Dianne Feinstein

June 17, 2008 -- “There are some who believe that the only solution to our skyrocketing energy crisis is to drill, drill, and drill. And one of their primary targets is the Outer Continental Shelf.

Congress chose to protect these federal waters from oil exploitation in 1981. And Congress has voted to renew that ban every year since then.

Offshore oil drilling rig: Photo by Beau Wade (CC)

But today, these federal protections are under attack.

Let me be clear: lifting the moratoria is a false promise and an unnecessary risk.    » read more »

June 17, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today testified before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on National Parks on the Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park Wilderness Act, legislation she introduced to protect nearly 115,000 acres of pristine public land within the Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park as wilderness. The bill is cosponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

Sequoias at Sequoia National Park, California: Photo by Phil (CC)    » read more »

June 16, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Today, the Senate adopted a resolution by Senator Barbara Boxer and Senator Dianne Feinstein (both D-CA) honoring the life of Robert Mondavi, a pioneer of the California wine industry who passed away in May at the age of 94.

Mondavi wine barrels: Photo by IanL (CC)    » read more »

Measure would level the playing field in energy futures markets

June 13, 2008 -- Washington, DC – In the wake of growing concerns about the impact of speculation, U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) have introduced legislation to require the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to impose the same position limits on institutional investors to which other investors now are subject. This legislation would essentially level the playing field in energy futures markets.

Under current law, CFTC is required to impose speculation limits on the size of energy trader positions. However, in practice, CFTC regularly exempts institutional investors from position limits, when investors execute their trades through brokers or dealers.    » read more »

June 12, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, introduced legislation today to increase the resources and authority of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The CFTC is the federal agency responsible for regulating oil and commodity futures markets. The legislation is cosponsored by Senators Harry Reid (D-NV), Carl Levin (D-MI), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM).    » read more »

Senators push to put a ‘cop on the beat’ to crack down on manipulation and excessive speculation

June 12, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) today introduced, along with Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), the Close the London Loophole Act, [PDF] which would ensure that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has the same authority to detect, prevent, and punish manipulation and excessive speculation for traders in the United States who trade crude U.S. oil or other energy commodities on foreign commodity exchanges as the CFTC has for traders who trade on U.S. exchanges.    » read more »

Senator Feinstein Joins Democratic Senators, Labor and Business Leaders to Discuss Efforts to Create Green Jobs and Protect Middle-Class from Rising Energy Costs

June 3, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today joined Democratic Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Bob Casey (D-N.J.) at a news conference with labor and business leaders to discuss the need for comprehensive climate change legislation.

The Lieberman-Warner legislation now under consideration on the floor of the United States Senate, the “Climate Security Act of 2008,” will help create green jobs and protect Middle-class Americans from rising energy costs – while helping to prevent catastrophic climate change.    » read more »

Senators Feinstein and Leahy and Representative McGovern Introduce Joint Resolution Calling on the United States to Sign International Treaty Banning Cluster Bombs

June 3, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and Representative James P. McGovern (D-Mass.) today introduced a joint resolution calling on the United States to sign on to a new treaty to ban the vast majority of cluster munitions.

The resolution specifically calls on the United States to “embrace efforts to protect innocent civilians from cluster munitions and sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions when it becomes open for signature in December 2008.”    » read more »

May 23, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today called on California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to push the parties responsible for perchlorate pollution in the Rialto-Colton Basin to pay for water replacement, until the cleanup of the contaminated water in the area has been completed.

The responsible parties in the Inland Empire include: Goodrich Corporation, America Promotional Events, Inc. - West, County of San Bernardino, Emhart Industries/Black & Decker, PyroSpectaculars, Inc. and Zambelli Fireworks Manufacturing Co.    » read more »

May 22, 2008 -- “Simply put, I cannot vote for another $165 billion to give President Bush a blank check and fund the continuation of the war in Iraq, without condition, for over another year.

This is a difficult decision and not one I take lightly. But I believe that the time has come for Congress to exercise the power of the purse and bring this war to a conclusion.

US Army soldier, Kirkuk, Iraq: Photo by soldiersmediacenter (CC)

I am a strong supporter of our troops in the field. They have done a tremendous job under difficult circumstances. They weren’t greeted as liberators as Vice President Cheney said they would be.    » read more »

May 21, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today announced that the Committee approved S. 2555, “The Reducing Global Warming Pollution from Vehicles Act of 2008,” a bill that instructs the President to sign the California waiver so that California and other states can proceed with laws to improve air quality problems from cars.

On December 19, 2007, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson denied California’s request for the waiver – the first time in history that EPA had ever denied outright a request from California for a waiver to do more to cut air pollution.    » read more »

May 20, 2008 -- “My heart dropped when I heard the news about Senator Kennedy.

On behalf of all Californians, I send him and the entire Kennedy family my sincere wishes for a speedy recovery. They are in our thoughts and prayers.

There is reason for optimism. He has great physicians, a loving and beautiful wife in Vicki, and the indomitable Kennedy spirit.

I look forward to the day when Senator Kennedy is back on the Senate floor, giving one of his famous stem-winder speeches. I hope that day will be soon.”

Source: Senator Dianne Feinstein

Senate votes to block measure to drill in ANWR and off California’s Coast; Halt shipments to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve

May 13, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) voted on two key energy votes in the Senate today. The measures were introduced as amendments to the Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act, which was approved by the Senate today.

* Senator Feinstein voted against opening up ANWR and drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California. The amendment, which was offered by Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), failed by a vote of 42-56.    » read more »

Bill would limit speculation in oil trading and close loophole for trades on foreign exchanges using U.S. terminals

May 8, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today introduced the Oil Trading Transparency Act to ensure that energy commodities traded on foreign exchanges using trading terminals located within the United States are subject to the same speculative trading limits and reporting requirements as energy commodities traded on U.S. exchanges.    » read more »

May 8, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) today urged the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to ensure adequate market protections for the trading of U.S. energy future contracts on international markets.

Oil refinery at sunset: Photo by LinBow (CC)

Senators Feinstein and Snowe have been the lead sponsors of legislation to help prevent manipulation, excessive speculation and fraud in electronic energy markets. Since 2000, the trading of electronic commodities, like oil or natural gas, has been exempt from federal regulation under the so-called “Enron Loophole.”    » read more »