I got a hysterical fund-raising letter from an environmental organization the other day. Fight the "pro-polluter Bush-Chaney energy bill, "it urged. And send us money.
In fact, there is an awful energy bill in the House. It’s a corporate bonanza. It subsidizes oil and nuclear and does zilch to weaken our reliance on Mideastern oil. However, there is a Senate bill that is not terrible. Senator Pete Domenici (R.,NM) has tempered his traditional effort to hand my tax money and yours to oil and nuclear businesses. That compromise with Senator Jeff Bingaman (D., NM), who wants to promote alternative fuels, has produced an energy bill to the Senate’s liking. It’s far from ideal legislation, but nudges us slightly toward rational energy policy.
So the environmentalists are off base? Yes and no.
The Domenici-Bingaman compromise must be reconciled with the horrible House bill. Splitting the differences will produce an end product quite close to what Domenici would prefer in his heart of hearts, maybe even what the House wants. In sum, we will again embrace of the oil and nuclear industries, stay locked in the grip of OPEC and miss another opportunity to spur non-fossil fuel development.
Above is a simple analysis of how policy and politics interact in Washington. I wish the National Resources Defense Council had respected my intelligence sufficiently to do likewise.
But more importantly – why haven’t I read analysis along those lines in the press in the last several weeks?