Bush signs stringent energy bill.(Inside Track)(George W. Bush)(Brief article)

President Bush signed H.R. 6, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, into law on December 19, ushering in the next era of government regulation of our nation's energy marketplace. Notable provisions of the new law include:

* Increased fuel economy standards to achieve a combined fuel economy average for the 2020 model year of at least 35 miles per gallon;

* Establishing a national tire fuel efficiency rating system for motor-vehicle replacement tires;

* Federal grants to state and local governments and to private or nonprofit entities to encourage the use of plug-in electric drive vehicles;

* Grants to automobile manufacturers and suppliers to encourage domestic production of efficient hybrid, plug-in electric hybrid, plug-in electric drive, and advanced diesel vehicles;

* Revising federal regulations to ensure that fuel sold in the United States contains a specified volume of "renewable fuel, advanced biofuel, cellulosic biofuel, and biomass-based diesel," the most common being ethanol; and

* New energy efficiency standards requiting the use of more ...