Daily Journal - Energy Policy Work

Op-Ed

Daily Journal - Energy Policy Work

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Tupelo, Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Jackson/Oxford, and 1st District Rep. Travis Childers, D-Booneville, appear to have considerable common ground in their goals for short- and long-term energy supply and energy independence action by Congress.

All three said this week they support opening drilling for additional oil off the Outer Continental Shelf (which includes waters off Mississippi), opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's reserves to production and immediate action on developing alternate, non-petroleum energy sources.

They also said they want Congress to stay in session and work toward passage of effective energy legislation, rather than take the usual August recess, or as long as it takes.

We agree generally, and we hope their separate but similar positions signal an emerging bipartisan consensus in both chambers of the U.S. Capitol that business as usual isn't acceptable in the treacherous energy and economic climate our nation faces.

The Daily Journal and other newspapers reported Wednesday that steadily climbing food and energy prices shoved consumer prices during June at one of the fastest rates since the early 1980s.

A 1.1 percent rise between May and June was almost double the rate of April-May and helped pushed consumer costs up by 5 percent since June 2007.

The only higher rise since 1982 was in September 2005, immediately after Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of the Gulf Coast, interrupting oil extraction and transportation.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that consumer prices rose 5.5 percent for the first half of the year, measured on a seasonally adjusted basis, compared to 4.1 percent in 2007. The rate increase annualized is 7.9 percent.

Wicker's office released a letter he sent to Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., urging that the recess not be taken so that Congress can focus on energy legislation. Cochran's office said late Wednesday, "Sen. Cochran agrees that the Senate should act now on comprehensive energy legislation."

Childers said Tuesday night in an interview with reporters that he supports skipping the recess for work on energy policy and has made the request in a letter to House leaders.

All three men, it should be noted, are running in the November general election.

Plenty of partisan blame will be thrown around during the general election campaigns nationwide, but we believe the people are more interested in effective bipartisan action than partisan rhetoric.

Disapproval ratings for Congress are even higher than those for President Bush.

People want progress rather than more of the same old, same old.

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