack of Incentive: The bill allows offshore drilling, only for States that choose it, no closer than 50 miles from the coast, however it also prohibits revenue sharing of new oil and gas proceeds, thereby removing any incentive for States to “opt in” and allow drilling off their coasts. Nor does the bill offer any lawsuit protection, so companies that do search for oil will continue to be hampered with limitless litigation by environmental groups.

This bill will raise taxes: This bill raises taxes on large oil and gas companies engaged in domestic energy production by nearly $13.9 billion over 10 years, all to provide tax breaks to favored energy projects and products. The bill also limits the use of foreign tax credits on the international operations of oil and gas companies, which pushes the overall tax hike in the bill up to $17.7 billion.

Reduces revenue: The Congressional Budget Office [CBO] has estimated the government could initially receive $5 billion in additional revenue without raising taxes by opening the OCS and allowing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge [ANWR]. Yet this bill continues to limit drilling in the OCS.  According to CBO, it reduces revenue to the Treasury by $1 billion,

New Fees for Energy Companies: The bill raises $5.8 billion by imposing new fees on certain leases that currently pay no royalties. It also imposes $1.8 billion of new fees on non-producing Gulf of Mexico leases, and requires retroactive lease payments back to 1 October 2007 on certain leases.

Higher Spending, No Deficit Reduction: The bill increases the top line for appropriated spending by $6.6 billion, so that total 2009 nonemergency discretionary spending increases by 9.3 percent over 2008. All new revenue in the bill is set aside in a reserve fund to offset future appropriated spending increases. There is no guarantee this funding will be used to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

More Earmarked Spending: The bill restructures the New York Liberty Zone Program, making it a $2-billion earmark that can be used for any transportation infrastructure project in New York City. The measure also earmarks $25 million to establish a so-called “National Energy Center of Excellence.”

New Spending for Energy Block Grants: The bill also authorizes $2.5 billion in new spending for energy related block grants, and $3.4 billion to States for transportation grants.

Exploiting the Fannie-Freddie Bailout: The bill seeks to make Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac green when the problem is they are insolvent. It directs the two financially ailing firms to develop loan products and flexible underwriting guidelines to facilitate a secondary market for energy- and location-efficient mortgages on low- and moderate-income housing. The bill also calls for Fannie and Freddie to facilitate second and junior mortgages for energy-efficiency and renewable energy improvements.

S.2837: A bill to designate the U.S. courthouse located at 225 Cadman Plaza East , Brooklyn, NY, as the "Theodore Roosevelt United States Courthouse"

H.R. 6475: Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Act of 2008

"In Alaska, we’re bursting with billions of barrels of oil that are warehoused underground.  We have to pump [this oil] and feed our hungry markets instead of relying on foreign sources.”

“I think some in Congress have misconceptions about what ANWR [the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge] is all about and what Alaska is all about.”

“No one cares more about Alaska’s wildlife and lands and water and air than Alaskans.  So, when Alaska says, ‘We’re ready, and we’re willing, and we’re able to develop, and we will make sure that wildlife is not adversely impacted,’ people have got to give us some credit here and respect our position on this.”

June 23, 2008
The Honorable Harry Reid
Senate Majority Leader
United States Senate
528 Hart Senate Office Building .
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senate Majority Leader Reid:

In previous correspondence to members of Congress, I have urged the enactment of legislation to authorize development of oil and natural gas in a small portion of the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). I will not repeat the arguments in favor of this legislation but will briefly focus on a few key points that have become even more evident since my last correspondence.
Read More...

As the election season intensifies, the ongoing debate about global warming is heating up, too. The National Center for Policy Analysis addressed global warming in a recent post on Daily Policy Digest, noting how many international organizations are calling for increased spending. The post cites the August issue of Townhall Magazine, in which contributing editor Terry Jones does a thorough job of spelling out the situation to conservatives. His piece should incite Americans on both sides of the aisle to voice their opinion and ensure billions of taxpayer dollars don’t go to waste.

To read each of Terry Jones’ columns, subscribe to Townhall Magazine here and you will have the knowledge you need to combat the liberal agenda. Subscribe today and receive a free copy of "Mexifornia" by Victor Davis Hansen with your 12 issues!