Time Is Energy

Disturbing rumors about cutting solar and wind incentives from energy bill

I'm reading some disturbing rumblings about solar and wind incentives (like the RPS and tax credits) being stripped out of the current energy bill.

I hope there is nothing to these reports, but my cynical self feels like Charlie Brown yelling "LUCY!" as she pulls the football he is about to kick away.

There are many pressures on the legislature and it is ambitious to write legislation to mandate higher fuel efficiency, institute a national RPS (renewable portfolio standard--i.e. mandate a minimum amount of renewable energy nationally), and extend and expand some federal solar tax incentives, but we need ambitious measures considering the energy and climate crisis we are facing.

Here are two stories that have me concerned:

http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/businessre/story?id=50551
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=50527

It seems to me that the american people strongly support extending (and expanding) incentives for solar and wind power and higher fuel economy standards, especially giving skyrocketing energy costs. Or am I just that out of touch?

On the corporate side nobody likes being told what to do, but since things like better fuel economy just isn't happening in the marketplace (no increase over the past 20 years), I think it is entirely appropriate to mandate an increase in minimum (that is easily achieveable from a technical perspective) MPG standards.

posted by Daniel @ 3:40 PM