I did pretty well keeping up with the Energy bill's movement through the Senate, but fell behind on the activities of the conference committee meetings to hammer out differences between the House and Senate versions. Bob at Howling has posted an overview of the final bill, and it doesn't look pretty. While the right-wing looney crowd led by House Majority leader Tom DeLay didn't get their waiver of liability for MTBE producers, this still looks like a giveaway to the traditional energy industry. True, language to open ANWR was dropped (as legislators would rather hide it in the filibuster-proof budget bill), but so was braod language that "requiring the federal government to find ways to cut US oil demand, or to require better fuel mileage on new sport utility vehicles and other gas-guzzlers."
Ezra Klein has posted an overview of the bill, and claims it's nothing but corporate pork in the sheep's clothing of progressive-sounding language. Scott Shields at MyDD takes a look at how renewable power fared in the bill -- not well, in short. If you find other commentary on this stinker, let me know.
Technorati tags: energy, US Congress, legislation, politics
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