On Capitol Hill, senators overwhelmingly passed an energy bill that will improve fuel efficiency in American cars. The Senate also passed a farm bill. Both bills include provisions by Senator Bernie Sanders. Half a world away in Bali, Bush administration delegates to an international conference on global warming sparred over a European Union push to set emission reduction goals. In Vermont, food pantries are confronting shortages at a time of increased need.

Energy Bill Fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks will be boosted to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. The measure that passed the Senate on Thursday includes provisions by Sanders to promote energy efficiency and to train workers for green-collar jobs. "Given the crisis we're facing in global warming, the passage of this energy bill is an important step forward," Sanders said. "Much more has to be done in the future, but raising fuel efficiency standards and helping states, cities and towns go forward with energy efficiency and sustainable energy projects will reduce carbon emissions, lower energy costs and create good paying jobs." To read more, click here.

Global Warming Negotiators for President Bush at a United Nations conference on climate change in Bali fought language in a final report that would establish the need for action within the next 15 years and set emission reduction targets for developed countries. In a letter to the president, Sanders and other senators told President Bush "the world is watching" and urged him to direct U.S. negotiators to pursue policies "designed to propel further progress-- not fuel additional delay" The European Union on Saturday reportedly dropped a key demand that guidelines for a new global climate pact should include a reference to tough 2020 emissions goals for rich countries. The final report was expected to refer to a report by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that concluded global warming was unequivocal and laid out emissions reductions targets. To read the letter to President Bush, click here.

Vermont Granite The Vermont congressional delegation has been assured by the Martin Luther King Foundation that American granite will be used in a monument to the civil rights leader in the nation's capital. Vermont granite suppliers will be eligible to compete for contracts that will be announced in the near future, according to Harry E. Johnson Sr., the president and chief executive officer of the memorial foundation. The assurance that a majority of the granite will be American came in a conversation with Sanders. Senators Patrick Leahy, Sanders and Representative Peter Welch had contacted the foundation to express concern over reports that the project would be built with Chinese granite. To read more, click here.

Food Banks Vermont, like other states around the country, is struggling to fulfill the growing needs of people who are hungry. The Vermont Food Bank has said its supply of food had fallen by 50 percent from last year. Burlington's food shelf has seen a dramatic increase in employed clients in need of help this year. As winter closes in and home heating bills stack up, still more Vermonters are turning to the food support network in Vermont for help. Senator Sanders signed onto legislation that would increase support for food banks. For more, click here.

Farm Bill The Senate on Friday approved a $286 billion farm bill that would help growers and provide more food stamps for the poor. The bill, passed on a 79 to 14 vote, would extend dairy programs and provide more for renewable energy and conservation programs to protect environmentally sensitive farmland over the next five years. Said Sanders, "While not perfect, the Senate version of the farm bill is an important step forward. The bill is a win for dairy farmers who got an enhanced MILC program. It was also a win for nutrition programs, for bio-energy and for conservation. I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Leahy and Congressman Welch to make sure the final bill is as strong we can make it."