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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Opinion

And another thing …

The Spokesman-Review

Can’t afford to idle. The rise in gasoline prices isn’t likely to prime the pump for federal fuel mileage standard reform in Congress, but it should. That coupled with the likelihood of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would give both sides of the production vs. conservation debate a victory.

The U.S. Energy Department is predicting that the current prices won’t drop anytime soon. In fact, they might even rise as the demand from China and India inexorably increases. Goldman Sachs, the Wall Street investment banking firm, is predicting that crude oil prices could reach $135 a barrel by 2008. That would mean about $4.30 a gallon for U.S. drivers.

Congress hasn’t adjusted the corporate average fuel efficiency, or CAFE, standards for U.S. autos since 1990. It’s still 27.5 miles per gallon for cars and 21 mpg for “light trucks,” which includes SUVs and minivans. At the least, Congress should close that loophole. At best, it should update all mileage standards to reflect current energy realities.

Basic education. In the Washington Legislature, a bill that shouldn’t be necessary has provoked anxieties that shouldn’t be warranted.

The bill would require public schools to teach American Indian history. That worries some tribes, who fear that since the federal government doesn’t recognize them, the education mandate would leave them out.

If history is the study of what happened in the past to bring us to where we are, the issue doesn’t belong on the legislative agenda. Educators and historians need to make sure the curriculum honestly reflects all cultural perspectives that contribute to our region’s heritage. Meanwhile, the decisions that federal agencies make about whom to recognize may impact bureaucratic decisions today, but they can’t alter historic fact.