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Does Daylight-Saving Save Anything?

This week, President Bush signed into law a sweeping energy bill covering everything from Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities to tax breaks for energy companies.

The new bill also addresses another issue, daylight-saving time. Starting in 2007, daylight-saving time will be extended by a month. Clocks will spring forward the second Sunday in March, and fall back the first Sunday in November.

The idea is to save energy by shifting the hours when people are busiest to the time when there is the most daylight.

But not so fast, says Michael Downing, Cambridge-based author of "Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time." He says there has never been any proof that daylight-saving time is, in fact, saving anything. Mr. Downing joins Bob Oakes this morning.

This program aired on August 10, 2005. The audio for this program is not available.

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