THOSE ENERGY lobbyists are a lame bunch. They are lavishly funded by the oil industry. They get to work in fancy institutes and have open dining at The Palm. And look at how little influence they actually have on the Bush energy plan. Here’s the biggest piece of legislation of the decade for them. And do they have any significant impact on it? No!

I realize the press is full of stories about how the lobbyists practically wrote the bill. But don’t be a lazy reporter. Be a real human being and read the substance of what they managed to put into the legislation: a provision saying that if an environmental measure is enacted then the agency enacting it should assess whether the measure will disrupt the energy supply and if it does, it should come up with recommendations for alternative ways to get the energy.