Recently, in an op-ed piece,Bill Shuster outlined his energy policy.

When Congressman Bill Shuster advises voters to blame Congress for gas prices, we agree. Congress is to blame for much of the present situation. The point raises one question; Mr. Shuster, aren’t you a member of Congress?

Bill Shuster wants to blame Congress for its inability to act but when Congress did act; it was Bill Shuster standing in the way. The voters should remember that Bill Shuster, as recently as this past February, voted against the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008, (roll call vote #84 on 02/27/08).

In 2005, Bill Shuster voted to send $2.6 Billion of your tax dollars to oil companies, (HR 6, Vote #445 on 7/28/05).
The voters should also be aware that, over the course of his career, Bill Shuster has gladly pocketed thousands of dollars of oil money, some $53,000 according to opensecrets.org. Perhaps this might explain why Mr. Shuster voted against stopping oil company price gouging, (HR 3402, vote #500 on 9/28/05).
Bill Shuster wants to drill our way out of the hole we’re in. Sadly, there is no real evidence that more drilling will do anything to solve our energy woes, at least not in the short term.
“When it comes to the price of oil, politics don’t trump economics”, says Bill Shuster. We agree.
“Obviously, if you do offshore drilling now it’s not going to give any short term help on the supply of oil,” said Paul A. Samuelson, a professor of economics at MIT and winner of the 1970 Nobel Prize in Economics. “That’s far away.”
“Getting oil from the tundra and arctic isn’t going to solve the problem,” Samuelson said, adding that the potential for environmental damage needs to be factored in as well.

“Drilling offshore to lower oil prices is like walking an extra 20 feet per day to lose weight,” said David Sandalow, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and author of Freedom from Oil. “It’s just not going to make much difference.”

It takes years to bring new oil wells online, said Mike Rodgers, a leading oil expert with PFC Energy in Washington. Companies need to drill exploratory wells, then discovery wells around the exploratory wells that show promise. Shipyards that build platforms, a two to three year endeavor, are already booked solid.
“It’s foolish to sell it as a short-term solution to high gas prices,” Rodgers said. “Opening off-shore drilling would have no impact whatsoever on gas prices today.”
Politifact.com’s truth-o-meter calls the Bush/Shuster argument, that drilling will help oil prices, false.
Bill Shuster talks about “coal to liquid fuel” technologies and we think that has some merit but here’s a question. How do we get the coal out of the ground when Bill Shuster keeps opposing mine safety legislation?

Bill Shuster voted against safety standards for miners twice; on 1/17/08, roll call vote #10. He also voted against The Combustible Dust Explosion and Fire Prevention Act, roll call vote #233 on 4/30/08.

All of a sudden, Bill Shuster is interested in energy, or is he?
Recently, Bill Shuster claims to have introduced (past tense) “The Energy Independence Act” to Congress on the previous Thursday, which would be Thursday the 26th of June, 2008.
As of this writing; according to the Congressional Record, as published on the Library of Congress Website (loc.gov), there is no evidence that Bill Shuster introduced any bill, sponsored any bill or co-sponsored any bill on Thursday the 26th of June, 2008. In fairness, these records are often amended later so it is possible that he did but the Library of Congress website is usually pretty good about such details.

Rather than cow-tow to the Saudis and the Oil Companies, Tony Barr is working for working people, offering real solutions for our energy problems. Tony Barr’s energy policy can be read on his campaign website at tonybarr2008.com.

http://tonybarr2008.com/index.php?option=com_conte…

Tony’s ideas for energy include but are not limited to the following: a) offer no-cost loans to homeowners to update windows, doors, and insulation b) institute “feebates” to make the purchase of high mileage vehicles more affordable c) develop a rural mass transportation system

If and when Bill Shuster (himself and not an aide) actually does show up in Somerset, ask him if he’s ready to debate the topic, we await his answer.