[Texgreen] Daylight Saving Time begins in March now (to save energy!)

[margaret]

Now that we have so many humungous SUVs and gas guzzlers now, I wonder 
if we've already wasted our earlier savings and how much we will 
actually gain by extending daylight saving time now. How about also 
closing the SUV tax exemption loophole and raising the mpg standards . 
. . ? (Just to give you a head start . . . my computer doesn't know 
this yet :-)  My thinking anyway . . . Margaret

- - -

Beginning in 2007, DST will begin on the second Sunday in March and end 
the first Sunday in November. The Secretary of Energy will report the 
impact of this change to Congress. Congress retains the right to resume 
the 2005 Daylight Saving Time schedule once the Department of Energy 
study is complete.

from
http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/b.html

Oil Conservation

Following the 1973 oil embargo, the U.S. Congress extended Daylight 
Saving Time to 8 months, rather than the normal six months. During that 
time, the U.S. Department of Transportation found that observing 
Daylight Saving Time in March and April saved the equivalent in energy 
of 10,000 barrels of oil each day - a total of 600,000 barrels in each 
of those two years.

Likewise, in 1986, Daylight Saving Time moved from the last Sunday in 
April to the first Sunday in April. No change was made to the ending 
date of the last Sunday in October. Adding the entire month of April to 
Daylight Saving Time is estimated to save the U.S. about 300,000 
barrels of oil each year.

Beginning in 2007, Daylight Saving Time will commence on the second 
Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November, thereby saving 
even more energy.