Bosse Tackles Pork in Energy Bill

“50 Days, 50 Ways” Looks for Efficient Energy Policy

(Hillsboro) Republican Grant Bosse today focused his “50 Days, 50 Ways to Cut Federal Spending” Initiative on energy policy, targeting three programs that waste taxpayer dollars while interfering with the energy marketplace. Bosse’s Comprehensive Energy Plan would remove Congressional interference in energy research, and provide incentive-based support for real energy breakthroughs. Bosse recommends cutting the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, the Energy Star Program, and the Office of Surface Mining Coal Reclamation Grants, saving taxpayers $278 million a year.

“Congress should not decide where America will get its energy over the next century. Congress should level the playing field so that the most efficient new sources of energy have a chance to prosper,” Bosse said. “By funneling federal support to cherry-picked projects like the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, Congress makes it harder for inventors and entrepreneurs to make real breakthroughs that will help make America energy independent.”

The Hydrogen Research Initiative spends $183 million a year to research using hydrogen as a fuel source for automobiles. The Energy Star Program costs $75 million a year, and the Office of Surface Mining Coal Reclamation Grants spends $20 million a year, and has more than doubled over the past two years.

“Producing hydrogen for automotive use loses 75-percent of its energy, and can actually increase fossil fuel consumption depending on how the hydrogen is made. Why should Congress push us towards hydrogen cars when more efficient alternatives are available?” Bosse asked. “We need to get Congress out of the way if we’re going to make America energy independent.”

To date, Bosse has proposed more than $10.4 billion in taxpayer savings by eliminating unnecessary federal programs. To learn more about Bosse’s aggressive grassroots campaign, go to www.Bosse2008.com.