from The Progressive:
Energy Bill Not Nearly Good EnoughDecember 19, 2007 By Matthew Rothschild
I don’t understand what all the cheering is about.
On December 18, the House overwhelmingly passed the energy bill, and Nancy Pelosi hailed it as “a moment of real change.” On December 19, President Bush signed the bill, claiming it "represents a major step forward."
Some environmental groups in the United States also praised it because it finally lifts the miles per gallon requirement on cars and trucks to 35.
This is the first increase since—if you can believe it—1985. Today, the standard is 27.5 miles per gallon for cars and 22.2 mpg for light trucks and SUVs.
No wonder global warming is galloping along.
We’ve done jack for more than two decades, even as the evidence of global warming has become irrefutable and the dangers so imminent.
And now I’m supposed to applaud this bill, which does nothing to require the utilities to use more renewable sources of energy, and does nothing to subsidize wind, solar, or geothermal?
And I’m supposed to applaud this bill for raising the fuel efficiency standards, even though the bill won’t require that change to be fully implemented until—get this!—the year 2020. .....(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www.progressive.org/mag_wx121907