The opening line of the Detroit News story says all you need to know:

The House approved a stripped-down energy bill Tuesday and sent it to President George Bush.

Bush signed it today.

The headline is a 35-mpg CAFE standard for cars produced 13 years from now. Big whoop.

The best stuff in the bill is energy efficiency standards, including phasing out the incandescent light bulb.

The reality, however, is no removal of tax breaks for Big Oil; no 15% renewables standard for utilities; no plug-in hybrid incentives. Incentives for wind and solar were stripped out, as well, according to Sen. Boxer. “We’re pretty disappointed,” said Rhone A. Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association, which sought an extension of the investment tax credit that expires at the end of next year.

But yes, there is a requirement for five times more ethanol than we now produce. “Clean tech” will have a place to throw some money, even if the environmental benefit is nil, the impact on petroleum usage minor, the impact on food prices unknown. As stated in the Washington Post story today, “For farmers and agribusiness, it is a windfall, providing more support than perhaps even the farm bill.” ‘Nuf said.

Why Nancy Pelosi calls the bill “a moment of change, of real change” is not yet clear. Most elements that would constitute a progressive energy bill seem to have been dropped out.

I can’t help thinking if carmakers are still producing masses of 20-something mpg cars and pickups and SUVs in 2020, something envisioned with a 35mpg average, we’re in big trouble.

Honestly, though, I think this standard will be overtaken by reality. Once a few plug-in hybrids and electric cars hit the market, and they will long before 2020, the relevance of these standards will disappear in the rearview mirror of reality.

– Marc G. – Plugs and Cars blog

Menahem Anderman, PhD, is Mister Battery Consultant. The California Air Resources Board, DOE, and Congress all seem to turn to him to analyze the state of battery technology. His reports always suggest batteries won’t quite cut it for freeway-capable cars.

His report at CARB in 2003 seemed to suggest the electric cars then on the road couldn’t be functioning as well as they were. Drivers of electric cars were stunned at his low opinion of the state of battery technology. He’s always called upon, contracted with, and his report inevitably finds batteries wanting.

At EVS23 he stopped at the Plug In America booth to challenge what he felt was the overly optimistic tone taken by these advocates in their questioning at various sessions. One of the things he specifically said to Sherry Boschert, author of Plug-in Hybrids, to demonstrate the inadequacy of NiMH in electric cars was that the batteries have been replaced in many of Southern California Edison’s fleet of RAV4-EVs. Chelsea Sexton of Plug In America inquired of Ed Kjaer at SCE to find out what the truth is. Here’s what Mr. Kjaer wrote in response to the inquiry:

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Wind farms could power every home in Britain – The Telegraph (UK). This is really an article about the potential for off-shore wind in the UK, which is tremendous (just as it is in this country).

Climate missing from U.S. election – Gore – Reuters. “Some of the candidates have made speeches which are quite good and proposals that are quite responsible, but overall the issue has not achieved the kind of priority that I think it should have.”

Greener Buildings Easy, But Barriers Remain – Expert – Reuters. “The entire current emission reductions commitment under the Kyoto Protocol can be achieved in the building sector alone. And the costs of achieving these reductions are low, very low. … All our studies have found it will not happen if governments are not active to help overcome the market failure that is very blatant here.” – Sylvie Lemmet, director of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Division of Technology, Industry and Economics.

You can read the post-Bali thoughts of the Center for American Progress’s own Kit Batten here. Point to ponder:

Since the beginning of the Bali meeting, developing nations such as China, Brazil, and South Africa made it clear that in order to walk down the path toward commitments to reduce emissions in their own countries, they needed to see stringent and binding reduction commitments from developed nations.

The time for the U.S. to act is now!