In a disastrous move, the Senate passed the bill to make energy and just about everything else less affordable last night, 65-27. It avoided the worst proposed excesses, the $28 billion tax hike and an increased mandate for expensive, inefficient renewable power, but includes a 36 billion gallons mandate for miracle fuels that don’t exist yet, new efficiency standards for appliances, etc., much higher CAFÉ standards but no automatic increases after 2020, and criminalizes “unconscionably excessive” gasoline prices. The result will be much higher prices for gasoline, appliances and less-safe autos, but not (for now) for electricity.

Because the Senate put its bill into the “Hundred Hours” House bill, HR6, the House could now take a vote on the Senate bill and send it to the President, or vote to modify it, take a vote on it, and send it back to the Senate, or they could ask for a conference committee to rewrite the bill. However, given that the President has promised a veto of any bill containing price gouging measures, I suspect the House Republicans might be less than inclined to fight for their constituents’ access to safe cars, effective appliances and affordable energy. (Or food. Or even soap.)