House, 314-100, Passes Broad Energy Bill; Bush Plans to Sign It
By JOHN M. BRODER
Published: December 19, 2007
WASHINGTON — Legislation that will slowly but significantly change the cars Americans drive, the fuel they burn, the way they light their homes and the price they pay for food cleared the House on Tuesday by a large margin. President Bush said he would sign it on Wednesday.

The bill, which passed on a bipartisan vote of 314 to 100, sets higher fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks for the first time in 22 years and requires the annual production of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022, a fivefold increase from current ethanol production levels.

The measure, the Energy Independence and Security Act, also establishes new efficiency requirements for household appliances and government buildings, and aims to phase out the incandescent light bulb within the next decade.

Its passage is one of the largest steps on energy the nation has taken since the oil crises of the 1970s. But its full costs will not be known for years. Critics say it will make cars and trucks less safe and more expensive, divert farmland to costly production of feedstock for ethanol and other synthetic fuels, and raise the price of food because of competition for corn and grain between food producers and fuel refiners.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi described the bill as groundbreaking because it will significantly increase the efficiency of the nation’s autos, reducing oil imports and cutting production of gases that scientists blame for global warming. The bill requires cars and light trucks sold in the United States to meet a fleetwide average of 35 miles a gallon by 2020.

I like this bill a lot... all up untill the ethanol stuff.

It's such a gigantic waste and nothing more than a costly way to get votes in the midwest.

This isn't everything it could have been but it's a good start. I wish the requirement date wasn't so far off into the future, but it's probably the best we could get considering the resistance from Republicans and with having idiot Bush in the White House.

Compared to the Republican Congress, which did little more than shovel our money to already profitable energy companies, this is like fresh air.

The bill gave the federal government new eminent-domain powers to clear paths for power lines -- a long-standing demand of the nation's electric utilities. The utilities said they were being thwarted by not-in-my-back-yard opposition, so the politicians came to their rescue.
The provision was just one example of how the energy bill, touted as a way to reduce dependence on foreign oil or moderate gasoline prices, has been turned into a piñata of perks for energy industries.
"Every industry gets their own little program," said Myron Ebell of the free-market Competitive Enterprise Institute. "There's pork in there for everybody."
The bill exempts oil and gas industries from some clean-water laws, streamlines permits for oil wells and power lines on public lands, and helps the hydropower industry appeal environmental restrictions. One obscure provision would repeal a Depression-era law that has prevented consolidation of public utilities, potentially transforming the nation's electricity markets.
It also includes an estimated $85 billion worth of subsidies and tax breaks for most forms of energy -- including oil and gas, "clean coal," ethanol, electricity, and solar and wind power.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/29/AR2005072901128.html