Republicans block clean energy bill
I wanted to thank all of you that helped the 'vote for solar' capmaign. REC Solar delivered over 5,000 votes supporting the extension of the solar tax credits to our legislative leaders, but as feared, the supporters of the energy bill could muster only 53 votes for cloture (i.e. for ending the filibuster), well short of the 60 needed.
This doesn’t mean we’ll have no energy bill, but it probably dooms the tax package that was aimed at boosting renewables/conservation at the expense of fossil fuels.
The renewable portfolio standard may have 60 votes in the Senate, but not the same 60 votes that CAFE has, so it may also be salvageable, but that isn’t certain.
The big oil and coal companies won another battle, but they won't win the war. Renewable energy is a natural choice and there's no doubt in my mind that after the next election cycle we will have a better chance at getting the right energy policy in place.
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Comments (3)
The headline should read:
Republicans block tax increases for oil companies
"Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a $32 billion package of tax breaks for renewable energy that would have been financed mostly by new taxes on major oil companies.
Democrats came three votes short of overcoming a threatened GOP filibuster that was keeping the measure from being attached to a broader energy bill. Republican senators argued that the nearly $29 billion in additional taxes on major oil companies would have led to reduced production and higher gasoline prices."
Comment #1 Posted by: Brian | December 7, 2007 06:03 PM
perhaps that WOULD have been a fine headline, Brian...and i wouldnt see a problem with it. "Necessity is the mother of invention", so we won't find or choose new, renewable sources of energy until we HAVE to. so i dont necessarily see a problem with creating a "have to" situation by giving rebates on renewables, funding them with extra taxes on the outgoing dinosaur technologies, and driving the price of gas up so that we collectively pull our lazy heads out of our asses and figure out the better ways. (like nuclear, i hear you saying already)
Comment #2 Posted by: evan austin | December 7, 2007 10:55 PM
One could make the obvious
joke that the only difference of the two parties is the size of their piles of crap, but the
limitations of the two party system is not much of a laughing matter any more.
Comment #3 Posted by: anonymous | December 10, 2007 08:52 AM