Last week, Rear Admiral [Ret.] James J. Carey took to the pages of the Richmond Times-Dispatch to underscore the national security threats posed by a nationwide, one-size-fits-all low carbon fuel standard (LCFS). As you may recall, Adm. Carey writes this in his column “LCFS: A Great Blow to American Security”:
Of all the current and future components of the Senate cap-and-trade bill, no provision stands at greater odds with that imperative than an infrequently mentioned policy proposal known as the Low-Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). Added initially to the House’s version of cap-and-trade, some in Congress are chafing for its inclusion in the Senate version expected to be debated later this fall. If successfully added, an LCFS would initiate a direct and systematic assault on the energy and economic security of this nation.
An LCFS, if passed, would erode our present situation even more than it currently is. And it would render our country, and those who both live in it and have spent their lives defending it, less secure as a result.
And over the weekend, Consumer Energy Alliance’s vice president Michael Whatley – a low carbon fuel standard expert – penned a column in the Hampton Roads Daily Press. Under the headline “Low-carbon fuel standards would cost Virginians,” Whatley writes this:
The Western refinery in Yorktown is situated on some of the most patriotic real estate in the country. You don’t need me to run through the history; you know what was won there, what was forever lost, and what sort of mission-critical infrastructure it — and the entire Hampton Roads area — supports today.
But would you believe that most of the oil processed at the Yorktown facility comes from Brazil? Of course, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that — Brazil is one of America’s closest trading partners. We’re so close, in fact, that President Barack Obama’s national security adviser announced this summer that the U.S. government would be investing $10 billion in Brazil’s offshore energy exploration program.
Unfortunately, a new policy being advanced in Congress known as the low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) threatens to cut off a critical energy supply source that Virginians — both civilian and military — depend on for high-quality, affordable fuel. Brazilian crude doesn’t have any more carbon in it than other forms of oil. It doesn’t emit more carbon dioxide when refined into gasoline and used in our engines. But it does take a bit more energy to bring to market. And if you’re a proponent of an LCFS, that’s grounds for immediate exile.
Whatley adds this:
Most Americans have never heard of an LCFS — and that’s the way it will stay, if all goes according to plan. With all the attention being paid right now to cap-and-trade, advocates are hoping that the marquee isn’t big enough to include a statement on the perils of an LCFS.
But now you know: An LCFS means higher prices at the pump, fewer good-paying jobs for Virginians, and expanded dependence on foreign, unstable regimes for the energy we need to run this country.
Secure Our Fuels is continuing its public outreach and educational efforts as the Senate moves forward with its consideration of global warming legislation. In fact, this week radio advertisements began running in Tennessee urging voters and concerned citizens to contact US Senator Lamar Alexander – who has long supported an LCFS, but appears recently to be rethinking his stance – and ask him to oppose a job-killing low carbon fuel mandate that would weaken our energy security and increase our dangerous dependence on unstable regions of the world for our energy.
Here is the script of that ad:
In international news, Communist China continues to buy up North American energy reserves. China is already working with Cuba to drill just 90 miles off our coast, and has now inked a deal to secure vast supplies of Canadian oil – oil that could have come to the U.S.
China is buying all the North American energy it can get. Remarkably, our own Congress appears to be in on the deal – pushing a Low-Carbon Fuel Standard that can ban Canadian oil from crossing our border, making it easier for China to buy up to 2 million barrels per day from our own backyard.
A Low-Carbon Fuel Standard would increase our dependence on foreign regimes, and reward China with even more access to North American supplies. What’s Congress thinking?
Call Senator Alexander at 615-736-5129. Tell him to oppose Low-Carbon Fuel Standards and fight for North American energy security.
[...] Congress needs to resist adding an LCFS to current climate legislation. Sure, it’d be loser for America’s security. Sure, it wouldn’t do a thing to reduce global carbon emissions. But in this climate, jobs are [...]