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Politics : Rat's Nest - Chronicles of Collapse -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (2395)	10/5/2005 12:54:35 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24225

Energy hogwash Wed Oct 5, 7:10 AM ET Have you seen Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's new wheels? Gone is the gas-guzzling Ford Expedition. In its place is a Ford Escape hybrid, which gets about twice the mileage. Bush might oppose tapping Florida's abundant offshore oil and gas fields. He might want tourists to burn copious amounts of fuel to get to his sun-drenched state this winter. And he might not have given up his other gas-guzzler, a 10-seat Citation Bravo jet. But the governor wants the public to know he's doing his part by touring Tallahassee in a hybrid. Bush, a Republican, is hardly alone in offering hollow gestures in lieu of substantive policy. At least two other governors, Democrat Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Republican Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, have vowed to join the anti-SUV priesthood. And in Washington this week, the Energy Department showcased a pig in a leather jacket named Energy Hog, who will promote energy conservation much as Smokey Bear promotes campfire safety. These announcements might have at least offered some entertainment value had they not been so painfully late. If there is one time Americans don't need a pig in a leather jacket, or a governor in a hybrid, to tell them to conserve fuel, it is when they can barely afford that fuel to begin with. Prices for gasoline have almost doubled in the past two years. The Energy Department expects electricity to be about 10% more expensive this winter than last. Heating oil is forecast to rise 34%. Heating costs in the natural gas-reliant Midwest are projected to rise 71%. To some degree, this can be attributed to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the temporary closure of refineries and pipelines that they prompted. But the root causes lie in the nation's lack of a meaningful energy policy and its growing appetite for energy born of 25 years of low prices. State and national policymakers could have pushed conservation measures when fuel was cheap. To be sure, this would not have been popular because it would have meant significant fuel taxes. But it would have made the nation less susceptible to a price spike by preventing demand from rising faster than supply. These policymakers could also have developed more domestic oil and gas production by taking on local opposition. Having not taken these routes, they have little credibility in urging conservation now. news.yahoo.com