August 30, 2010
This year’s Congressional elections are officially of the “off-year” or “mid-term” variety, which I find a little disappointing, since without a presidential race I will not have the opportunity to root for my longtime presidential candidate of choice, Vermin Supreme.
Not that there aren’t plenty of incumbents and candidates this election cycle whose positions and prejudices are in the same league of wackiness as would-be President Supreme; and in their case, it’s a more worrying phenomenon since they are actually serious candidates and don’t seem to be aware of the outlandlishness of their platforms.
However, absent the distraction of an overarching presidential contest, we can focus our attention on the senators and representatives and their challengers who’ll be on the soapbox this Fall. And it behooves us as responsible voters to know as much as possible before November about their positions on the issues that matter to us.
Here, for those of you who want to hunt down and compare the official statements and independent evidence of contestants’ positions this election season, are several useful resources:
The Solar Nation advocacy page:
- Go to http://capwiz.com/re-action/home/
- Click on Find Election info and Candidates
- Use the ‘My Races’, ‘Find a Candidate’, or ‘Browse Races by State’ box to locate the relevant candidates and incumbents.
- Click ‘On the issues’ (opens in a new tab); this will take you off the Solar Nation site to the candidate’s site.
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September 17, 2009
Can he give us strong action on climate change?
The U.S. Congress is faltering in its attempt to give us clean energy and climate legislation this session. Cap-and-trade legislation that should already have been introduced by the Senate has been put off until next month, as backers of climate action try to persuade their colleagues not to water its provisions down to meaninglessness. And it’s becoming more and more unlikely, especially as the ongoing health care debate uses up all the oxygen on Capitol Hill, that a climate bill will become law before the crucial U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen in mid-December.
What are they doing on the Hill?We hear talk of the ‘easy’ parts of the legislation, such as renewable energy and green building standards, being separated out from the ‘difficult’ parts, meaning anything remotely concerned with climate, and passed in a bill of their own. And as solar power advocates, we are at least happy that there’s talk that might lead to more of it. But with all we know about the dangers of climate change, it’s distressing that our (presumably) well-informed Congresspersons seem to have such an underdeveloped sense of urgency about the issue. (more…)
August 10, 2009
…and members of the U.S. Congress have left Washington for a few weeks’ living in their home districts. Trouble is, they didn’t finish the job before they left.
The House of Representatives spent a good part of the year taking a good idea (the President’s target of 25% of electricity from renewable sources by 2025) and doing a bad job with it:
- Their bill, the Waxman-Markey ‘ACES’ bill, (bill number HR2454) calls only for 20% renewables by 2020, while the Senate’s version – the ‘ACELA’ bill (bill number S1462) – only looks for 15% by 2021!
- In response to the Obama-Biden requirement that all carbon emission allowances be auctioned to fund clean energy development and help citizens cope with energy bills, the ACES bill gives away some 85% of carbon emission allowances to polluting industries, while the ACELA bill ignores climate altogether.
- Neither bill creates uniform net metering or interconnection standards for retail and commercial customers, leaving us – still – without a national framework for distributed generation within which a healthy solar market can flourish.
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August 27, 2008
He (John Cornyn) gave an overview of the new Gas Price Reduction Act of 2008, a bill he has co-sponsored in the Senate, which is designed to address the high price of gas at the pump and to provide a balanced approach to America’s long-term energy needs.
If passed, the bill would provide for expanded drilling off the U.S. coastlines, bringing in an estimated 14 billion barrels of oil. It would also provide for oil exploration in shale regions of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, with a potential of 800 billion to 2 trillion recoverable barrels of oil.
“When you think about roughly 3 million barrels per day that could be provided, that’s 3 million barrels less that we would have to buy from Venezuela, and Hugo Chavez,” Cornyn said. “Or from Iran and (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad.”
The bill would also look at expanding fuel alternatives, including increased development of electric vehicle technology, using sugar cane-based ethanol rather than corn-based, and exploring the use of nuclear energy for generating electric power, rather than coal.
Finally, the bill would authorize increased funding and staffing for the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, which would provide increased oversight and transparency of commodities trading and speculation.
Cornyn said he purposely left drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge out of the bill, because its controversial nature might prevent its passage in Congress. However, he said he would support a repeal of the drilling ban in ANWR, if it were to come into future legislation.
Congress is the problem right now when it comes to opening up 85% of our resources that are currently out of bounds because of laws passed by Congress dating back to the 1980s.”
Tyler Morning Telegraph, 7/1/2008
August 27, 2008
I believe we must utilize all domestic energy resources including not only natural gas and renewable energy, but also oil, coal, and nuclear energy. Developing and expanding domestic energy resources will translate into energy security and will ensure stable sources of supply and well-paying jobs for Oklahomans and Americans.
Wind energy must play an increasing role in our nation’s energy future. With 689 megawatts (MW) of production, Oklahoma ranks as one of the top states in wind energy production. To help spur wind development in Oklahoma, I worked to include a provision in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT) to increase private sector investment in high voltage lines by decreasing the depreciation period for these lines to 15 years. To that end, OG&E recently announced the construction of a high power line from Oklahoma City to Woodward with plans to eventually connect with Guymon. These lines could more than quadruple OG&E’s current wind production of 170 MW to 770 MW.
