EcObama

I know I am a bit tardy with today's post. I have a perfectly good excuse as I was awaiting for the Obama energy policy speech. It took me awhile to digest the speech and then of course I had work, clients, dinner etc. I will go beyond all the expedient political fluff like strategic petroleum reserve, off shore drilling and lower per gallon prices offered by Senator at the speech's beginning. On to the meat which is the weening of this country from it's destructive energy dependence. First, Obama proposes to put money into each voter's pocket with a tax credit for hybrid vehicle purchases ($7000) and a energy rebate for families of $1000 paid through the windfall profits tax. Obama should have stayed on message with the rebate and knock off all this windfall profits minutiae which the average American does not care to understand.

The Obama plan goes on to propose putting 1,000,000, 150 mile per gallon hybrid vehicles on the road in six years. Also, he proposes mileage standards to rise at 4% a year. On an average 25 mile per gallon car this is only adding 1 mile per gallon per year. Not too very ambitious. The plan also claims to produce 10% of all energy from renewable sources by the end of Obama's first term. This proposal will also extend the Production Tax Credit for five years which ensures that new green technologies will receive inducements to continue research and development. Building energy efficiency is to improve by 50% over four years. The plan also, supposedly reduces all carbon emissions by 80% by the year 2050.

The less ambitious parts of this energy policy includes a modest conservation goal of only 15% over the next decade and continues to advocate biofuels. These coupled with the political expedient details certainly dumb down this proposal. One of the exciting figures cited is the fact that Michigan alone has developed 300 companies and 50,000 jobs in the new green economy. This is the green revolution that really could spark remarkable economic growth, coupled with a cleaner planet. So overall, the Obama plan has some ambition, but he is definitely walking the middle path. It certainly is more sensible and forward thinking then anything McShame has offered.

Scientist McShame- McShame for his part today could only manage to chide Obama for advocating keeping proper tire pressure as improving gas mileage. For many years now the idea of proper tire inflation has proven to improve gas mileage by 3.5%. If you drive 15,000 miles a year by my calculations this is about an extra 525 miles. I am a math dummy but this seems to amount to about 21 gallons in a average vehicle or a savings of nearly $95. McShame is such a joker he even handed out tire pressure gauges to the press. The senator clearly needs to spend more time around his NASCAR fans to understand this concept.