The EPA should not be taking into account the Economical impact of reduction of pollution. That would be for an agency that watches the Economy. IMO it wont matter one way or another wether we kill our addiction for oil now or in the future. People will still go to work, get paid, make kids, have issues, etc. We don't need oil to maintain our lifestyles, we simply need options. That has been my biggest issue with oil and Automotive industries. The ability to make alternative fuel is not a new science(for the most part). It was simply shelved to make oil more profitable. If our past leaders and the voters of the time had bothered to deal with the problems when they emerged, than we wouldnt be facing global energy problems now. But that still doesnt excuse the EPA for failing to do their duty as a government agency and police the pollution of the country.The problem is that no matter when we actually get over the oil issue, we still have to deal with hardship while a new infrastructure is put in place, since so many of the older generations seem to think its not their problem, and they refuse to deal with the consequences of their actions. It is the people who have made decisions for the past 5 decades that should be held accountable for our current hardships, not the future generations that will have to deal with the likes of the people in here who cant even agree that there is a serious problem. Instead of coming up with the causes, we should be addressing the solutions. I know you have stressed your belief in the need for bi-partisanship on this subject, but i think that is not enough. We need the support of the people, we need to explain that no matter what choice we make now, it is too little to late to stave off the hardships that we all will face in the coming decades. You think the economy is bad now, wait till 50% of people cant afford to put gas in the car they are still paying off. Wait till public transit gets so packed that people will get to work late, or have to leave hours earlier to get there. We need action now! not in the future after weve realized how screwed we actually are. I mean how many more storms do we need to learn that our climate has changed. Not it will, IT HAS! how many years in a row do you need to read about Iowa getting flooded before you realize that it didnt matter if it affects the economy, because if we all starve, the economy doesnt matter. you cant eat money(well you can but good luck getting anything out of it)so trying maintain the status quo at this point is long term suicide.

This is but an excerpt from a comment conversation from energy outlook, the blog I often visit to see a biased view of the future of energy. I strongly encourage all my readers( the 5 or so i have right now) to read this blog, form some opinions, and start researching. The future is now, we need to start right away at making it a future we want.