Saving daylight.

Imagine getting more evening sunlight with the stroke of a pen. That is what President George W. Bush did in August, when he signed an energy bill into law. Beginning in 2007, daylight saving time (DST) will start three weeks earlier and end one week later.

The new law's supporters say that the extra hour of evening light means Americans will use less energy. Others say that energy usage will simply shift to mornings, which will have an extra hour of darkness.

"This bill is not going to solve our energy challenges overnight," the President admitted. "It's going to take years of focused efforts to alleviate [ease] those problems."

The bill also offers incentives (financial rewards) for energy companies to create more nuclear power plants and oil refineries. Critics say that these provisions won't reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil, or help the environment. "This new law," said Representative Edward J. Markey (D-Massachusetts), "fails to do anything to increase the fuel efficiency of our cars and SUVs, even though more than two thirds of the oil we consume goes into gasoline tanks."

Debates over energy use--and DST--are likely to continue for a long time to come.