WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA), a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce and Natural Resources Committees, released a statement in anticipation of the President’s State of the Union Address, the contents of which have been made available on the White House website this afternoon.  Rep. Markey specifically targeted the energy and fuel economy portions of the speech as insufficient to lead the nation towards energy independence and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Rep. Markey also addressed other areas of the President’s speech tonight.

Energy and Fuel Economy Standards

“The United States should be the Shepherd leading the world on energy independence and global warming policy – not the black sheep of the world community. 

“Our problem in dealing with the Bush Administration is that when they want to send troops to fight for oil, they do that whether or not they have the authority.  But when it comes to reducing the need for that oil, suddenly they're concerned about legal authority -- even though there's been a law on the books since 1975 that clearly allows them to increase fuel economy standards.  Whether it is torture of suspected terrorists, wiretapping Americans or ignoring laws passed by Congress, the Bush Administration has no regard for the limits of their statutory authority.  Apparently, their view on limited Presidential powers is limited to fuel economy standards. It is a convenient excuse for the White House to pretend not to have this authority because they simply don’t want to do anything that would put special interests on the hot seat.”

“The fuel economy portion of the proposal the President has unveiled tonight is a long overdue first step, amounting to an ‘assumption’ of a 5% reduction of projected highway vehicle oil use by 2017.  But while the President has mandated a specific target for the renewable fuels portion of his energy plan, he has not made a similar mandate that the fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks WILL improve by 4% each year. He has merely ‘assumed’ that this is what the Secretary of Transportation will do with his new authority.”

The President will say, “Congress Should Not Legislate A Particular Numeric Fuel Economy Standard. The Secretary of Transportation should be given the authority to set the fuel standard, based on cost/benefit analysis, using sound science, and without impacting safety.”

“That is exactly the kind of uncertainly that makes it impossible for manufacturers to move ahead.  This president can’t have it both ways.  If he wants credit for proposing improvements in fuel economy of 4% a year, then he should propose a numeric standard that prevents backsliding.  Congress is not going to fill this huge doughnut hole in energy policy only to have the Department of Transportation remove it.  The National Academy of Sciences demonstrated 5 years ago that this could be done, even before hybrid engines made that plain to every American driver.  As long as Congress mandates this savings, the auto companies will have the certainty they need.”

“I will soon introduce my fuel economy legislation that WILL guarantee that every year, cars and light trucks WILL have to improve their fuel economy standards by at least 4%.  By 2022, my bill would displace all the oil we import from the Persian Gulf.”

Defense and Iraq

The President is expected to call for an increase in the active-duty Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 soldiers and marines (65,000 soldiers, 27,000 marines). And the President can be expected to defend his plan to increase U.S. troop levels in Iraq by 21,500.

“With his war of choice in Iraq decreasing our military’s preparedness every day, President Bush has been a terrible steward of America’s national defense.  The President’s plan to escalate in Iraq by sending thousands of new troops is a profound error, and the overwhelmingly negative response that he has received from both parties in the Congress as well as from the American people shows that a national consensus exists demanding a new direction in Iraq.  President Bush continues to give us more of the same failed strategy.”

Health Plan

“The crisis in our health care system will be made even worse by the President’s proposal tonight.  His health tax plan could encourage employers to downgrade their health plan options or even drop coverage altogether.  It threatens the health care coverage of those who currently have it without helping those who can’t get health insurance now.

“The President’s plan to take away billions of critical Medicaid dollars from hospitals and other providers that care for uninsured and low-income patients should concern Americans too. Dramatic cuts to institutions that care for the most vulnerable in our society can unravel the delicate health care safety-net and leave patients without care. Encouraging states to expand health care coverage is a noble goal, but it should not come at the expense of the most vulnerable that Medicaid must serve.”