House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, is mulling whether to use her political capital in the upcoming House energy debate to push for mandatory higher gas mileage standards or throw her clout behind an ambitious plan to require that utilities get a hefty chunk
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, is mulling whether to use her political capital in the upcoming House energy debate to push for mandatory higher gas mileage standards or throw her clout behind an ambitious plan to require that utilities get a hefty chunk of their future power from wind, solar or other renewable sources.
Pelosi should pursue both, for only by including both initiatives can the House energy package fulfill her goal of being a true "energy independence" bill.
Both fuel efficiency and renewal energy are critically important for strengthening America's ability to maintain a high standard of living and protect the environment.
Stronger gas mileage standards are the surest, most efficient way to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, which now accounts for more than 60 percent of the nation's petroleum use. The House should follow the lead of the Senate, which last month approved a measure to require that America's vast auto fleet get an average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020. That's a serious jump from today's 24.6 mpg but just as achievable as the boost from 15 mpg to 26 mpg that the nation made after the 1970s oil shocks.
But Pelosi and the House should also go where the Senate failed to tread by including a so-called "renewable portfolio standard" for utilities in its energy bill. The standard would require utilities to get 20 percent of their power from renewable fuels instead of coal, oil and gas. The target date would be 2020.
Thirteen years is an ambitious timetable for such a major shift in power production, but the Union of Concerned Scientists and other reputable experts offer convincing evidence that technology is up to the task and that the change can be achieved with a minimum of higher costs for consumers.
Pelosi has a challenge convincing the lawmakers of both parties from auto manufacturing states to go along with meaningfully higher mileage standards. High oil prices and rising world petroleum demand will boost demand for higher-mileage cars and trucks anyway. Detroit only adds to its financial peril if it continues to drag its feet.
Many Republicans also oppose the renewable portfolio mandate for utilities. But this, too, is coming. New Jersey and more than 20 other states already have adopted some form of renewable energy standards, and more are on the way. A uniform national standard will not only ensure the economies of scale to make renewable technology more affordab