Foreign Policy Blogs

It's A Wrap…

as they say in the movie biz.  POTUS has signed the energy bill.  Bush signs bill boosting fuel standards reports the A.P.'s H. Josef Hebert, the writer who's been on this story all along.  (As have I , see any number of items on the energy bill under Governments and Politics going back to the Spring.)  "Bush said the new requirements will help "address our vulnerabilities and dependency' on foreign oil by reducing demand for gasoline and diversifying the nation's fuel supply."  Harry Reid had this to say yesterday when the Senate's bill from last week passed the House:  "By blocking tax incentives in renewable energy and standards to supply clean, renewable electricity, Republicans missed a chance to grow our new clean energy industries and build new-century jobs.  But we will keep fighting for these and other forward-looking reforms.  This bill is just the first step toward an energy revolution that starts in America and ripples throughout the world."  (See the whole statement here.)  Nancy Pelosi, one of my new heroes for how much she did to promote a good energy bill, signed it yesterday and had this statement.  She referenced the oil to be saved, the reduction in GHG emissions, the savings for consumers, and the hundreds of thousands of new jobs to be gained. 

This legislation definitely sets a new course for this country.  We have miles to go before we sleep, fershur, but it's still a great couple of strides in the right direction. 

 

Author

Bill Hewitt

Bill Hewitt has been an environmental activist and professional for nearly 25 years. He was deeply involved in the battle to curtail acid rain, and was also a Sierra Club leader in New York City. He spent 11 years in public affairs for the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, and worked on environmental issues for two NYC mayoral campaigns and a presidential campaign. He is a writer and editor and is the principal of Hewitt Communications. He has an M.S. in international affairs, has taught political science at Pace University, and has graduate and continuing education classes on climate change, sustainability, and energy and the environment at The Center for Global Affairs at NYU. His book, "A Newer World - Politics, Money, Technology, and What’s Really Being Done to Solve the Climate Crisis," will be out from the University Press of New England in December.



Areas of Focus:
the policy, politics, science and economics of environmental protection, sustainability, energy and climate change

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