June 23, 2007 (LPAC)--On June 21, the US Senate passed H.R. 6, the energy bill which had originated in the House of Representatives. Some of the major, mostly insane features of the bill are:

* Fleet-wide automobile fuel efficiency increases up to 35 mpg by 2020, up from today's 27.5 mpg.

* Half of new cars manufactured by 2015 must be capable of running on 85% (!) biofuels mixes.

* Ethanol production would increase sevenfold over 2006 levels, to 36 billion gallons per year by 2022.

* Institution of new appliance and lighting efficiency standards, including a requirement for accelerated use of such new lighting in public buildings.

* Award of grants, loan guarantees, and other assistance to promote research into fuel-efficient vehicle technologies such as hybrids, advanced diesel, and battery technologies.

* Support for demonstration projects on carbon dioxide sequestration from coal-fired plants.

Two sections of the bill were struck down: the requirement that electric utilities produce 15% of power from renewables, and the tax package requiring oil and gas companies to subsidize alternative energy development.

The San Francisco Chronicle (June 23) quoted biofool Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), as saying, "It's the beginning of a revolution in American energy policy."

The word "nuclear" does not appear in the bill.

The bill might better be called the "Biofools Energy Bill," according to Lyndon LaRouche, who commented that the bill could actually have the unintended effect of making nuclear power, and associated hydrogen production, the only viable energy options left on the table to end the disaster, once this new biofoolery gets underway.