First Up for the Lame Duck? Repaying Politcal Favors
So what does Pickens get from the deal? Pickens owns Clean Energy Fuels Corp., which describes itself as “the leading provider of natural gas fuel of transportation in America.” The $4.5 billion in subsidies for natural gas vehicles in the bill will probably provide a stimulus for Pickens’ company more than any other company or individual.
This bill is being pushed in the lame duck session at the same time that other more significant energy reforms, like a tougher renewable energy standard for utilities, are being dropped from the lame duck docket. Many environmentalists consider the bill’s goal of expanding natural gas usage in vehicles to be an insufficient and ineffective response to the U.S. energy situation. “While perhaps developed with lofty intentions, moving past bumper stickers shows that this legislation would not provide any serious movement forward to end America’s fossil-fuelish (e.g, foolish) energy system and likely would end up being counter-productive to movement forward toward a sustainable energy future,” writes environmental blogger Adam Siegal.