Gas Guzzling

The Bush administration has sold their energy policy as a national security issue -- that we have to reduce dependence on foreign oil to protect ourselves against terrorists.

Analysts and interest groups say the energy bill before Congress will do nothing to cut US dependence on foreign oil. The US imports 58% of the oil we use. That will increase to 68% by 2030. People who follow energy usage say the bill will only slow that growth -- not reduce any dependence on foreign oil.

Ben Lieberman -- an energy analyst with the conservative Heritage Foundation -- says there aren't too many ways to increase domestic oil production -- and none will do enough to reduce the need for imports to below 50% of what we use.

That means any reductions in dependency will have to come from reducing the amount of oil we use. But the bill offers no new feul-efficiency standards. And the bill only calls for the President to reduce our daily diet of 20 million barrels a day by 1 million over the next ten years -- and that's only a voluntary goal. (WashPost) [Photo Credit: US Govt]