Peak government

Last Modified: Friday, August 20, 2010 at 10:52 p.m.

For years, those pushing so-called “alternative” fuels have used fears about “peak oil” to explain the need for developing new energy resources. A favorite tactic of the alternative energy crowd involves screeching that oil is running out, supplies have “peaked” and are declining, and that oil has no future. While “peak oil” is hotly contested, there’s arguably another theory worthy of discussion: “peak government.” This theory postulates that it is, in fact, government on the downside of the effectiveness curve; and that it has passed the peak of its value, is damaging the future of the country, and will continue to do so unless federal policy changes.

New FOX News poll results, released August 12, indicate that, by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, Americans think the federal government is too big. This is hardly surprising as previous polls have indicated the same. However, this poll asks a pointed question regarding whether or not respondents believe the size of government is “hurting the future of the country.” Their resounding yes, in light of the specificity of the question, carries a bit more weight.

Also, according to the poll, these same respondents believe that government is so large that the many agencies have difficulty communicating with one another, that there are an unhealthy amount of contradictory laws and regulations, and that government is growing at the expense of private sector jobs.

Thankfully, the August Congressional recess caps the growth in the immediate. But members made sure, before leaving town, to pass legislation that would appear to meet what seems to be their overall goal of larger government.

Just before leaving town, the House passed the “Spill Bill.” Fortunately the clock ran out before the Senate could get to their version. Reports indicate the Senate will begin deliberating sometime between mid-September and November—giving limited-government advocates time to spread the word.

What is generally referred to as the Spill Bill is actually the current incarnation of the energy bill, and still aims to capitalize on public anger over the Gulf Spill to further raise energy costs by creating new fees on oil and gas activity (read: a new tax) that will go toward unrelated measures such as Cash for Caulkers.

The CLEAR Act — a misnomer for a bill based on fuzzy math and inaccurate science — as passed by the House will, again, increase the size of government while doing nothing new to ensure that an accident like the one that occurred in the Gulf never happens again.

In fact, the reasons for the Gulf spill include ignored safety regulations, and a lack of oversight from pre-existing government agencies who failed to enforce those regulations, despite BP’s alarmingly bad safety record. Those regulations weren’t enforced. Adding more does not ensure enforcement or guarantee future safety.

What the spill bill will guarantee is bigger government. It creates three new entities from the old Minerals Management Service, and adds an extra layer to mineral leasing on Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands. Leasing authority is moved away from BLM to the new MMS leasing agency. If the existing agencies don’t communicate now, how do more rules help improve things?

During the inspection of the Deep Water Horizon disaster, it was discovered that the riser disconnect mechanism—a key component of the disaster — was never inspected. The Coast Guard said inspection fell to the MMS, while the MMS pointed back saying it was the Coast Guard’s responsibility. No one is taking responsibility, further indicating a lack of communication between the offices.

Then there are the jobs. Obviously, the spill bill will create more government jobs as the new agencies are created, but it will permanently end the thousands of high-paying jobs for the rig workers who’ve contributed to the vibrant economy in the Gulf states. This job loss will cut the tax-base there and reduce federal income tax revenues.

Senators and congressmen have come home for the recess. Citizens can strike while their representatives are in-state and make their voices heard on how they feel about the rapidly bloating government and the effort to make energy more expensive in America.

Marita Noon is the executive director of Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy, the New Mexico nonprofit organization advocating citizens’ right to energy that is abundant, available and affordable. Find out more at


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