Electoral Politics Cancel Out Brave Calls to Raise Gas Tax

Here’s hoping that members of Congress got some rest on their summer vacation, that they will return to Washington refreshed and wiser and ready to come up with a national energy policy that makes sense.

But here’s betting that those hopes are in vain.


Elections are approaching and nothing makes sense, certainly nothing as complicated as a federal energy policy, or anything that would require an electorate that often is lazy about voting to assume responsibility and bear a reasonable share of the burden for helping to lessen our dependence on oil.

Thus, in the matter of energy conservation, be ready to be treated to political circus masquerading as policymaking. The House will consider legislation approved by the Senate before its summer departure — a bill demanding that automobile manufacturers increase the fuel economy of their new-vehicle fleets an average of 10 miles per gallon over the next 10 years. This jingoistic “10 in 10″ proposal is supposed to raise the fuel economy of all light-duty vehicles (cars, pickups, vans and those hated sport-utility models) from the current average of 25 to 35 mpg by 2020.

It sounds good. Who does not want more fuel-efficient vehicles? It’s politically convenient. After all, we all know that we could save more fuel if those car companies stopped messing around and started producing cars and trucks that could go farther on less gasoline.

Washington Post