Happy Birthday Exxon

The House passed Bush's energy bill today. A nice fat subsidy for big oil, happy birthday Exxon, goodbye ANWR.

We need a real energy plan that actually does something about our dependence on oil. This is a national security issue as well as an environmental one. We cannot continue to drill every inch of this earth in hopes of finding some small new pocket of oil, it is a finite resource that is dissapearing rapidly. We also cannot continue to fund Saudi Arabia by continuing to be so dependent on their oil, we put ourselves at increased risk sending oil money to fund extremists.

We need to put a concentrated effort forth to develope renewable clean energy. It will not happen just by capitalist innovation, it will require government help along with government mandates. We must reward consumers who buy fuel efficient vehicles while subsidizing innovative efforts to develope clean renewable energy, and sign the Kyoto accords. This is a great opportunity for the United States to bail out its faltering economy with a real innovative move towards renewable energy, becoming a world leader instead of holding up progress for the rest of the world on this issue.

But the issue is not purely economic and political, the issue here is also cultural. Americans don't consider these kinds of issues as they purchase vehicles. It is considered "cool" to drive a hummer. But why anyone would need a military assault vehicle to take their kids to soccer practice is beyond me.