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Entrenched interests?

The bill did contain some positives, e.g., a 35 mpg fuel economy standard by 2020, but compared to what technology is capable of, that is only a very modest gain. Europe, and even China have more stringent fuel economy standards. If the American auto industry can’t do better than that, then there simply may be no American auto industry by 2020.

Utilities, e.g., Southern Company, argued that the renewable energy portfolio standard of 15% by 2020 (utilities would be required to obtain 15% of their energy from renewable sources by 2020) would raise prices on customers (as if prices aren't going to rise anyway - especially with spikes in natural gas and transportation). The arguement, specifically for Southern Company, was that renewable energy potential is not equally distributed geographically, such that the southeast U.S. is not as advantaged as solar rich areas like the southwest, or wind rich areas like the great plains. But that arguement is specious. Even Canada is installing solar systems, and sunny Germany plans to obtain 30% of its electrical energy from solar by 2020.

The breakdown in the energy bill was: Nuclear $25 Billion, $10 Billion for coal to liquids, $10 Billion for renewables, $2 Billion for uranium enrichment (isn’t this what Bush says Iran shouldn’t be doing?), $2 Billion for coal to gas - this amounts to $39 Billion for entrenched energy industries and $10 Billion for renewables. These amounts still have to be appropriated in congress, and Scott Sklar at Renewable Energy Access states that if appropriations are consistent with past history, the $39 Billion for entrenched interests will be fully allocated, while the $10 Billion for renewables will not. And, of course, these figures do not include the hundreds of billions being spent in Iraq “to protect our vital national interests in the region.”