“5,000 environmentally friendly vehicles”: President George H.W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act in 1992 that guarantees 75 percent of new cars and light trucks purchased by the federal government will run on alternative fuels. Four federal agencies haven’t bought their percentage, so now the taxpayer gets to buy vehicles we don’t need. AP reports this enforcement is a result of a lawsuit from environmental groups. Toyota.com reports the base model Prius at $21,000. I’m sure some E85-capable Ford F-150s will be in there too.

Under the settlement, each of the four agencies agreed to specific plans to boost alternative fuel vehicle purchases over the next three years, and to provide the plaintiffs with the purchasing reports they submit to Congress. The plaintiffs estimate the four agencies will buy an additional 5,000 environmentally friendly vehicles, Galvin said.

The federal government currently owns about 600,000 cars and light trucks. It’s unclear exactly what percentage of that fleet is required to be alternative fuel vehicles because some agencies are exempt from the purchasing requirements of the 1992 energy law.

$1 billion: AP reports that Representatives Mark Green (R-WI) and Rick Santorum (R-PA) want to continue welfare for farmers by extending the federal Milk Income Loss Contract program for two more years:

Farmers from states where dairy herds tend to be smaller — such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania — benefit more from the milk program since it pays farmers only on the amount of milk produced by about 120 cows in a year. Western states with their generally larger herds benefit far less.

$7 billion: We knew about the vaccine sweepstakes last month and that the President wanted to protect 20 million people. The Washington Post reports (link dead) the vaccine will only cover 4 million people, and the government is trying to dilute it down.