Kudos Bernie

New Bill Would Ban Offshore Drilling and Increase Fuel Economy Standard

We learned yesterday that if the average American were to drive 5.4 miles less every day, we'd eliminate the need to drill in the Gulf -- that would be enough to relieve the demand for the 1.75 million barrels that gets pumped out. But could saving gas really be enough incentive to cut out the drilling? Vermont senator Bernie Sanders thinks it could -- he's just introduced legislation that would ban offshore drilling and boost the national fuel economy standard to curb oil demand accordingly. It's a great idea...

The idea is, simply by making our cars as efficient as those in most of the industrialized world, we could eliminate the need for dangerous offshore drilling.

Though some will inevitably view such legislative efforts as pie-in-the-sky ambition, the only reason that's the case that oil has such a stranglehold on our economy -- and creative efforts to start staving it off are met with the well worn narrative that it'd be too harsh for the industries; not just oil, but auto, and manufacturing as well, to start backing off petroleum.

Well, I say it's high time we get creative, and applaud Sanders' vision here. Let's hope that in the face of this devastating disaster in the Gulf, Congress takes this great bill as seriously as it should.