House Democrats, in their zeal for gesture over substance, are about to kill any chance of the CAFE increase passing, by chaining it to a tax increase.
Apparently, it would just kill them to see the president actually sign something good into law:
WASHINGTON (AP) – Defying a threat of a presidential veto, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi intends to push ahead with a $21 billion tax package, including repeal of tax breaks for major oil companies, as part of an energy bill, aides to the speaker said Tuesday.
Democratic leaders circulated a summary of the legislation that includes the new taxes as well as a requirement for a 40 percent increase in automobile fuel efficiency, a huge increase in the use of ethanol as a motor fuel, and a mandate for utilities to use renewable fuels.
Republicans earlier this year blocked Senate attempts to pass new energy taxes, contending they would hinder domestic oil and gas production. Democratic supporters of the taxes said that with oil hovering near $90 a barrel and the industry making large profits, the tax breaks aren’t needed.
The White House has said repeatedly that if the energy legislation singles out the oil companies for new taxes, advisers would recommend that President Bush veto the bill.
Folks, please, let us have the higher fuel standards — please. The country needs this. We can fight about the taxes later.
I don’t think I will ever, ever understand partisans — unless we’re talking UnParty. Or Energy Party. As founder, I promise you, the Energy Party would never thus endanger our chance to make U.S. cars more efficient.
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I can only hope that if they do kill CAFE standards this time, they will re-introduce them later. But who knows?
The Union of Concerned Scientists and the insurance industry have estimated that every increase in 1 MPG mandated above the current standards will cost 3,000 lives a year in automobile wrecks. This is because the primary way to achieve higher mileage now is to reduce the weight of the vehicles.
Also, you cannot have ethanol vehicles and higher MPG standards, because the lower energy contained in a gallon of E85 fuel makes a vehicle using it get 25% less miles per gallon than on 87 octane gasoline.