Indiana Senators vote against energy conservation bill

The U.S. Senate has been debating the future of energy policy in this country. Unfortunately, it has not yet seized this opportunity to reject outdated policies and put us on the path toward a 21st century energy policy. It's disappointing that Senators Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh voted against increased automobile miles per gallon standards -- the only guaranteed oil savings in the Senate energy bill. In fact, Lugar actually voted to roll back fuel economy standards by supporting an amendment that creates a new loophole by separating pickups from the light truck fleet. Auto makers have the technology to make cars that go farther on a gallon of gas without sacrificing safety. With a national spotlight on the need to improve American energy security, it is unacceptable for Indiana's Senators to reject a measure that would guarantee oil savings, save Hoosiers millions at the gas pump and reduce global warming pollution. The Senate missed another opportunity to move us forward toward a clean-energy future when it rejected Senator Jeffords' amendment to increase the percentage of electricity generated from clean renewable energy to 20 percent of power generation by 2020. It was disappointing that both Lugar and Bayh rejected this golden opportunity to create jobs and protect the environment by voting against a strong renewable energy standard. It is especially alarming that they voted against this plan for renewable energy, given that Indiana is currently 99 percent dependent on dirty fossil fuel energy sources.\nIn short, Indiana needs a national renewable energy plan more than any other state, and yet our senators still voted against the Jeffords amendment. The Senate can still put America's technological know-how to work and increase renewable energy. The Senate energy legislation currently includes a modest national renewable energy standard. Lugar and Bayh should oppose any efforts to strip this provision in the energy bill.