President Bush signed Energy Bill H. R. 6 today, one day after the House voted for the bill 314-100.
Associated Press writer, H. JOSEF HEBERT, reported: "The legislation increases the federal standard automakers must meet to an industry wide 35 mpg for passengers cars, SUVs and small trucks. The standard for cars today is 27.5 mpg and for trucks and SUVs 22.2 mpg. It requires refineries to increase the use of ethanol from about 6 billion gallons a year this year to 36 billion gallons by 2022 and mandates that by then at least 21 billion gallons are to come from feedstocks other than corn."
Unfortunately, the bill misses the mark focusing more closely on conservation and energy efficiency than calling for more research into alternate fuels and renewable energy. I’m not knocking conservation and efficiency. This is something we should be doing anyway instead of using it for political flag waving.
As I’ve said before, this is a first step, but it is lacking. Diversifying our energy sources and building on renewable energy technologies is the direction we need to go.
What about greater action for wind power, geothermal, solar, alternate ways of producing inexpensive hydrogen fuel, and even nuclear fusion power? Not enough funding and research is being conducted for these energy alternatives and solutions. The paltry few million that Big Oil is putting toward these energies is pathetic compared to the billions in profits they’re reaping.
It takes Google to lead the way toward grander solar energy production? http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/corporate-solar-is-coming.html
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One Comment
M. Simon
Perhaps America has found a way to get fusion much faster than ITER promises.
Bussard Fusion Reactor Funded