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December 2, 2008 11:24:40 AM CST

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Bush Signs Huge Energy Bill

Posted Dec 19, 07 2:00 PM CST in US,  Politics 

(Newser) – President Bush today signed a sweeping energy bill that will improve automotive fuel-efficiency standards, boost biofuel production, and kill off the incandescent light bulb, the Washington Post reports. Bush said the law would reduce US dependence on foreign oil and even the likelihood of terrorist attacks. Both the White House and Congressional Democrats claimed victory in the year-long haggling process.

Under the law, cars must get 35 miles per gallon of gas by 2020, up from the current 25-mpg standard. It also mandates increased use of “advanced biofuels”—which aren’t even commercially produced yet. Edison’s still-ubiquitous bulb, meanwhile, will be replaced by more efficient models. “This bill is a clean break with the failed energy policies of the past,” one environmentalist said.

Source Washington Post

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A handful of corn is shown before it is processed at the Tall Corn Ethanol plant in Coon Rapids, Iowa in this May 24, 2006 file photo. By mandating a boom in ethanol production from sources other than...   (Associated Press)
President Bush, seated, signs the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007, at the Energy Department in Washington. Standing, from left are, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman,...   (Associated Press)
President Bush has a word with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. at the Energy Department in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007, prior to signing the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007....   (Associated Press)
Jarrod Flores works on a dryer cover at an ethanol refinery being built by South Dakota-based Poet LLC in Portland, Ind. in this April 17, 2007 file photo. By mandating a boom in ethanol production from...   (Associated Press)
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