Here Comes the Sun

I’m so used to bracing myself for the worst every time George W. Bush makes a move that I was caught off guard when I heard about the new Energy Policy Act he signed that changed the start of Daylight Saving Time. As you know, we moved the clocks forward an hour this morning, a full three weeks ahead of schedule. Another hour of light at the end of the day, that has to be good news for lowering energy consumption, no? And despite the dark, dreary mornings I’d still rather have it stay light out an hour later. Has Bush finally made a decision that is helping the planet?

Possibly not, according to experts. More daylight in the evening often means people will stay out longer, using their cars and more oil. The jury’s still out, but in the end it may be a wash. Even so, it seems like one of the first acts in George Bush’s presidency that doesn’t have the stink of an impeachable offense. Or does it?

Although the Daylight Saving Time switch only took effect today, it's part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that Bush signed over two years ago. Thanks to the Act, we’ll also gain a week of Daylight Saving Time in November. What else is in that Act beyond screwing with the clocks?

Hmmm, “provides incentives to companies drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico” is one item that stands out, as well as “exempts oil and gas producers from certain requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act.” Lovely. Included in the original bill but not in the final legislation were provisions requiring increased vehicle efficiency standards and increased reliance on non-greenhouse gas-emitting energy sources. I wonder if those bit the dust in exchange for eliminating the provision that would have allowed drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Oy, politics.

It gets worse. It looks like a bunch of companies in Texas benefit the most from the bill. Paging Bush, Cheney, and DeLay, please pick up to the white courtesy phone. The Washington Post claims that the Energy Act is simply a broad collection of subsidies for energy companies, especially the nuclear and oil industries. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), a member of the Senate Energy Committee, stated that “our dependence on foreign oil will not be reduced. As a result, we have not reduced the prospect of going to war once again in the Persian Gulf in the next decade.” Hillary Clinton (D-New York) changed her vote from Yes on the first vote to No on the final vote. “I see a major missed opportunity. By the President's own admission, this bill won't do anything to reduce gasoline prices, but we know for a fact that it will give billions in tax breaks to companies like Exxon Mobil. It doesn't do nearly enough to push the development and commercialization of clean, next-generation energy technologies, but it gives huge tax breaks to nuclear power, a technology that has been with us for 50 years. And given what we now know about the looming threat of climate change, it makes no sense to make energy policy without integrating a cost-effective strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But that is exactly what this bill does.”

Yikes, business as usual. But at least it will be light out as we wait in line for our $4.00 a gallon gas. I remember the last time the government changed the clocks. Following the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo, Congress extended Daylight Saving Time for two whole years. I was in high school at the time and the extended daylight meant it was pitch black in the mornings when we walked to school. As if wasn’t hard enough getting out of bed and trudging out into the subzero temperatures to walk to Von Steuben High School, doing it under cover of darkness made it seem like we were forced laborers in the Gulag. I’d pick up my friends Shari and Helena on the way to school and for two years we’d look like coal miners with our flashlights as we marched past the insanely long lines of cars waiting for their chance at the gas pumps.

Some people are worried that this time change could cause massive computer problems, the kind that people feared would strike in 2000. I’m happy to report that my computer automatically made the switch this morning, as did our cable box and TiVo recorder. Thank God, because if TiVo went down, there would be massive rioting in the streets. Now I just have to go around the house and manually reset all the other clocks. Insurance companies sent out ominous warnings a few days ago that the early switch could affect certain medical devices such as implanted pacemakers or glucose monitors. I haven’t heard about any health problems yet, except for the general crankiness caused by losing an hour of sleep.

I was reading recently about winter depression, a condition also known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). People who suffer from this form of depression are particularly sensitive to the lack of light in the morning when they wake up. Scientists think the disorder is due to a “phase shift” of your body’s circadian rhythm. The clock says to wake up but your internal clock says you should stay in bed.

So for all of you who are suffering this morning, feeling sad, listless, and depressed, and for those of you who are experiencing irregular heartbeats or the dangerous effects of glucose withdrawal, I have just one bit of helpful advice.

Blame Bush.

Comments

[churlita]

Ha ha. I don't need that helpful advice, I've been doing it for years.

At first I thought it was funny that I didn't recall the extended DLST from the sevenites, but then I remembered that I was living in Arizona back then, and they didn't partake.

[Linda Freedman]

I always do. One of my favorite people has a sign in her living room window facing the street that says, Is it 2008 yet? It's been there awhile.

[OldOldLady Of The Hills]

We didn't have that two year respite here in California....It must have been very strange walking to school in the freezing cold and Dark Too!!!

I do not understand how they are able to tack on all sorts of stuff to a bill like that---Add Ons...that screw everything up and in reality that is how these carpet baggers in D.C. do their dirty work and feed their greed addiction....! Texas always benefits, doesn't it?
Wouldn't it be interesting to read about what the actual financial worth of Bush & Cheney, et all---REALLY is....with all the Oil intetests and The Haliburton interests...OY!