energy bill = bad

Energy bill passed.

Is the environmental movement dead?

Are we to accept that industrial interests are more valuable to society than sustainability?

Why should any of us care about the enivronment in the first place?

Is relying on the market a reliable strategy? Maybe government intervention is innappropriate, and would only serve to interfere in the genius of the market.

Unfortunately, it isn't so simple. First of all, the government already has a huge role in subsidizing the oil industry. It, therefore, already has interfered in any potential to allow the market to self-regulate.
Secondly, it has long been acknowledged that the market has inherent failures: monopolies, commons problems, externalities, collective action coordination problems, etc. In order to correct these flaws, an over-arching body must step in to act in the good of the people-- e.g. the government. Thus, it is not an unreasonable request that policy makers do something to help the market swing in favor of the environment. For instance, to switch from gas stations to electricity-charging stations (or bio deisel stations, or whatever the 'new' energy to fuel cars might be), setting up the necessary national infrastructure could only feasibly be acheived with governmental help.

Stop subsidizing the oil industry. Start legitimately investing in alternative fuel sources. Look at the long term, not short term, in terms of energy needs. Opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska will only put a bandaid over the wound of the dire states of our future energy supply.

It is so frustrating to read the reports of government officials making problems worse, when clear solutions are immediately available. Call me an idealist or what you will, but this is plainly unacceptable.

The Bush administration had a choice back in 2000: revamp the country's energy infrastructure or continue down the oil road.

Those that rely on market-based strategies would claim that the problem will solve itself once the price of oil becomes too high. When driving a hybrid car is significantly less expensive than driving an SUV due to oil prices, the switch will naturally follow the market.

However, one cannot rely completely on this strategy. Sure, eventually oil prices will be so high that the individual driver might make more environentally friendly decisions. However, this does not negate the fact that our policy makers are not considering the price of extending the oil regime. They too consider their individual benefits. Thus, a dinner from the oil industry will most likely have a greater impact on the way they vote on enery issues than the letter from a concerned citizen.