Bill Targets Reps' Gas Guzzlers

The environmental movement might just be trickling up: The House of Representatives has approved an energy bill amendment that would bar members from leasing gas guzzlers with taxpayer money. The proposal still faces some roadblocks, McClatchy reports, including its vague definition of emissions standards and the efforts of a top Republican to keep his beloved Tahoe.

The amendment’s author says his law could affect 100 representatives, but some say the language—allowing only “low greenhouse-gas emitting vehicles"—is laughably indistinct. Meanwhile, Tahoe fan Joe Barton, the ranking Republican on the House energy committee, worries about the consequences in an emergency if legislators are stuck in vehicles that don't accelerate well. (More environmentalism stories.)