Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Political Theater & The Energy Bill

Did they really drive the Energy Bill from Capitol Hill to the White House in a Prius? And did you catch Joe Barton's comments (sour grapes?) about how any car that meets the 35 mpg standard is going to cost an extra $10,000?

Welcome to Congressional Theatrics 101.

When you cut through all of the rhetoric, Bush is going to sign it and-- if you believe the policy wonks/politcal hacks, the bill will reduce energy use by 7% and carbon dioxide emissions by 9% in 2030. We'll see.

One thing is for sure, there was the traditional genuflection at the altar of ethanol: the bill requires a fivefold increase -- to 36 billion gallons -- in the amount of alternative home-grown fuels, such as ethanol, that must be added to the nation's gasoline supply by 2022. I guess this bill isn't so different after all.

Energy bill boosts fuel-economy standards [Los Angeles Times]