Thursday, July 28, 2005
Character....and Hubris, Part II
On the eve of the energy bill's passage the New York Times reports,
On the eve of the energy bill's passage the New York Times reports,
the Environmental Protection Agency made an 11th-hour decision Tuesday to delay the planned release of an annual report on fuel economy.It seems that loading down the energy bill with pork is ok, but that someone at the White House decided it would be bad for the American public to know
that loopholes in American fuel economy regulations have allowed automakers to produce cars and trucks that are significantly less fuel-efficient, on average, than they were in the late 1980's.Yep, that's right fuel efficiency has declined.
The average 2004 model car or truck got 20.8 miles per gallon, about 6 percent less than the 22.1 m.p.g. of the average new vehicle sold in the late 1980's, according to the reportSo you can see why this report coming out the same week in which an energy bill designed to "reduce" our dependence on foreign oil (but somehow manages to not increase the fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks) is sent to the President would be a bit embarrassing for the White House and all those oil industry whores in Congress.
How the spokesperson for the EPA can kept a straight face when announcing the delay is beyond imagination.