Dan J.S. wrote:
"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
Regular grade gasoline was $3.05 a gallon yesterday at several docks in
Annapolis. Diesel was $2.61 to $2.65.

Thanks, Dubya.

If you really believe it's Bush's fault, you lost all credibility you had.

Bad Policy Fuels High Prices

As millions of Americans hop in their cars for vacation, the average
price for a gallon of gas has spiked to $2.60 -- and many people are
paying more than $3.00 per gallon to fill their tank. While most
everyone is feeling the pinch, "for many lower-income people -- often
those who work in service jobs or are looking for work -- each new bump
up in price means altering daily routines, spending less on clothes and
food, and keeping the kids at home instead of driving them to the pool
or friends' houses." A big part of the problem is that, despite huge
advances in technology, "America's cars and trucks are significantly
less efficient, on average, than they were in the late 1980's," driving
up demand, and the price, for fuel. Meanwhile, the Bush administration
has staunchly resisted efforts to help solve the problem by improving
fuel efficiency standards. Now, all Americans are paying the price.

BUSH ADMINISTRATION CONCEALS FUEL ECONOMY REPORT: In late July, "the
Environmental Protection Agency made an 11th-hour decision...to delay
the planned release of an annual report on fuel economy." The decision
to block the release of the report was made "because it would have come
on the eve of a final vote in Congress on energy legislation." The
study showed that "the average 2004 model car or truck got 20.8 miles
per gallon, about 6 percent less than the 22.1 m.p.g. of the average
new vehicle sold in the late 1980's." Specifically, "the average 2004
model sold by Nissan, Hyundai and Volkswagen was at least a half-mile a
gallon less fuel-efficient than in the previous model year, a sharp
drop." (A report by Environmental Defense provides details for all
major manufacturers.) That wasn't news the Bush administration wanted
public to hear because the bill "largely ignore[d] auto mileage
regulations." Several Senators offered amendments "to strengthen fuel
economy standards for S.U.V.'s, minivans and pickups" but they were all
rejected. Bush signed the energy bill, which gave away billions to the
energy industry, on August 8. Even the administration acknowledges the
bill will do nothing to reduce gas prices.

FAST, FURIOUS AND GAS-GUZZLING: The failure to mandate the production
of more fuel efficient vehicles is a giant missed opportunity. There
have been "leaps in engine technology over the last couple of decades"
that could make cars much more efficient. But in the absence of
stricter efficiency standards, these gains "have been mostly used to
make cars faster." Also, since the early 1980s, "average new vehicle
weight has risen to about 4,000 pounds today, from about 3,200." During
that time "the horsepower of an average engine has roughly doubled over
two decades, trimming four seconds from the time it takes for the
average vehicle to accelerate from zero to 60."

KEEP ON TRUCKING: The key to avoiding fuel efficiency standards is to
classify every new and trendy "crossover" vehicle as a truck. Light
trucks "are held to a lower [average fuel efficiency] standard-20.7
mpg as of model year 2003, compared to 27.5 mpg for cars."
Manufacturers are also moving vehicles that were once classified as
cars to the truck class "to sell more of the large trucks on which
profit margins have been so high." Today "S.U.V.'s and other light-duty
vehicles account for 40 percent of the nation's oil use." With only the
smallest cars remaining in the "car class" there is no pressure to
improve the efficiency of those vehicles either. President Bush and the
Congress had the opportunity to close these loopholes and improve
overall efficiency in the energy bill, but didn't do it. New
regulations set to be released later this month will create up to five
classes of vehicles based on height and width. Dan Becker of the Sierra
Club says the upcoming proposal is "an invitation to game the system."

BUSH PROTECTS MASSIVE LOOPHOLE FOR HUMMERS: In 2003, President Bush
proposed extending "fuel economy regulations to include Hummer H2's and
other huge sport utility vehicles," which are now completely exempt. As
gas prices soar to record levels, the administration has abandoned the
proposal. The exemption applies to vehicles weighing over 8,500 pounds.
When it was created, "vehicles of that weight were generally used for
commercial purposes, but now hundreds of thousands sold each year are
intended for family use." The exemption, along with potential tax
breaks for consumers who purchase them, create "powerful incentives to
produce such vehicles."