Renewable energy

President Bush Attends Washington International Renewable Energy Conference 2008

"...[L]et me start first by telling you that America has got to change its habits. We've got to get off oil. And the reason why is, first, oil is -- dependency on oil presents a real challenge to our economy. As economies grow -- and we want all our economies to grow; we want people to be prosperous, we want people who are living in poverty to be able to grow out of poverty. We want there to be general prosperity, but as economies grow, until we change our habits, there is going to be more dependency on oil."

--President George W. Bush, March 5, 2008

Yeah, thanks for that, George. Really cleared things up for me.

Basically what the Bush administration has done, and it's not much, is make new rules. For example:

* The Renewable Fuels Mandate will increase the use of renewable fuels by 500 percent, requiring fuel producers to supply at least 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel in the year 2022.
* The Vehicle Fuel Economy Mandate specifies a national mandatory fuel economy standard of 35 miles per gallon by 2020, which will save billions of gallons of fuel and increase efficiency by 40 percent.

Well that's great! "YOU VILL USE DEM UND YOU VILL LIKE IT!!"

Unfortunately, since Bush took office, the Federal Government has spent about $12 billion total to research, develop, and promote alternative energy sources. $12 billion in eight years. Meanwhile they blow that much in what, a month over in Iraq? Less?

It's not enough to set goals. You have to then do what's necessary to MEET those goals. Otherwise it's just bullshit.

This is very much like the No Child Left Behind Act. Noble idea, badly underfunded, planned, and executed.