Biofuels

But the bill left out two major provisions that Congressional Democrats had pushed for months - over $20 billion in funding for renewable energy, paid for largely by taxes on Big Oil, and a requirement that utilities buy 15 percent of their power from renewable sources. Debate on the bill in both the House and Senate had been intense for the last few weeks. Joe Barton, R-Texas, complained that the bill will undo many of the efforts made to foster increased production of fossil fuels in an energy bill passed in 2005. Barton called the bill a “no-energy” bill and “a recipe for recession,” arguing that the conservation measures mandated by the bill would raise prices for fuel, homes and appliances for consumers. Fortune chose the absolutely dumbest of the dumb that the gods of fate and humor delivered into our laps - and yours - this past year.