Earl Blumenauer: “it is commonly heard that the world changed after September 11, 2001; yet the energy bill did not. What Congress is…”

“it is commonly heard that the world changed after September 11, 2001; yet the energy bill did not. What Congress is considering this week is virtually identical to that which came forth from Dick Cheney's energy task force and the Congressional process four years ago. The ever growing concerns about energy reliability, the Enron scandal, skyrocketing gas prices, increasing demands on ever scarce supplies in unstable areas of the world all have not produced a change in the mindset of Congress. At a time when we should call forth our best, the energy bill is both a mediocre effort and more appropriate for the 1950s than this new century. With the American energy experience over the last third of a century, public opinion has grown clearer while Congress' vision has not. With 10 percent of our energy use tied directly to our vehicular traffic, it is selfevident to the majority of Americans that our fuel efficiency standards should be significantly increased. The Japanese and Europeans are already far ahead of us. Even the Chinese have now adopted more stringent fuel efficiency standards. Congress cannot keep up with the American public or the policymakers in China, Japan or Europe. The public knows that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the last place that America should look for oil, not the next place.…”