Bush Fails Again on Energy, Climate

January 24, 2007 – Vol.11 No.44

BUSH FAILS AGAIN ON ENERGY, CLIMATE.

With two years left in office this could have been Bush’s last chance to change his legacy from “worst president in US history” to “saved the planet.” True, he still has time to repent, but the months move by quickly and next year will be dominated by election year politics, not policy.

In 2008 he’ll be the lamest lame duck ever.

In last night’s State of the Union Address he called for reducing gasoline usage in the US by 20 percent in the next ten years, 15 percent from substituting renewable and alternative fuels, 5 percent by changing fuel economy standards.

He asked for a new, mandatory Alternative Fuels Standard to require 35 billion gallons of renewable and alternative fuels in 2017, nearly five times the target of 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2012 in the current Renewable Fuel Standard.

But notice the difference. He’s changed the name. The current Renewable Fuels Standard means principally ethanol and biodiesel. The new Alternative Fuel Standard could include fuels made from liquified coal. Fuels from coal might reduce our energy dependence but do nothing substantial in cutting greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.

Alternative fuels could also mean electricity, or natural gas, but the President doesn’t elaborate.

To complete the 20 percent fuel reduction goal he said we need to reform and modernize fuel economy standards for cars to conserve up to 8.5 billion gallons of gasoline by the same date.

By modernize he means to develop a new attribute-based standard instead of the current one based on vehicle class. By attribute he may mean size. His modernization plan for CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) could include allowances for larger, heavier vehicles to burn more fuel. Big vehicles would still get dismal fuel economy.

The problem with his plan is that doesn’t force manufacturers to develop large vehicles with high fuel economy. Further, his plan forces consumers who want to save fuel - for whatever reason - into smaller cars.

When gas prices are low, or considered by consumers to be affordable, people do gravitate to larger, less efficient vehicles. Gas prices are expected to be volatile for years.

The renewable fuels and fuel efficiency portions of Bush’s plan combined, would cut carbon emissions from vehicles by 10 percent, about 175 million metric tons carbon, or the equivalent of taking 26 million a cars off the road.

No mention of the possible emission effects of alternative fuels made from coal.

What’s startling about the Bush’s address is what was missing: No long term tax credits for wind, solar, electric cars, hybrid cars, biodiesel or energy efficient home improvements. No new money for mass transit either. No greenhouse gas emission caps either. It may be up to Congress to move forward with these.

What’s not surprising is what Bush still wants: Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Anything good? He wants to spend more money on energy research as well as on seeking new ways to cut traffic congestion.

Anything else? He wants to double the size of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve by 2027. That news has already pushed oil prices higher as I write this.

For the full text of Bush’s speech and details visit the White House at http://www.whitehouse.gov/