Yesterday, Fox Chicago Sunday devoted one of its three segments to an interview on cap-and-trade legislation with David Sykuta of the Illinois Petroleum Council.  Here's how they teased it: "The people who put gas in your car say Illinois residents are in for a major price spike thanks to cap-and-trade."  So you can guess how the segment went. 

In his most egregious claim, Sykuta asserted that cap-and-trade will result increase gas prices by "$1.40 a gallon in the next 10-12 years."  That $1.40 figure may seem familiar, as it was cited by President Bush when he vetoed the Climate Security Act last year.  But it comes from an Environmental Protection Agency study that found prices would rise that much over the next 40 years -- not the next decade.

Then there was this delightful exchange between co-host Jack Conaty and Sykuta:

SYKUTA: Well, we think we're doing a good job with the environment and energy.  Things are much better now than they've ever been.  They're getting better every year.

CONATY: So you don't buy the "polar bears are drowning" theory of the environment?

SYKUTA: I think we're making a lot of progress and I think some in the environmental community are very good at isolating photos and making them look different than what reality is.

Ugh.  What are the chances of one day seeing a similar segment with the Sierra Club's Jack Darin or the Environmental Law and Policy Center's Howard Learner?  We won't hold our breath.