Greenwich Post - August 13, 2008
By Chipp Reid
Calling it the first of many, 4th District U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays went to Shelton Monday to play host to a “Community Energy Forum” at which alternate fuel ideas and heating assistance programs were the main topics.
Shays told the small group — nine in total — at the Shelton Community Center that the forum “was simply a trial. We want to hold many more of these at night and on the weekends to get the word out about conservation and the programs that are available to you.”
Mr. Shays’ district includes the Huntington section of Shelton as well as all of Fairfield County From Oxford and Redding to Ridgefield and Greenwich.
Representatives of the United Way Infoline (2-1-1), United Illuminating, the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, TEAM Inc. of Derby, Operation Fuel and the Waterbury chapter of Neighborhood Housing Services also attended the forum.
The 11-term Republican said he backs President George W. Bush’s call for offshore oil drilling as a way to bridge the period between fossil fuel dependence and the emergence of true alternative fuel options.
“I’ve always viewed our oil reserves as a precious savings account,” he said. “Ultimately alternative fuels are the way to go, but until then, we need to drill off our coast.”
Mr. Shays said despite environmental group protestations, oil drilling rigs are not the cause of “major oil spills.”
“Major spills occur in transport — from barges and tankers,” he said. “They don’t happen as often or nearly as large in pipelines. Plus, natural gas just dissolves in the air. It doesn’t clog our beaches.”
He pointed to Canada as an example of how to properly manage and use offshore oil and gas deposits.
“They drill for oil off Newfoundland and for gas off Nova Scotia,” he said. “Geologists believe the deposits go all the way down to South Carolina, but the drilling stops right at the border. This year, 1 million homes in the Northeast will heat with Canadian gas. There is no reason they shouldn’t use American gas.”
Mr. Shays also said American consumers must change their ways of using energy.
“There is so much waste,” he said. “When I fly across the country, it’s completely lit up. There is no reason why we can’t have solar-powered street lights.”
The Republican also called for increased use of nuclear power and said clean coal technology was an energy of the future. “Right now it has a carbon footprint,” he said, “but that will change in the very near future.”
Shays told the groups he believes one of the drivers behind the rapid spike in oil prices was a “speculative market.” He stressed the need to adopt tougher regulations among automakers, again blaming Congress for its lack of initiative on adopting stricter miles-per-gallon averages.
“In the current energy bill, I wanted SUVs, minivans and pickup trucks to have a 40 mpg standard by 2016. Unfortunately, Congress decided to water that down and make it 35 mpg by 2020,” he said. “We’re way behind Europe, which is imposing 48 mpg by 2012.”
Mr. Shays, who is seeking re-election, opened his remarks by castigating the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives for going on vacation without first voting on a new energy bill.
“If we had had a vote on an energy bill, one that would have mandated energy reductions, I believe the speculative market [price] would drop by 15% to 30%,” he said. “Unfortunately, my attempts to bring the energy bill to vote didn’t work.”
The Congressman also told the group of his own measures to conserve energy.
“In our house we put in new insulation in the attic roof and a more efficient heating system, and our energy efficiency went from 60% to 90%,” he said.
As for programs to help lower- and moderate-income families meet high heating bills, Mr. Shays said he is fighting for increased federal funding for state programs.
“Last year we got Connecticut $57.8 million, and this year we want to double it,” he said. The 2007 funding helped 86,000 households, Mr. Shays said. He also said he is pushing for a one-time tax credit of $500 for homeowners who heat with oil.
“Everyone is feeling the pain,” Mr. Shays said. “It’s a huge challenge that we have to face together.”
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