The Temporary Disruption is Upon Us! BushCo Wanders Into Action

"We can all pitch in," Mr. Bush said. "People just need to recognize that the storms have caused disruption," he added, and that if Americans are able to avoid going "on a trip that's not essential, that would be helpful."

BushCo's newest bland and empty initiative, which he alleges is meant to tackle the temporary "disruptions" in our endless supply of sweet, sweet oil, but which is, in reality, nothing more than Karen Hughes-style PR droolings meant to get some sweet, sweet A1 ink, reminded me of the famous Pitch In! campaign of the seventies.  Thanks to the United States Brewers Association, which sponsored the anti-litter program, bright green signs were everywhere in cities and towns encouraging us to pitch our litter into trashcans.  Inspired by a love for the environment and a drive to earn badges, my Girl Scout troop organized a beautification project for our elementary school.  We cleaned the parking lot, weeded the retaining wall and planted some pine trees outside the building's newest addition.  And oh yeah, we put Pitch In! stickers on newly positioned trashcans. 

To my surprise, the parking lot stayed looking good for several years although the pine trees, planted just around the corner of the building facing the main road, grew too large too fast and became sun-sucking, piney white elephants instead of living testaments to our good intentions.   I sill remember the day, probably six or seven years after the clean-up when we drove past the school and I heard my mom, who was the leader of the troop during those halcyon days of environmental activism, say, "Oooh, we probably shouldn't have gone with pine trees in front of those windows."  All around us Nature laughed.

Now we've got another Pitch In! program.  Only this one isn't sponsored by brewers; it's sponsored by a drunk.  And it isn't so much a program as it is a wish-washy, flip flopping suggestion that if we can, you know, cut back on our unnecessary driving, then that may be helpful.   It's more like a pitch in, if it's absolutely convenient program.   And there's definitely no ! anywhere to be found.   

If you want to know the real BushCo energy agenda, take a look at the cuts proposed by Operation Offset.  Or read the Gristmill on the topic:

No, seriously, we have to "cut unnecessary spending." And the House Republicans are ready, with their "Operation Offset," a list of cuts (PDF) they say could squeeze $500 billion in 10 years out of the federal budget.

Unsurprisingly, the cuts impose pain almost exclusively on programs meant to help the environment and the less fortunate. Here are a few of the cuts:

• Eliminate the EnergyStar program;
• eliminate state and community grants for energy conservation;
• eliminate National Parks Heritage Areas;
• reduce Amtrak subsidies (how come they never call highway spending "subsidies"?);
• eliminate the high-speed rail and light-rail programs;
• reduce fish and wildlife habitat construction;
• reduce Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management;
• eliminate the Applied Research for Renewable Energy Sources program;
• eliminate the FreedomCar program; and
• eliminate the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative.

Note that, as Brad Plumer points out, almost every federal program to encourage clean energy is cut, while the energy bill's recent billions in subsidies to oil and gas companies remain untouched.

So pitch in, America.  Drive less if you can.  Or don't.  Whatever.  It's hard work to conserve and, after all, nobody can predict what our current energy use patterns will mean for the future.   Just don't go planting pine trees in front of windows that want the sun because that's just asking for trouble.

 

Comments

[Agi T. Prop]

"Don't buy gas"

It's the same response he gave last year when we had a short on flu vaccines...

"Don't get a flu shot"

[eRobin]

Oh, I had forgotten that! And that bit of leadership came during a debate. Jeebus.