In a big win for the White House and a loss for enviros, the U.S. House passed a broad energy bill last night after rejecting attempts earlier in the day to block drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska and boost fuel efficiency significantly. The 223-206 vote in favor of drilling surprised even Republicans, who attributed the victory to labor unions that touted the promise of more than 700,000 drilling-related jobs to win the support of more than three dozen Democrats. The House voted 269-160 to reject an amendment calling for fuel-efficiency standards for SUVs and light trucks to be boosted from 20.7 miles per gallon to 27.5 mpg by 2007. The bill that passed would direct automakers to lower fuel use by 5 billion gallons over six years beginning in 2004 — translating into a slight gain in efficiency. Among many nasty things, the bill would strip national forest supervisors of their authority to restrict oil and gas leasing.
