Politicians’ Power Bills Spark Debate on Global Warming Integrity

Politicians’ Power Bills Spark Debate on Global Warming Integrity
By Fred Lucas
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
April 16, 2007

(CNSNews.com) – As Sen. John Kerry promotes his new book on the dangers of global warming, he’s been running up an average electric bill of $1,100 a month at his federal-style red-brick townhouse on Louisburg Square in the Beacon Hill area of Boston.

That’s according to the Massachusetts Democrat’s utility company, NStar, one of many utility companies across the nation whose operators provide information about the average monthly electric bill for any given address.

Other members of Congress who have made a point of speaking out about climate change — either for or against taking drastic action — have also run up sizeable power bills.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate committee on environment and public works, paid a high of $675 a month and a low of $225 a month in 2005 to power her home in Greenbrae, Calif., according to the utility company Pacific Gas and Electric.

Boxer, a proponent of stronger environmental regulation, moved to Oakland last July, but information on her current electric charges couldn’t be obtained.

By contrast, global warming skeptic Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) — the ranking minority member of the House energy and commerce committee — appears to be a relatively light electricity consumer.

Barton released his electric bill for February at a March 20 hearing — he paid $79.47 in total for both his Texas Utilities bill in Ennis, Texas, home and his Dominion Electric bill for his Arlington, Va., apartment.

Cybercast News Service has sought information on average monthly home power bills for specific members of Congress from both parties who have been vocal in the global warming debate, contacting both the lawmakers and their utility companies.

Some utility companies would not provide the average rate; nor would most members of Congress when their offices were approached.

Congress will likely consider legislation this year calling for restrictions on emissions and power use that lawmakers say will require sacrifice of many Americans.

With climate change increasingly on the public and political agenda, the House earlier this year established a select committee on energy independence and global warming. The 15-member committee comprises nine Democrats and six Republicans.

Some lawmakers — mostly Democrats — believe global warming is a looming catastrophe caused by human activity that must be stopped through sweeping government action.

Others — who tend to be Republicans — believe too much regulation could damage the economy at a time scientists are still debating climate change, its causes and likely consequences.

One skeptic, select committee member Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.), pays an average of $310 a month to power his Phoenix home, according to the utility company Arizona Public Service.

One of his Democratic counterparts on the committee, Rep. Hilda Solis of California, pays an average of $50 to $80 a month for electricity, according to Southern California Edison. In 2000, Solis became the first woman to receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for her work on environmental issues.

So, energy bills vary widely — not unexpected considering different regions require different levels of heating and cooling, as well as the differences in house sizes and lifestyles. For instance, Kerry lives in Massachusetts, which is considerably colder than Texas where Barton lives.

The Brentwood, Tenn., home of Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn, a member of the select committee and skeptic, cost about $575 to power in each of the last two months, according to Nashville Electric Service. However, from June through September of last year, her monthly power bills ranged between $228 and $370.

“I would think her bill would be higher in the winter months,” Blackburn spokesman Matt Lambert said. “The Nashville area in particular had a lot of ice and snow this year. Obviously, she uses less energy when it’s hotter. Maybe she uses ceiling fans. I don’t know.”

One of her Republican colleagues on the committee, Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon, pays a high of $261 and a low of $140 on his monthly Pacific Power bill, according to the company.

The bills of the other members were not obtainable through their utility company. The offices of those remaining members either declined to comment or did not respond to inquiries.

Will Huntington, spokesman for select committee Chairman Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), promised a statement early last week, but by week’s end had not sent one and did not return several further phone calls.

‘ Leading by example’

The personal energy consumption of members of Congress shows whether they can lead by example, said John Berlau, author of the book ” Eco-Freaks: Environmentalism Is Hazardous to Your Health” and a policy director at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

“They need to look at what they’re doing and look at what they’re asking the average citizen to give up,” Berlau told Cybercast News Service. “If they can’t do it, they shouldn’t ask the American people to do it. They should look at their energy use to realize what’s realistic to impose on their constituents and the nation.”

But Chris Miller, global warming campaigner for Greenpeace International, said personal power consumption is ultimately irrelevant in the big picture.

“We all need to do what we can. But I’m afraid we’re going to miss the forest for the trees if we look at individual members,” Miller told Cybercast News Service.

“The issue is not about one person’s home or the light bulb they use. At the end of the day, you or I can change our light bulb or buy a Prius [hybrid car]. What matters is congressional action with an economy-wide [carbon emissions] cap, like Europe.”

Earlier this year, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research accused global warming crusader and Oscar winner Al Gore of hypocrisy.

The group reported that the former vice president’s Belle Meade mansion in Nashville consumes more energy in a month than most American homes use in a year. Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359, the research group said.

That’s presumed to be considerably more than President George W. Bush’s home in Crawford, Texas uses. Though jeered by the environmental movement, Bush has won praise for energy efficiency at his ranch house.

Pledge

Gore testified on global warming before House and Senate panels last month. During the Senate hearing, skeptic Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the ranking member of the Senate environment and public works committee, asked Gore to sign a pledge to reduce his own energy consumption. Gore declined, and has yet to sign the pledge.

Inhofe was not willing to release information on his own home electric bill, spokesman Marc Morano said, nor would his utility service, AEP Public Service Company of Oklahoma.

“While Sen. Inhofe has no specific comment about other senators’ personal energy usages, he does challenge all global warming activists who talk the talk to walk to walk,” Morano told Cybercast News Service.

“Even Sen. Kerry has admitted that Sen. Inhofe’s challenge to former Vice President Gore was ‘legitimate,’” Morano added. Kerry made the remark in an April 8 ABC News interview.

With the release of his book “This Moment on Earth: Today’s New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future,” Kerry could soon rival Gore as a high-profile spokesman for the cause, although Berlau of CEI is unimpressed, noting that Kerry is using “a lot of energy on his book tour.”

One of the reasons Kerry spokeswoman Amy Brundage offered for not providing a comment for this story was that the Massachusetts senator was busy promoting his book.

Given the price of energy in New England and the size of Kerry’s home, it could be unfair to criticize him, argued Miller of Greenpeace.

“Sen. Kerry is a pretty wealthy guy,” he observed. “With the combination of a larger home and higher energy costs, Sen. Kerry’s home could be more energy efficient than the average home.”