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Washington: Alexander plugs his plug-in hybrid

By: Herman Wang
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WASHINGTON — For months, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., has been touting the potential of plug-in hybrid vehicles and pushing for legislation to incentivize them.

Now, he’s put his money where his mouth is, having spent $10,000 to have his Toyota Prius fitted with a battery that allows it to be plugged in and recharged when he’s not using it.

The senator told U.S. News & World Report that the car, which he purchased in July, now can go 30 miles on battery power without using any gas.

“It’s simply a Toyota Prius converted with a different kind of electric battery,” he said. “It’s a hybrid car, and instead of starting out on the gas engine, it starts out on the electric battery.”

The senator has said electric utilities, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority, have tons of unused capacity at night, so cars could be plugged in then and be ready to go for the morning commute. He said if half the country’s cars were electric, the country could cut its oil imports by $400 million to $500 million a day.

“It’s the single best way that we’ll stop using foreign oil,” Sen. Alexander said. “It’s easier to fill up. I just go home at night and plug it in just like I would my cellphone.”

WAMP DECRIES drilling OPPOSITION

Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., said Thursday on the House floor that “environmental extremists” have taken over the Democratic Party, accounting for its unwillingness to consider wide-scale expansion of offshore oil drilling.

“All of the new permit applications to explore new oil and gas or bring on new refineries face litigation from these extreme groups that are lined up with lawyers 10 deep to stop new oil and gas production in this country,” he said. “This is a special interest that has a foothold in the Congress with this new majority.”

Rep. Wamp’s comments came in the wake of the House passing a Democratic-sponsored bill that offers some limited offshore drilling but does not go far enough for Republicans.

DAVIS blames SENATE FOR INACTION

Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn., bristles at the accusations that the Democratic-led Congress has been a do-nothing body, and he said Republicans in the Senate, which requires 60 votes to avoid a filibuster, mainly are to blame for obstructionism.

“We increased the minimum wage,” Rep. Davis said. “We increased fuel standards. We just passed an energy bill, but it’s not going to come up in the Senate. We passed a bill to let Medicare negotiate lower drug prices, but it got held up in the Senate. The do-nothing Congress is on the Senate, not the House, side.”

Compiled by Washington D.C. correspondent Herman Wang

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