$250 million for plug-in hybrid research: Deception?

What happens when the grid goes down?

20 Senators recently sent a letter to Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman and Office of Management and Budget Director Jim Nussle asking that at least $250 million be included in the President's 2009 budget request for plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Will $250 million accomplish anything?

"As you may know," states the letter, "97 percent of our nation’s transportation sector is dependent on oil. The electrification of our transportation sector through PHEVs and other measures holds the promise of significantly reducing our nation’s dependence on oil, while saving consumers hundreds of dollars at the pump and reducing vehicular pollution and greenhouse gases."

So, if PHEVs hold such promise to these Senators, why are they asking for so little? Why are these Senators and this Congress giving billions to corn-based ethanol - a verifiable boondoogle - instead of to hybrid vehicles and PHEVs?

$250 million dollars is about political sound bites, not ending foreign oil dependency. In reality, these Senators, this Congress, and this President are doing about as much as any of the last several Presidents or sessions of Congress regarding foreign oil dependency, nothing.