United States President George Bush, after years of holding out against proposals to combat climate change, on Wednesday signed into law an energy Bill establishing higher fuel-economy standards for new cars and other conservation measures.
Bush described the Bill as ”a major step toward energy independence and easing global warming”. The White House claimed it went part of the way to fulfilling promises made at the environmental conference in Bali last week.
The legislation, though limited in scope, represents the biggest fuel efficiency push by the US since the 1970s oil crisis.
The new law also contains provisions to increase the use of ethanol as an alternative to petrol.
Other measures in the legislation include a statutory target of a 70% increase in use of energy efficient lightbulbs and improved energy efficiency targets for fridges, freezers and dishwashers. Federal buildings will also have to become more energy efficient.
The reaction of environmentalists was mixed: grateful that the White House has belatedly adopted some of the policies they have been advocating but warning that the measures were too limited and not due to be implemented for years.
Throughout most of his presidency, Bush has disputed scientific evidence about global warming, refusing to sign up for the Kyoto treaty setting targets for reducing greenhouse gases. Over the last year, he has publicly softened his stance, acknowledging there is a crisis, though administration officials say that in private he continues to be sceptical.
The Bill was passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday by 314 to 100, with 95 Republicans supporting the Democrats. The Senate approved it last week by 86 to 8.
The Bill was sent to the White House in a hybrid car, using a mixture of electricity and petrol.
As well as the Democratic-led Congress pushing proposals to tackle global warming, individual states, with California in the vanguard, have been putting in place energy-saving measures at variance with the Bush administration’s position.
The new legislation requires cars and light trucks to increase fuel efficiency by 40%, setting a standard of an average of 56km a gallon by 2020, as opposed to 40km at present. Bush had previously opposed regulations on petrol use.
The Democrats said the legislation will reduce US demand for oil by four million barrels a day by 2030, more than twice the present daily imports from the Gulf.
They said the fuel economy requirements will save motorists $700 to $1 000 a year in costs.
In order to get the Bill through, Democrats had to drop from it a $21-billion tax package that would have reduced breaks for the biggest oil and gas companies and extended breaks for wind and solar projects. Bush threatened to veto any Bill containing these measures.
While championing the domestic industry, Bush has acknowledged throughout the year that the US has to reduce its dependence on oil imports. The legislation addresses ”our vulnerabilities and dependency on foreign oil by reducing demand for gasoline and diversifying the nation’s fuel supply”, he said.
He regards a switch of cars from petrol to ethanol as a way to help achieve this.
But environmentalists question its value, arguing that the increased growth of corn for ethanol has resulted in higher use of fertilisers, which has contributed to the poisoning of rivers.
The new legislation envisages a six-fold increase in ethanol production to 36-billion gallons a year by 2022. Of that, 21-billion gallons has to be from alternatives to corn, such as prairie grasses or wood chips.
In a separate development, Democrats decided not to carry out their threat to withhold military spending until Bush agreed to a resolution that would see US troops out of Iraq by the end of next year.
Anxious to complete business before Christmas and to avoid accusations of short-changing troops, the Democrats signalled they are to approve the $70-billion for US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Financial support for the wars has been bundled into a $555-billion ”omnibus” appropriations Bill that primarily provides for domestic spending. – Guardian Unlimited Â