ENERGY TRICKS AND TREATS

The energy bill recently passed by Congress is so flawed that lawmakers were reduced to celebrating its doubtful benefit of an extra hour of light on Halloween. But even that portion of the bill was hastily assembled – ensuring America’s largest trading partner was in sync with the time change was forgotten in the rush to getting kids more candy.

How pathetic that with gas prices at record highs and concerns about energy supplies growing daily, lawmakers resorted to tinkering with the clock. As part of the energy bill, daylight-saving time will be extended by four weeks beginning in 2007. It will start the second Sunday of March and last through the first Sunday of November.

“Kids across the nation will soon rejoice with the extended daylight on Halloween night that will allow for an additional hour of trick or treating,” said Rep. Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican who co-sponsored the daylight savings extension amendment. Even this notion is backward. Don’t kids want it to be dark out before knocking on doors to collect candy and to dress up in scary costumes? In some areas of the country, it is not considered safe for kids to go out on Halloween no matter how much daylight is around.

Worse, no one apparently consulted the Canadians about extending daylight-saving time. Government officials there are now considering whether to copy the United States so that flights and deliveries between the two countries remain on time. They likely have to. Airlines expect to lose up to $150 million a year because U.S. time will be out of sync with that of Europe for a month.

The worst trick, however, seems to be on the American people because it is not clear that changing the clocks will save energy. It will be light longer in the evening, meaning that people won’t have to have their lights on at home and may remain outside so air conditioners would get a little less use. However, retailers love the idea because people will stay out later. They likely will be driving to and from the stores they can now visit at 8 p.m. so fuel consumption may actually increase. It will also get light later in the morning, so more lights would be turned on then.

Extending daylight-saving time may lead to more family barbecues and ballgames and maybe even more candy on Halloween. It won’t begin to solve Americans’ energy problems.