EU Lawmakers Want Higher Energy Use Cut in 2006-15

While the U.S. continues to consume ever more amounts of energy, as though racing China to see which nation can consume the last bits of cheap hydrocarbons, Europe has been working on building its renewable energy sources. Now it is increasing its goals for cutting energy consumption as well.

Europe should cut energy use by 11.5 percent over the period 2006-2015 to save supplies and reduce global warming, an EU lawmaker said on Thursday, increasing the burden on EU states to be energy efficient.

EU lawmakers sitting in the European Parliament's industry committee voted late on Wednesday to raise the energy saving requirements in a draft proposal from the earlier target of a 10 percent cut in energy use until 2015.

Unlike leaders in the U.S., the Europeans have a clue.