A day in the life.
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I read the news today, oh boy
--The Beatles
Wednesday, 4pm: Talk with boss at News-Press. Ask about covering House energy bill. Told not to worry about it, will be picked up from wires.
Thursday, 9:30am: Return call of press secretary for local congresswoman (Capps). Tell her I won't be covering energy bill, nor her boss's failed attempts to introduce a high-profile ammendment removing MTBE liability waiver language from the bill on Wednesday. Ask press secretary about other crap.
Thursday, 9:35am: Wonder why the press secretary was pressing non-news so strongly. Kind of strange.
Thursday, 9:36am: "I've got a bad feeling about this."
Thursday, 9:37am: Work on other crap (see 9:30am). Forget about "bad feeling," due to general memory ineptitude.
Thursday, 3:02pm: Hear Capp's name being thrown around on C-SPAN. Turn around in chair; watch screen. Congress is goin' bonkers! All hell breaks loose! Food fight!
'Turns out uber-liberal Capps pulled a fast one on the Republican-led Rules Committee, using their own 1995 Contract With America-era provision against them.
Basically, they have this Gingrinch-implemented "Motion to Strike on Unfunded Mandates" thing, where anyone can bring up an ammendment to change something if it amounts to an unfunded mandate imposed on local gov'ts.
Editor's note: [zzzzzz]
Well, the DeLay-led MTBE legal liability waiver was ruled an unfunded mandate, and the powerful Rules Committee forgot to say, "You can't make a motion to strike this, even though it's an unfunded mandate."
Editor's note: Dear god...
And two days ago, Capps had tried to introduce that ammendment through normal procedure. Well, she got the jump on EVERYONE, with this whole unfunded mandate thing. Suddenly, the House is forced to spend an hour debating and voting on her ammendment - a vote the majority blocked on Wednesday. Because the vote would be tight and they're scared. Shitless.
Editor's note: We're assuming this is interesting to you if a.) You're a C-SPAN fanatic, b.) You're unemployed (like Dickie'll be in six months), or c.) You've never kissed a girl.
Thursday, 3:10pm: Call deputy editor. Inform that Capps got the drop on Congress, and is currently hosting the "Lois Capps Show" on C-SPAN. Tell him, "It's actually pretty interesting if you're a C-SPAN fanatic, you're unemployed like I'll be in six months, or you've never kissed a girl. ...Uh, not that I think you haven't kissed a girl, [Mr. deputy managing editor]."
Thursday, 3:11.00pm: Deputy editor asks for copy. Then asks if I'd like to write the lead story on the energy bill.
Thursday, 3:11:30pm: Angina kicks in.
Thursday, 3:11:33pm: Try best to hide fear in voice. Answer, "Sure, of course."
Thursday, 3:13:14pm: Hang up phone.
Thursday, 3:13:15pm: Suffer Acute Myocardial Infarction
Thursday, 3:17pm: Resuscitated by classmates. Get up off floor. Run around newsroom, do my best McCauley Culkin in Home Alone impersonation.
Thursday, 3:30pm: Begin writing.
Anyways, here's the final product on yesterday's vote, which ran in today's paper.
Eh.
But hey, it's still a good lead clip to add to the collection.
*****************************
House vote approves energy bill
By DICKIE CRONKITE
NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
Approval in Senate -- which rejected a similar bill last year -- less likely
WASHINGTON -- The House passed a contentious $8.1 billion energy bill on Thursday that would allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, expand federal control over liquefied natural gas sites and offer liability waivers that protect MTBE manufacturers from lawsuits over contaminated groundwater.
House energy committee Chairman Joe Barton, R-Texas, called the measure a "balanced, bipartisan bill that will lower energy prices for consumers, spur our economy, create hundreds of thousands of jobs and take unprecedented steps to promote greater energy conservation and efficiency."
The bill passed on a 249-183 vote, with Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, voting for it and Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, voting against.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, bashed the bill, calling it anti-consumer and anti-environment. She said the measure would do nothing to stop rising gas prices, which are up about 42 cents from last year.
Ms. Pelosi also criticized the bill's nine-year phase-out of MTBE, saying that the gasoline additive should be eliminated immediately.
The bill would provide $8.1 billion in tax incentives, and Ms. Pelosi said that $7.5 billion of those incentives would go to the oil and gas industry, as opposed to alternative and renewable energy initiatives.
Scott McClellan, spokesman for President Bush, said the bill was largely consistent with the president's views and principles.
Mr. McClellan stressed the importance of easing the country's reliance on foreign energy sources, and said the bill effectively addresses environmental concerns and advances in alternative and renewable energy sources.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where approval is less certain. A similar bill was defeated in the Senate last year.
Mrs. Capps played a key role in the House debate over the liability waiver given to MTBE manufacturers. The waiver allows those companies to avoid paying damages for groundwater contamination caused by leaking underground gas tanks.
Mrs. Capps introduced an amendment that would have removed the waiver language. It failed on a 219-to-213 vote. Mr. Gallegly voted with the majority.
She sparred with Mr. Barton and another group of representatives, many from Texas, who argued that MTBE manufacturers were merely following a 1990 congressional mandate for better fuel emission standards. When added to gasoline, MTBE helps cars burn fuel more cleanly.
Documents released by the Environmental Working Group, a pro-environment research group, show that as early as 1980, Shell Oil Co. employees knew that MTBE would contaminate groundwater.
The energy bill would provide $2 billion over the next nine years for MTBE cleanup. The American Water Works Association, which represents 4,700 water systems across the country, estimates the cleanup costs at $29 billion.
Mr. Gallegly could not be reached for comment.
Dickie Cronkite writes from Washington, D.C., for Medill News Service. E-mail him at ******@newspress.com.
