Bush's and Beauprez's renewable energy Joke in Golden Color

http://www.progressnow.org/digest/audio/021406huttner760.mp3
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/21/bush.energyfunding/
Funds restored to energy lab before Bush visit Employees question timing of quick reversal in budget plans
Tuesday, February 21, 2006; Posted: 9:18 a.m. EST (14:18 GMT)
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, is getting back $5 million in funding.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On the eve of a presidential visit to a renewable energy lab in Colorado, the Department of Energy said it has transferred $5 million to the operation, which had funding cut and employees laid off this month due to budget shortfalls.
U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman transferred the money over the weekend to restore jobs at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, according to a department news release.
"The programs at NREL are critically important to realizing the president's vision to diversify and strengthen our nation's energy mix," Bodman said in the statement. "The action we are taking today will allow the dedicated employees at NREL to continue their work that will bring us great innovation in renewable energy technologies."
President Bush is scheduled to visit the lab Tuesday morning. On Monday, Bush touted hybrid cars, nuclear energy, ethanol and solar power during visits to energy research facilities in Michigan and Wisconsin. (Full story)
According to The Associated Press, 32 workers, including eight researchers, were laid off two weeks ago at the Colorado lab.
The restoration of funding left lab employees and renewable energy proponents puzzled about the motivation behind the decision.
"I'm still questioning why the budget cuts even happened or why the layoffs had to happen in the first place -- like how it can happen two or three weeks later they restore the money to the budget," said Tina Larney, an employee being rehired who works with state and local governments on energy initiatives.
"It makes me question ... the seriousness of the commitment [of] the administration and the government in Washington to renewable energies and moving the U.S. forward in our energy policy." ... (cont)

http://www.coloradolib.com/
Bush, Beauprez enjoy jerking us around The administration has made much hay out of the way it cut funding for the National Renewable Energy Labratory in Golden and then magically restored it the day before the President came to town.
But you knew it was a bunch of lies, right?
The Rocky Mountain News reports that the "National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden is getting only $5 million from the Department of Energy to offset its $28 million budget cut in fiscal 2006 - money that is barely sufficient to rehire the 32 employees it had laid off earlier this month."
Somewhere, our President is trying to rid himself of his pants, because they're on fire. The truth is that our President only cares about helping his Republican crony Bob Beauprez, who was embarrassed when it was disclosed that he voted for job cuts in his own district.

http://progressnow.org/digest/beaupreznrelresponse.pdf
February 20, 2006
On Tuesday, President Bush is due to visit the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden and Colorado Representative Bob Beauprez, who has NREL in his district, released an editorial1 this past Saturday that would have us believe that he is a champion of renewable energy. In the editorial, Beauprez sings his own praises for "applauding" President Bush's talk of interest in renewable energy. The facts, demonstrate, however, that Beauprez does nothing more than give lip-service to renewable energy himself.
Beauprez acquiesced in the President's 2006 budget which slashed key energy research funds, leading to a $28 million decrease in the budget for NREL. A Beauprez spokesman says the congressman did "try to protect the lab, but the effort came to naught." This appears to be a hollow claim in light of Beauprez's failure to join a group of over 100 bipartisan Representatives in signing a letter on November 8, 2005, urging the President to restore the funding to NREL.
Four times in the last year Beauprez seized the opportunity to vote in opposition to measures which favored renewable energy. The most flagrant of these was his vote on May 24, 2005, to block the authorization of $250 million for research, development, demonstration and deployment of new energy technologies. To add injury to insult, on April 21, 2005, Beauprez favored funding a research and development program for uranium mining, which would negatively affect the environment of New Mexico's Navajo population.
Beauprez's record over the last year presents a stark contrast to his editorial stance. Fifteen times Beauprez cast votes favoring the oil or energy industries over consumer and renewable energy concerns when provisions or amendments to The Energy Policy Act of 2005, and other bills, were introduced. A few of his worst votes in this area include voting to allow oil and gas exploration in the pristine Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and voting in favor of a provision which shields manufacturers of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), a fuel additive, from product liability lawsuits.
Beauprez also voted for a provision which directs the Secretary of the Interior to stop collecting royalty fees from oil and gas companies for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and he voted to end the moratorium against off-shore drilling for natural gas in the highly sensitive Outer Continental Shelf. Beauprez also voted to exempt drivers of oil and gas heavy equipment from the barely year-old change in hours of service standards which were enacted to increase safety on the nations highways (March 9, 2005).
This may come as no surprise as in 2004 Beauprez was one of the largest recipients of the millions of dollars given to candidates by the Oil and Gas Industry according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
While Beauprez is suddenly moved to talk the talk on renewable energy in order to increase his identity, his record speaks volumes more than his editorial posturing. Beauprez's efforts toward getting funds restored are, at best, closing the barn door after the horses have already fled.
1 See Rocky Mountain News Guest Editorial, February 18, 2006