The U.S. Senate last night passed legislation that would boost mandatory fuel efficiency standards to 35 miles per gallon by the year 2020, and require that half of all new cars run on 85 percent ethanol or biodiesel fuel by 2015. The vote was 65 to 27.
Better late than never, I guess; and this bill certainly doesn't go far enough fast enough. But it's a step in the right direction.
The legislation may stall in the House of Representatives, though. Congressman John Dingell (Democrat-MI), a close ally of the whiney auto industry, has indicated his committee (Energy) will not even consider the bill until the fall. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Democrat-CA) said she will put pressure on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to push the legislation through despite Dingell's objections.
If Pelosi knows what's good for her, and for the country, she'll tell Dingell to shut the hell up, improve on the bill a bit, and put the legislation on the floor for a full vote.