I’ve also consistently supported the extension of the renewable electricity Production Tax Credit. This tax credit provides for a 1.9 cent per kilowatt-hour tax credit for the first ten years a turbine goes into service. It assists wind energy developers overcome today’s high up-front costs as the industry continues to mature. As recently as April 10, 2008, I not only voted to extend the production tax credit, but I voted against attempts to reduce the incentive for wind energy. I’ve also blocked Congressional efforts to derail major wind projects such as Cape Wind off the coast of Massachusetts. Further, I have joined with my Republican colleagues in cosponsoring legislation, the Alternative Minimum Tax and Extenders Tax Relief Act of 2008, (S. 3098) which extends the renewable production tax credit for another year.
Today as Oklahomans are looking for relief from soaring energy costs, they can rest assured that I will continue to stand up for Oklahoma and support policies that will make certain we have a stable, diverse and affordable energy supply.
August 27, 2008
Gas prices and home energy costs are breaking the family budget and we are increasingly looking to foreign sources of energy to meet demand. I believe we can reverse both of these trends by increasing America’s domestic supply of energy. Increased supply will mean lower prices and less dependence on volatile regions of the world like the Middle East.
Further, I have been a consistent advocate for developing renewable energy such as solar, wind, and biofuel. Still, even significant advancements in renewables will not replace our reliance on traditional sources of energy such as oil and natural gas. That’s why I have fought for technologies that make the production of energy from these sources cleaner and more efficient.
Nuclear power must be a part of America’s energy future. Nuclear energy is cheap, clean and ready now. We need to begin investing in new refineries that will bring more energy to New Mexico.
August 27, 2008
Dick Zimmer believes that to address our growing energy problems we must urgently promote energy efficiency and energy conservation. He is in favor of increasing fuel mileage standards on cars and SUVs. Zimmer supports streamlining the regulatory process to allow more nuclear power facilities to come on line and increased energy exploration and production on public lands, consistent with public safety and environmental protection.
August 27, 2008
Preserving our environment is in everyone’s interest. While we know that the earth has experienced a period of warmer temperatures, we do not yet have a scientific explanation upon which scientists agree. I believe in a thorough scientific approach that addresses climate change in a thoughtful, logical way. Today, climate change has been made into a political football.
Until we have an answer based on science, we can and should take steps to improve the environment without crippling the businesses that are at the core of this nation’s economic strength, or placing undue burdens and costs on hard-working families. The worst action we could take would be to add cost to the price of gas in addition to higher utility and tax bills for families and businesses across the state and the nation before we have an answer from the scientific community.
1. I will support programs that help farmers and ranchers comply with environmental regulations. Farmers and ranchers will be, and have been, excellent stewards of the environment.
2. I will also insist that environmental laws and regulations are based on sound science and common sense.
3. I will support policies and laws that make it clear that carbon credits generated by farmers and ranchers are theirs to own or sell.
4. I will continue to advocate for conservation programs and the development of renewable fuels which will help the environment and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
5. The right approach, which I will support, is investment in research and the development of the technologies to reduce carbon emissions and to deal with all other aspects of climate change that impact our environment.
6. I will also insist on an approach to involve all nations on this issue. The world community must work together.
August 27, 2008
We need a national strategy to lessen our dependence on foreign oil to lower gas and diesel prices. This is both an economic and national security issue. The more dependent we are on foreign sources of oil, the greater the risk to our economy and security. Right now, we send too much money to countries that are not friendly to our interests and we must act now to move our nation toward energy independence.
Our energy policy for too long has been based on 3 words: No, No, No. It is time to say “yes” to an energy policy that says “yes” to America. Investment in research and development for new technologies must occur at the state, federal and business level.
1. We must expand the use of alternative and renewable fuels to ensure we are never dependent on another nation for our energy needs. I have made expanding renewable fuels a top priority as Governor and Secretary of Agriculture, not only because of the economic opportunity it presents for Nebraska and our nation, but to
ensure our nation’s long-term energy needs.
2. Corn-based ethanol is part of the solution, not only for our short term but also our long term energy needs.
3. We should also promote investment in cellulosic ethanol research and development. It is critical we invest in research and development of cellulosic ethanol because Nebraska can and should be a leader in this important initiative.
4. I will also support a loan guarantee program for the construction of cellulosic plants.
5. We should also expand domestic oil exploration and natural gas production while protecting our environment.
6. We should streamline the onerous refinery regulations that are squeezing the gas supply and driving up costs for consumers.
7. We must expand the supply of energy through nuclear power plants as a part of our future energy needs.
8. Conservation is also a critical component of our future. More efficient cars and trucks with better mileage not only make sense, it is also absolutely necessary.
9. I will also support the development and use of wind energy, solar energy and battery-operated vehicles as part of our nation’s plan to be energy independent.
