Posted on 06/14/2007 1:06:34 PM PDT by SmithL
WASHINGTON, (AP) -- Senate Democrats, eager for a vote on energy legislation, ran into staunch Republican resistance Thursday to requiring that utilities use more wind, solar and other renewable sources to produce electricity.
The proposal would require power companies to increase use of wind turbines, solar panels, biomass, geothermal energy or other renewable sources to produce at least 15 percent of their electricity by 2020. Only about 2.4 percent of the country's electricity is produced that way now.
"We are trying to stimulate production of electricity from these sources," the chief sponsor said, and move always from coal, a leading producer of greenhouse gases.
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., cited a federal study that said if his plan were enacted, greenhouse gas emissions from power plants would fall by nearly 7 percent over levels projected for 2020.
By a 56-39 vote, senators rejected a GOP alternative. It would have allowed utilities to meet the requirement by also building more nuclear power plants and taking new conservation measures.
Republicans then balked and refused to allow a vote on Bingaman's measure. That forced Democrats to set the issue aside as they worked in private on a compromise.
If the early going is any indicator, it looks like a bumpy path toward final approval of the energy bill before the Fourth of July recess.
As discussions continued to try to resolve the renewable fuels impasse, Sen. John Warner offered another contentious proposal: allowing natural gas development in waters along the Atlantic coast where a drilling freeze has been in place for a quarter-century.
Warner, R-Va., wants the Senate to let his state seek a waiver from the Interior Department to the freeze. The plan brought a quick responses from senators from other coastal states.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Senator Jim Inhofe is in the center of this as well as Immigration fighting for all of us taxpayers!
What would this have to do with a renewable energy bill?
I’m beginning to wonder whether we might be well served by drafting Inhofe or Sessions for the GOP nomination.
the way to do this is to have the feds pay for electrical lines from remote locations.
Hydro is renewable, weather (rain) refills the reservoir, no different than Solar or Wind.
No different that the federal mandate requiring a percentage of gasoline to be ethanol.
I was thinking more in terms of winners and losers. If an area has plenty of hydro power they will come out ahead and with an existing infrastructure. We have a lot of wind and solar potential here but it is still being built. I’m just curious about how this is all supposed to work.
Either would have my support! I also like Don Nickles who Lott/Frist forced out of the Senate by their backdoor dealings when Lott left Majority Leader and then Frist paid back when he left by getting Lott back #2.
Sorry, power companies, like SUVs and guns, are inanimate objects that can't do anything on their own.
Now, those that manage the companies could do all this politically correct squishy stuff. But the money to implement all this has to come from somewhere. And guess where the companies get revenue?
This should go NOWHERE until a reliable, bipartisan estimate of the cost per customer is presented. But I doubt that'll happen.
A rose by any other name...
A tax by any other name...
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