They Voted For You: Energy

U.S. Sens. Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller, both D-W.Va., each voted for the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007.

The bill passed 86-8 after the Senate amended the House-passed legislation and "after Democrats abandoned efforts to impose billions of dollars in new taxes on the biggest oil companies, unable by one vote to overcome a Republican filibuster against the new taxes," The Associated Press reports.

But the legislation would also require automakers "to achieve an industrywide average 35 mile per gallon for cars, small trucks and SUVs over the next 13 years," AP reports. It would further "boost use of ethanol to 36 billion gallons a year by 2022, a nearly sixfold increase, and impose an array of new requirements to promote efficiency in appliances, lighting and buildings."

The House is expected to take up the Senate changes next week. "The White House issued a statement saying President Bush will sign the legislation if it reaches his desk, as is expected. Bush had promised a veto if the oil industry taxes were not removed," the AP article said.