"SHOOT THIS TURKEY: The energy bill is a pork laden industry payoff that promotes yesterday’s technology; scars sensitive landscapes, and pushes America further into a budget deficit. It’s a turkey. Senators can talk from now through pumpkin pie next Thursday, and this bill isn’t getting any better. They should vote it down. Sen. Pete Domenici (R, NM) who helped shape the final bill, rightly confessed last week that “as soon as you start reading the language, we’re duck soup.” What worried him? Maybe the $23.5 billion in tax breaks to fossil fuel interests. Or payoffs to farm states through ethanol subsidies. Or the grab bag of goodies to buy individual votes. Perhaps it’s because republicans punted instead of tackling the long term reliability of the nation’s electrical grid. And gave a “get out of jail free” card to makers of MTBE, which has polluted the water supply of 1,500 communities. Domenici spent much of yesterday sidestepping tough questions on the Senate floor. He absurdly claimed this omnibus bill was Congress’ sole chance to address energy issues—as if the issues couldn’t come up again in separate bills, as they should have in the first place. This bill isn’t good energy, fiscal or environmental policy. It pits region versus region—with the Northeast have the least to gain and the most to lose. Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware’s senators should do what’s right for their states. Vote no on it. " (Philadelphia Inquirer’s position)