Posted on: Wednesday, June 23, 2004

EDITORIAL
Congressional energy bill isn't electrifying

Without question, the United States needs an energy policy more in tune with the times than the one passed by Congress more than 10 years ago. But the pork-laden mish-mash represented by the energy bill now before Congress hardly does the trick.

The U.S. Senate correctly killed an energy bill passed by the House last year that was virtually littered with tax breaks, industry subsidies and grants that had little to do with a coherent energy policy.

Undaunted, the House once again this year revived the measure and sent it on to the Senate for consideration.

The Los Angeles Times, quoting a U.S. Energy Information Agency analyst, says the bill would do virtually nothing to encourage energy production, support conservation or control prices.

With crude oil prices rising, there is considerable public pressure to "do something" about our energy situation.

That pressure must be resisted. The United States needs an up-to-date energy policy; the bill written by the U.S. House is not it.