Burns likelier than Tester to favor traditional energy sources

HELENA - Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jon Tester has staked a good chunk of his political reputation on his support for alternative energy, like wind power.

But when you hear his opponent, U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., talk energy policy these days, the two often sound the same.

Burns, long seen as a reliable friend of the oil and gas industry, is touting his work on alternative energy, noting that the 2005 federal energy bill contained vital incentives to boost wind power.

"We would not have the windmills going up in Montana had it not been for our work in that energy bill," says Burns. "Nothing moved until we got those (tax) credits for wind."

It's true that the 150-megawatt wind farm near Judith Gap - Montana's first major wind farm, which opened last year couldn't have happened without the energy bill's extension of federal tax credits.

But it's also true that Burns remains a stout defender of the oil and gas industry, saying its recent profits are "not that high" and that it, too, needs incentives to help expand exploration, pipelines and refining capacity.

"As our population grows and there's more demand for transportation fuels, we have to have a way to keep up with that demand," he says.

In fact, the attitudes of Tester and Burns toward the oil and gas industry may be the chief difference in their view on energy policy.

Tester, a state senator and farmer from Big Sandy, doesn't hesitate to take shots at big oil, saying he doesn't see why the industry needs a litany of tax breaks while it's been charging record high prices for fuel in America and raking in record profits.

"At the very minimum, we ought to review the tax breaks we give to big oil," he says. "It doesn't make any sense. Those tax breaks have to be made up by somebody else."

When it comes to energy, Tester calls for more emphasis on conservation and fostering of renewable power like wind, biodiesel and ethanol.

Developing these types of power can help wean America from foreign oil, spur the economy in rural Montana, and even put downward pressure on motor fuel prices, he says.

Tester sponsored the 2005 law that requires Montana utilities to have a minimum level of renewable power and says he wants to do the same for the nation. Republicans say this law hasn't done much yet, and that it also required the power regardless of cost, possibly leading to higher costs for consumers.

Tester says renewable energy will prove and has proven to be affordable, and that his bill merely created a market to get renewable energy off the ground.

"If we have the federal (wind) energy tax credit, it makes the power very, very competitive," he says. "I think it's a win for the consumer."

Tester's energy record has come under further fire from Republicans, who say he's a poser who spent more time as a legislator voting against energy development than supporting it.

They point to his several votes against Republican-sponsored bills to promote coal development and electric power plants. Tester acknowledges these votes, but says he opposed some of the bills because they did not guarantee that Montanans would get low-cost power from the subsidized, coal-fired plants.

Burns is a staunch supporter of coal, oil and natural gas development in Montana, and says incentives in the 2005 energy bill will help all three - including of coal-to-liquid technology, which uses coal to manufacture diesel fuel.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer is a big promoter of the technology, and Burns says Montana "has a great future in terms of gasification of our coal."

Burns also frequently mentions that the energy bill also has incentives for ethanol, wind power, biodiesel and other renewable energy: "There was more emphasis put on alternatives and renewables than any bill we ever passed."

When asked about oil industry profits, Burns says the industry is simply getting a proper return on risky, expensive investments.

"If you look at (their) return on investment, it's not that high," he says. "It's just the volume of money that they handle. It sounds like a lot of money, but they handle a heck of a lot of money."

Burns also is a big recipient of oil industry-related contributions to his campaign - more than $550,000 so far in his 18-year Senate career - although that's still just a fraction of his overall campaign receipts of $15 million.

Burns says oil-industry political committees, executives and employees give to him because they agree with his political philosophy.

"They're pretty much free-marketers," he says. "It's private enterprise. It's competition in the marketplace. Philosophically, we're in the same place."

Tester, who says he's very much in favor of "responsible natural resource development," has made it clear he doesn't intend to be a darling of the oil and gas industry or other energy industry giants.

"What we have now is an energy policy written by multinational corporations," he says. "We have a tremendous opportunity for renewable energy and I support it."