Senate Democrats went on the attack yesterday, releasing an energy bill that focuses on conserving energy and boosting renewable fuels, rather than on drilling for more oil and natural gas. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) said the U.S. “cannot drill our way out of this problem” and accused President Bush of using the country’s energy problems to justify “an all-out assault on the environment.” Like the GOP energy package introduced last month, the Democratic alternative would expand domestic energy production. But tax incentives to promote energy efficiency and wind and solar power lie at the heart of the Democratic bill, which also includes a provision to force the auto industry to develop more fuel-efficient light trucks and SUVs by 2008.
