Editorial: Bill allows continued gas waste

Monday, Aug. 4, 2003 | 8:52 a.m.

The U.S. Senate included many attractive initiatives in the energy bill that it passed last week by a margin of 84-14. The bill doubles the use of corn-based ethanol in gasoline and bans the additive MTBE, which has been contaminating ground water. It provides $16 billion in tax incentives to promote conservation along with increased energy production. It contains measures to stimulate the use of renewable fuels. It tightens regulations to better protect the public from abuses in the electricity market. The bill is also praiseworthy for what it doesn't contain. There is no authorization to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It does not include loan guarantees for the nuclear power industry, so that it can build more plants.

But there is one major shortcoming. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., was among the senators supporting a strict new standard on fuel economy in automobiles. The measure would have required auto manufacturers to produce vehicles that would, within 12 years, cut fossil-fuel consumption by a total of 45 percent. In our view, that proposed standard is entirely reasonable. Cars, light trucks and sport utility vehicles burn 40 percent of the oil that is consumed every day in the United States. Unfortunately, despite the environmental and political problems associated with oil consumption, the majority of senators, including Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., blocked the measure from being included in the final energy bill. The bill was heavily opposed by the auto industry, despite the fact that technology has advanced even today to the point where energy-efficient cars are affor dable. It will be very unfortunate if 12 years go by and autos are still blowing through most of the world's known oil supp! ly.

The bill now must be negotiated with the Republican-dominated House. We would like to think the fuel-standard requirement would be reinstated. Unfortunately, what is likely to dominate the discussions are the proposed loans to the nuclear industry. We hope the energy bill has at least a few of the attractive initiatives left at the end of the negotiations.