Just When You Think the Dems Can't Make Things Worse...

...Rumors start circulating about the final version of the 2007 Energy Bill.  Apparently, it removes subsidies for renewable power and requirements that utilities use renewable power.  

It gives Republicans and utilities essentially all they ask for.  Idea!  All Democrats should only announce plans that Bush and the GOP have been pre-cleared with Bush, the GOP and the utility companies.

It sends tens of billions of dollars in subsidies to oil companies to encourage drilling who then pass billions on to their shareholders.  Idea!  Why not just send the check straight to oil company shareholders, and let energy companies compete on the free market?

It mandates a fleet average of 35 mpg by 2020 (this may include exceptions for American car-makers).  Actually, I don't think the physical reality of shrinking oil supplies will permit 2020 fleet averages to be less than 35 mpg.  Idea!  Why not legally require cars to obey the Laws of Thermodynamics?  (They can add an exception for American cars if Dingel insists.)

As The Cunctatornoted, previous versions of The Bill had funding for research in solar, biofuel, geothermal, hydrothermal, CCS, global climate change, biomass, wind, and tidal research.  They also funded mass transit and commuter rail improvements.  Apparently, all this is gone.

They also got rid of a provision requiring utilities to get 15% of their power from renewable sources because (according to the Times),  the utility companies didn't like it.  Apparently, southern GOP legislators didn't like it either.  So instead of compromising by, say, weakening the requirement slightly, or including an exception for the southeast, the Democrats dropped the provision completely.

A Siegel discusses this here.

As thisgraph shows, the CAFE standards will put us at least 10 years behind any other nation, and 20 years behind Europe.  In fact, Japan's 45 mpg standards kicked in 20 years before our 35 mpg standards will.  And yet American carmakers might not even be required to meet even these low standards (the poor dears).  You see, in the interest of competitiveness, we are telling carmakers that they should plan on building cars that can not legally be sold anywhere outside the US.  And with gas prices at their 2020 levels, they probably won't be very popular here, either.

Politically, the story is the usual:

 1) GOP refuses to work with Democrats and does its best to prevent Dems from doing anything meaningful.  Threatens veto and filibuster.

 2) Dems figure that they're going to lose fight anyway, so they save the trouble of fighting by preemptively giving the GOP pretty much everything it asks for.

The only novel twist is that the Dems now say that the provisions dropped from this Bill will be taken up in another, future Energy Bill sometime in 2008.  

[OK, maybe its not novel.  The Dems also promised that they would fix the FISA bill after a temporary 6 month extension.]

The Dems do not say why the GOP will be better motivated to cooperate in the future than it is now.  They do not say whether they will be more likely to stand up to the GOP next year than this year.  They do not say why it will easier to get things done in an election year (the reverse is usually true).

As usual, the Democrats are afraid to force a political fight.  The Democrats think it is a losing issue to stand up and say "We will not use taxpayer funds to finance oil company share buybacks!  We will stimulate investment in solar, wind and other young industries, not smother them!  We will force all American auto companies to play by the same rules as foreign companies, and meet the same standards: may the best one win!"

Global Warming is not going away.  It is getting dramatically worse.  Most of the world recognizes this, and is moving, however hesitantly, to try to solve the problem.  But American leadership from both parties is taking the world's most important economy and biggest emitter backwards.

We are losing the fight, but have not yet lost.  We can still call Congress

As a community, we must decide whether to keep up our efforts even if we may lose, or whether to give up the fight in advance-- just like the Democratic leadership did.

Be firm if you want, but be polite.  The Dems want to do the right thing (I assume), we just need to remind them how important this issue is.

Pelosi's offices number is 202- 225-4965 (fax [phone])
Reid's office's number is 202-224-3542  (fax [phone])

50 Reps (30 D, 20 R) identified by the National Wildlife Federation as swing votes on Global Warming.  If possible, concentrate on ones in the Southeast

Call your Senators, too... especially southeastern Senators.

And remember, The world is a fine place, and worth the fighting for.