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Sunday, August 3, 2008
Unsettled Tax Credits Stymie Renewable Laws
As we wait for the renewable energy tax credits to get extended by Congress, the industry remains in a precarious limbo, with skittish investors and consumers tightening the belt in this sluggish economy. I personally am not pining away for tax credits from the Feds, even though I have and will continue to advocate for those tax credits. I just think that the polarization in Congress and unwillingness to come to a bipartisan compromise on renewable energy for our future is pathetic, myopic, and a sure sign that the palms of our reps are being thoroughly greased by the coal and petroleum industries. You can help wake up your rep by writing or calling them. They won't do anything progressive or new without a gigantic nudge by their constituents.
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Wishful Thinking
*Before adding PV, wind, or solar thermal to your residential or commercial structure, the first step is to analyze this structure's energy consumption through a professional energy audit. I'd like to see some public education on the importance of an energy audit for any structure. Remember Smokey the Bear's forest fire shtick drilled into our heads over the last few decades? How about something like, "Henry the House" desperately wanting to know how much energy he consumes and wastes throughout the day?
*With over 300 sunny days a year on the Front Range is it too much to ask for solar PV and thermal modules on every residential and commercial unit (after an energy audit of course)?
*How about affordable plug-in electric cars that go more than 100 miles on a charge with PV and wind powered recharging stations?
*Dreaming of companies large and small adopting business sustainability practices to maximize profits, reduce their carbon footprint, and enhance the lives of their employees and the communities that surround them.
*With over 300 sunny days a year on the Front Range is it too much to ask for solar PV and thermal modules on every residential and commercial unit (after an energy audit of course)?
*How about affordable plug-in electric cars that go more than 100 miles on a charge with PV and wind powered recharging stations?
*Dreaming of companies large and small adopting business sustainability practices to maximize profits, reduce their carbon footprint, and enhance the lives of their employees and the communities that surround them.
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2 comments:
Pelosi's putting up a good fight so far against the fools blathering about offshore drilling, though. The oil industry is drooling at the chance to grab some of that stuff, even though it'd only be at max 7 month's worth on the global market and wouldn't have any effect at all on the shocking gas prices we're seeing (according to this sad article http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2008/08/11/080811taco_talk_kolbert), because, at--Jiminy Crickets--$120 per barrel, someone's bound to make a quick fortune, even if they have to stick Flipper with a drill bit to get to it. So I suspect the Dems are reluctant to bring up anything to do with energy because someone's bound to slip in something idiotic to lift the offshore drilling moratorium and force a vote on it.
So maybe we could add that it'd be nice to save the oceans so we and future generations can go to the beach and eat fish untainted by oil sludge. In other words, pass the renewable tax credits, Mr. or Ms. Representative, but don't you dare mess up our oceans by opening it up to more drilling. The only people who benefit from that are the oil people and the politicians they're bribing with campaign and ad cash.
Thanks for the comment DH. I think that we the people are going to have to be increasingly vigilant with our reps in Congress. If we don't, we risk all kinds of bogus posturing and environmental degradation. And we must rationally scream from the rooftops that offshore drilling is a scam. Do Americans really think that that oil drilled on the sovereign soils of the good ole U.S. of A. will stay in the U.S. market?
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