As usual with politicians, it’s best to take a skeptical look at any rosy-eyed announcement of brighter tomorrows. Still, Senator Kent Conrad’s (D-ND) plan, annoyingly named the Breaking Our Long-term Dependence (BOLD) Energy Act, has a lot going for it.
BOLD will extend tax credits for buyers of fuel-efficient and flexible-fuel vehicles (credits for hybrids will start to phase out this year for some makes and models). It also pushes ethanol and biodiesel use in the United States and will spend $500 million to turn coal into liquid fuel. The standard criticisms that the plan doesn’t go far enough (where’s the call for using less energy? Simply crediting folks who buy a hybrid isn’t going to cut it, Conrad) apply, and the idea of harvesting even more coal from the ground is not a sustainable plan at all. Plus, the BOLD law’s “fact sheet” on the Senator’s website reads like a North Dakota’s job creation program instead of an actual bold stance on alternative energy. Still, job creation is good and baby steps will help us get to the finish line. Hopefully. [Source: Domestic Fuel]
BOLD will extend tax credits for buyers of fuel-efficient and flexible-fuel vehicles (credits for hybrids will start to phase out this year for some makes and models). It also pushes ethanol and biodiesel use in the United States and will spend $500 million to turn coal into liquid fuel. The standard criticisms that the plan doesn’t go far enough (where’s the call for using less energy? Simply crediting folks who buy a hybrid isn’t going to cut it, Conrad) apply, and the idea of harvesting even more coal from the ground is not a sustainable plan at all. Plus, the BOLD law’s “fact sheet” on the Senator’s website reads like a North Dakota’s job creation program instead of an actual bold stance on alternative energy. Still, job creation is good and baby steps will help us get to the finish line. Hopefully. [Source: Domestic Fuel]
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