Saturday, December 8

7.5 gallons in 45 years... American efficiency at it's finest

I'm sure most anyone with a brain can tell that increasing automobile efficiency by 7.5 gallons in 45 years is perhaps the absolute least our Congress could ever achieve. Does it mark a change in perspective amongst our congressional leadership? Or does it just serve to highlight industry control over the public debate? No rational person could imagine these small steps as real change...


Washington (TGW) – A bill that would end billions of dollars in tax breaks for the oil industry and raise mileage standards hit a roadblock in the Senate today.

The bill failed on a procedural vote 7 votes short of the needed 60 majority, 53-42.

The law would require car manufacturers to raise their mileage standards up to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. The current standard, 27.5 mpg was passed in 1975.

Senators said the vote did not mean the bill was done for.

"This doesn't mark the end of this bill," said Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico, the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "It means we have to go to work to fix some of the problems that the House bill has generated for us."




Absolutely outrageous.