Editorial: Ensign takes high road on stalled energy bill

Friday, Jan. 16, 2004 | 8:45 a.m.

We agreed with every criticism that Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., unleashed against the energy bill last year as Congress debated its merits. Ensign noted that the bill, crafted in secret by Vice President Dick Cheney and representatives from private energy corporations, had numerous flaws. We agreed that the bill is laden with unnecessary spending and that its huge subsidies for the nuclear power industry are highly objectionable -- particularly when the plan for deadly nuclear waste is to dump it at Yucca Mountain in Southern Nevada.

We were concerned, however, when Ensign voted on Nov. 21 to end the Senate's filibuster of the bill. Passed easily by the House, the bill would have passed in the Senate, too, if not for the filibuster, which is supported by Nevada's Democratic Sen. Harry Reid. Fortunately, the move to end the filibuster came up short by three votes. This week Ensign said that he will not support any new efforts to break the filibuster and will work against the energy bill in all ways available to him. We agree with his new stand and respect him for making a difficult decision to part with the sizable majority in his party in order to work for what is best for both Nevada and the country's energy future.