The last time I invoked this French lament, it was in reference to President Bush's attempted flimflammery on climate change when he announced ".a new national goal: to stop the growth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2025."
Now the Republicans in the Senate have once again blocked the extension of tax credits for renewables. (I've written about this a number of times: here and here for instance.) See this story from RenewableEnergyWorld about the proposed legislation and this from Reuters on today's developments.
The National Governors Association also, spitting into the wind it seems, issued this letter calling for a five-year extension, signed by all 50 governors! They, Democrats and Republicans, seem to have their priorities straight. See also this from Industry Week.
I'm sorry, folks, because I don't like to see one of the critical issues of our age , if not the most critical , be caught up in a partisan shooting match. But that's just what it is. When people say "the Senate" did this, or "Congress" didn't do this, I want them to state the political realities of a particular situation. In the case of progressive energy and environmental legislation, the political reality is that the Republicans have been hugely obstructive. If you don't believe me, check the votes. Here's a statement on today's travesty from the head of the Solar Energy Industries Association. It too fails to reflect the political reality.
It looks like the tax credits are going to run out before the next Congress. It also looks, at this point, as if the American people are going to further punish the Republicans in Congress in November for their obstructionism on these vital matters of energy and the environment, and others, just as they did in 2006. The American people want responsibility, finally, on energy. It looks like the only way to get it from their federal government is to vote for folks who believe as they do. I only wish that all the elected members of our federal government, legislative and executive, wanted to make the clear choices there are to be made to get what people want and the planet needs.
