Alternative Fuels Could Make Government Bigger
The answer to everything in Washington DC is to create more government – so if we want to make ourselves less dependent on foreign oil, all we need is a new government agency. The Democratic leadership in the Senate – Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY) and Harry Reid (NV) – is proposing a new agency within the Department of Energy to fund innovative energy research and development projects, according to a news release from Hillary’s office. The Clinton/Reid legislation is called the Advanced Research Projects Energy Act, which gives it the requisite catchy anacronym, ARPA-E. It would authorize a total of $9 billion of funding for fiscal years 2007-20011. Clinton held a press conference to talk about the legislation and the Democratic plan for energy independence Friday at Seattle Biodiesel during a fundraising trip through Washington state for herself and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA).