News
Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
A decent start on energy
A Times Editorial
Published December 18, 2007
Acomprehensive energy reform bill was whittled down to a decent fuel-efficiency bill on its way to passage in the U.S. Senate. The bill requires a substantial improvement in mileage standards for cars, from a current average of about 25 miles per gallon to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. If the House agrees and President Bush signs the bill into law as expected, America could lessen its dependence on foreign oil, though not end it.
Two other provisions in the bill that would have made a bigger dent in oil consumption were stripped out in the face of powerful opposition. The oil industry preserved more than $10-billion in tax breaks that would have paid for the development of alternative fuels. And the utility industry shot down a proposal that would have required it to generate 15 percent of electricity using renewable fuels.
Yet Congress didn't fold to the automobile industry this time. The 40 percent increase in fuel economy, which will apply to SUVs and pickup trucks as well, is an important step forward. The new mileage standard, when fully implemented, will cut oil imports from the Persian Gulf in half and save consumers $22-billion a year in fuel costs, the Union of Concerned Scientists reported. By any measure, such savings are significant.
It's too bad congressional Republicans and Bush stopped further reform. Utilities will need to move away from their heavy reliance on coal and oil to generate electricity if the nation is to effectively reduce greenhouse gases linked to climate change. And the oil industry could have afforded a tax increase on its record profits.
Two other controversial provisions remain in the Senate bill: more money for biofuel production, particularly ethanol, and nuclear power. Increased ethanol production from corn could send food prices even higher, and nuclear energy needs to resolve rising construction costs and spent-fuel disposal issues. And since the Senate let the oil industry keep its tax breaks, there is no obvious source of revenue to pay for new initiatives.
Still, considering how dysfunctional Washington politicians have been on solving the difficult issues of the day, an imperfect energy bill is better than none at all. The quickest, most effective way to cure our addiction to foreign oil is through improved car mileage. The Senate bill is a sound start on that effort. The House and Bush should quickly concur before any of them change their minds.
[Last modified December 17, 2007, 21:57:34]
Share your thoughts on this story
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Letter to the editor