--The Beatles
Wednesday, 4pm: Talk with boss at News-Press. Ask about covering House energy bill. Told not to worry about it, will be picked up from wires.
Thursday, 9:30am: Return call of press secretary for local congresswoman (Capps). Tell her I won't be covering energy bill, nor her boss's failed attempts to introduce a high-profile ammendment removing MTBE liability waiver language from the bill on Wednesday. Ask press secretary about other crap.
Thursday, 9:35am: Wonder why the press secretary was pressing non-news so strongly. Kind of strange.
Thursday, 9:36am: "I've got a bad feeling about this."
Thursday, 9:37am: Work on other crap (see 9:30am). Forget about "bad feeling," due to general memory ineptitude.
Thursday, 3:02pm: Hear Capp's name being thrown around on C-SPAN. Turn around in chair; watch screen. Congress is goin' bonkers! All hell breaks loose! Food fight!
'Turns out uber-liberal Capps pulled a fast one on the Republican-led Rules Committee, using their own 1995 Contract With America-era provision against them.
Basically, they have this Gingrinch-implemented "Motion to Strike on Unfunded Mandates" thing, where anyone can bring up an ammendment to change something if it amounts to an unfunded mandate imposed on local gov'ts.
Editor's note: [zzzzzz]
Well, the DeLay-led MTBE legal liability waiver was ruled an unfunded mandate, and the powerful Rules Committee forgot to say, "You can't make a motion to strike this, even though it's an unfunded mandate."
Editor's note: Dear god...
And two days ago, Capps had tried to introduce that ammendment through normal procedure. Well, she got the jump on EVERYONE, with this whole unfunded mandate thing. Suddenly, the House is forced to spend an hour debating and voting on her ammendment - a vote the majority blocked on Wednesday. Because the vote would be tight and they're scared. Shitless.
Editor's note: We're assuming this is interesting to you if a.) You're a C-SPAN fanatic, b.) You're unemployed (like Dickie'll be in six months), or c.) You've never kissed a girl.
Thursday, 3:10pm: Call deputy editor. Inform that Capps got the drop on Congress, and is currently hosting the "Lois Capps Show" on C-SPAN. Tell him, "It's actually pretty interesting if you're a C-SPAN fanatic, you're unemployed like I'll be in six months, or you've never kissed a girl. ...Uh, not that I think you haven't kissed a girl, [Mr. deputy managing editor]."
Thursday, 3:11.00pm: Deputy editor asks for copy. Then asks if I'd like to write the lead story on the energy bill.
Thursday, 3:11:30pm: Angina kicks in.
Thursday, 3:11:33pm: Try best to hide fear in voice. Answer, "Sure, of course."
Thursday, 3:13:14pm: Hang up phone.
Thursday, 3:13:15pm: Suffer Acute Myocardial Infarction
Thursday, 3:17pm: Resuscitated by classmates. Get up off floor. Run around newsroom, do my best McCauley Culkin in Home Alone impersonation.
Thursday, 3:30pm: Begin writing.
Anyways, here's the final product on yesterday's vote, which ran in today's paper.
Eh.
But hey, it's still a good lead clip to add to the collection.
*****************************
House vote approves energy bill
By DICKIE CRONKITE
NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
Approval in Senate -- which rejected a similar bill last year -- less likely
WASHINGTON -- The House passed a contentious $8.1 billion energy bill on Thursday that would allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, expand federal control over liquefied natural gas sites and offer liability waivers that protect MTBE manufacturers from lawsuits over contaminated groundwater.
House energy committee Chairman Joe Barton, R-Texas, called the measure a "balanced, bipartisan bill that will lower energy prices for consumers, spur our economy, create hundreds of thousands of jobs and take unprecedented steps to promote greater energy conservation and efficiency."
The bill passed on a 249-183 vote, with Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, voting for it and Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, voting against.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, bashed the bill, calling it anti-consumer and anti-environment. She said the measure would do nothing to stop rising gas prices, which are up about 42 cents from last year.
Ms. Pelosi also criticized the bill's nine-year phase-out of MTBE, saying that the gasoline additive should be eliminated immediately.
The bill would provide $8.1 billion in tax incentives, and Ms. Pelosi said that $7.5 billion of those incentives would go to the oil and gas industry, as opposed to alternative and renewable energy initiatives.
Scott McClellan, spokesman for President Bush, said the bill was largely consistent with the president's views and principles.
Mr. McClellan stressed the importance of easing the country's reliance on foreign energy sources, and said the bill effectively addresses environmental concerns and advances in alternative and renewable energy sources.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where approval is less certain. A similar bill was defeated in the Senate last year.
Mrs. Capps played a key role in the House debate over the liability waiver given to MTBE manufacturers. The waiver allows those companies to avoid paying damages for groundwater contamination caused by leaking underground gas tanks.
Mrs. Capps introduced an amendment that would have removed the waiver language. It failed on a 219-to-213 vote. Mr. Gallegly voted with the majority.
She sparred with Mr. Barton and another group of representatives, many from Texas, who argued that MTBE manufacturers were merely following a 1990 congressional mandate for better fuel emission standards. When added to gasoline, MTBE helps cars burn fuel more cleanly.
Documents released by the Environmental Working Group, a pro-environment research group, show that as early as 1980, Shell Oil Co. employees knew that MTBE would contaminate groundwater.
The energy bill would provide $2 billion over the next nine years for MTBE cleanup. The American Water Works Association, which represents 4,700 water systems across the country, estimates the cleanup costs at $29 billion.
Mr. Gallegly could not be reached for comment.
Dickie Cronkite writes from Washington, D.C., for Medill News Service. E-mail him at ******@newspress.com.
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