Comments on: Republican Goal: To Weaken Clean Power Laws

By: Ucilia Wang

Ucilia Wang — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:37:08 +0000

Great background info, thanks Jeff. I know it’s not a black-and-white picture of GOP v. Dem when it comes to renewable energy. I’m curious about the importance each party and lawmaker assigns to various renewable energy issues. And in this current political climate, which issues will gain bi-partisan support and get passed and which ones will be used to trade votes.

By: Don

Don — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:45:33 +0000

Great analogy on the car and buggies. I am very thankful the government mandated purchases of automobiles and kept regulating people out of buggies and into automobiles otherwise the free marketplace would have kept us all stuck in horse carts.

By: Jeff Deyette

Jeff Deyette — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 15:50:55 +0000

The current slate of Republican-controlled state houses and Governors would do well to look at who adopted the renewable electricity standards in the first place. Of the 32 standards or goals that have been passed by state legislatures (another 5 were adopted by ballot initiative or regulatory proceeding), 25 were either signed into law by Republican governors or passed by at least one Republican-controlled legislative chamber (See map at http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/solutions/renewable_energy_solutions/bipartisan-support-renewable-energy.html).

The truth is renewable electricity standards have historically been a bipartisan policy. That’s because support for clean energy delivers benefits not only to public health and the environment, but also to consumers and local economies. These issues should be important to all sides of the political spectrum.

By: Ucilia Wang

Ucilia Wang — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:36:57 +0000

I agree, the fight is over money and power and not just from the fossil fuel industry. It’s from the renewable energy side, too. The issue, really, is how do you fight to win.

By: Gill Bates

Gill Bates — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:44:08 +0000

This is a pure, unadulterated power-money grab.

Oil’s days are numbered, period. The GOP (tool of the rich) and the Koch brothers are simply trying to squeeze all the $$$ they can from Oil-Gas, at the expense of the planet.

This would be the equivalent of being against car development in the 1900′s – because it would put horse-buggy manufacturers out of business (while owning a buggy company).