Klobuchar and Kennedy on energy policy -- A distinction without a difference?

From the Kennedy campaign --

Liberal Democrats Offer No Solutions to High Gas Prices
Amy Klobuchar following D.C. Democrat Talking Points Without Solutions

(St. Paul, Minnesota) – An article in the Pioneer Press today highlighted what Democrats hope to run on this fall – high gas prices. But liberal Democrats in the Senate have done more to cause high energy prices than to relieve them. Democrats have little room to talk about providing relief at the pump after blocking an Energy bill from 2001-2005.

“Amy Klobuchar doesn’t give the voters of Minnesota much credit if she hopes to blame high gas prices on Mark Kennedy,” said Heidi Frederickson, press secretary for Mark Kennedy 06. “She conveniently forgets to mention it was her party that blocked an Energy Bill in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004.

“Mark Kennedy has consistently supported common sense solutions that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and bring down prices at the pump,” Frederickson continued. Mark has voted to increase the use of Ethanol and other renewables, build new refineries, make gas gouging a federal offense, and co-sponsored legislation to temporarily suspend the federal gas tax.”

Klobuchar has also repeatedly attacked Mark Kennedy for voting for passage of the Energy Bill last August. While not a perfect bill, Kennedy has teamed together with Democrat Mark Udall of Colorado to correct one flaw – giving tax incentives to oil companies.

The Clean Alternatives for Energy Independence Act would redirect the $2.5 billion tax incentives for the oil companies and instead use that money to double incentives for alternative fuel sources like hydrogen, hybrid, and E85.

“Instead of blocking the bill or grandstanding because he didn’t like a portion of it, Mark decided to get to work and make it better,” added Frederickson. “By blocking the energy bill for five years, six if Amy Klobuchar had her way, Senate Democrats dealt us a serious setback in reducing gas and energy prices. We don’t need more obstruction and partisanship in Washington. Minnesotans wants common sense solutions.”

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From a Klobuchar campaign email --

Are you getting squeezed?

While Congress is on vacation, people are bearing the brunt of the flawed Republican energy policy at the pump. If this month is any indication, we may be looking at gas prices of well over $3/gallon by the 4th of July.

ExxonMobil has contributed $13,000 dollars to Mark Kennedy's congressional campaigns and got just what they paid for: an energy policy that rewards companies with historic profits and leaves America's families paying for our dependency on foreign oil.

We need an energy policy which rewards innovation and drives the U.S. to be a leader in the next generation of fuels. Our national dependency on foreign oil threatens both our competitiveness and our national security. Our goal should be complete energy independence. That's why I am asking you to join me in calling on Congress to establish a 20 percent ethanol content standard for gasoline. By launching this advocacy campaign today, we are taking the first step to setting the U.S. on the road to energy independence.

Please contact your members of Congress and tell them to set America free with a 20% ethanol content standard.

As Minnesotans emerge from a winter of high heating costs, we are now faced with gas prices skyrocketing 22 cents over the last month. And with the start of the summer driving season just around the corner, it is critical for our country to gain energy independence.

Consumers shouldn't be paying $3 a gallon while the CEO of ExxonMobil was compensated over a $100 million dollars in 2005. Leaders in Washington are only just beginning to hear our call. We need to keep the pressure on them. Tell Washington that we deserve energy independence. Tell them we won't let the oil companies squeeze us at the pump so they can line the pockets of their executives and the campaigns of Washington insiders like Mark Kennedy.

You can help right now by contacting Congress. Tell Congress to set America free with a 20% ethanol content standard.

Join our effort to set America free from our dangerous dependency on foreign oil. Tell your friends and family to do the same.

It's time for Mark Kennedy and the Republicans in charge of Congress to hear from us loud and clear.

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Both don't like subsidies for oil companies, it's just not a show stopper for Kennedy. He doesn't like gouging, which some just might consider a way to prevent shortages. Why let oil companies earn their profits when you can subsidize them?

Both favor energy independence; neither has any idea what that would really cost or the draconian measures needed to achieve it. Klobuchar's "complete energy independence" is just a more rhetorically idiotic position.

Both like ethanol, but neither says anything about whether that ethanol is the expensive, environmentally dirty ethanol produced from Minnesota corn or the inexpensive, clean-burning ethanol produced from imported sugar cane. My guess, given their stances on energy independence and that Brazilians don't vote in Minesota, we're going with the dirty, homecrown corn. (What happens in a bad crop year when a farmer is faced with a feed or fuel choice?)

I don't expect much from Klobuchar and the DFL on this issue. Kennedy's positions are disappointing.