Congress showed its softer, conservationist side yesterday—as if there had ever been any doubt—when it proposed to extend daylight savings time another two months as a means of saving on energy costs. From yesterday’s Boston Herald:
“We all just feel sunnier after we set the clocks back,” said [Congressman Edward] Markey (D-Mass). “In addition to the benefits of energy savings, less crime, fewer traffic fatalities, more recreation time and increased economic activity, daylight just brings a smile to everybody’s faces.”
Ah, conservation feels good, doesn’t it? By extending daylight savings, the U.S. could conserve an estimated 10,000 barrels of oil a day—considerable progress if you just ignore the fact that the country burns through 20 million barrels a day.
