I Blame Al Gore for This

You know how Gore keeps saying (and I keep repeating, because I am the GoreBot 3000) that his most fervent desire is to raise awareness about global warming so that no matter which party wins in 2008, they’ve got to address the issue, because the public will demand it?

To wit, my Republican Senator Dick Lugar:

Who is this radical politician named Dick Lugar? Reported to be a quiet, solid conservative from quiet, solid Indiana, Lugar came out today with an aggressive plan to make the nation more energy independent.

And he had the temerity to criticize our political leadership on the energy question, which may seem a bit odd since he is a GOP senator from Indiana.

But Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made it clear in a speech at Purdue University that the nation is in danger on the energy front and that "advancements in American energy security have been painfully slow during 2006, and political leadership has been defensive rather than pro-active."

Was he talking about his own party--and President Bush? What has been done so far (energy bills) are "small steps," he said. The senator wants to be bold, because he says that is what is required to protect our national security.

Oh my Flying Spaghetti Monster. I do declare! That there is a Republican Senator not only saying we need radical steps to address the energy crisis, but tying the energy crisis to our foreign policy.

Lugar proposes expanding ethanol production to 100 billion gallons by 2025, put a $45 a barrel floor under the price of oil, and require one-quarter of all US filling stations to have E85 pumps (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline), while also requiring all new US cars to be E85-ready. He claims these steps would save 6.5 million barrels of oil (or 1/3 of current use) a day.

Now, I’m not sold on his plan for a couple of reasons, mainly because my general understanding is that we’d have a hard time growing enough product to convert into the amount of ethanol his plan would require. I’m sure those who are more hip to the specifics of ethanol production will put in their much-appreciated $0.02 in comments. But wev. The point is not that his plan is spectacular, but that we’re reaching the tipping point, slowly but surely. And Lugar is placing the responsibility for not moving more quickly solely at the administration’s dragging feet, by pointing out that we have the financial, industrial, and technological ability to get this shit done, but “What we are lacking is coordination and political will.” Snap, Senator.