Comments on: What’s Your Take on Senate Energy Bill?

by: ML Williams

Wed, 16 May 2007 19:55:15 +0000

The senate bill is too little if not too late.

This, and any adminstration, has to face the might of the BIG OIL and BIG THREE AUTO lobbiests when attempting to budge CAFE standards for automobiles.

If I were investing in Chrysler as a private equity owner, I would clean up the waste and redirect the company and its resources to create high efficiency modes of transportation and blow by the proposed CAFE standards. Can you imagine how the other two US automakers would have to respond to remain competitive? If they don’t get it, tax heavily the consumer who selfishly burns fuel to drive gas-guzzling SUVs and stand in line 80 deep to pick up their kids after school. The consumer will ultimately get it and drive the market in the choice of fuel efficient vehicles.

The commitment to green energy is not strong enough. Tax the use of oil based energy heavily and apply the revenue as tax credits which should be issued on the basis of audited carbon balance and air quality credits for producers. That not only includes biofuels but coal technologies as well. More R&D expenditures need to be focused on nuclear energy and educational efforts need to be directed toward fear mongers and NIMBY nay-sayers. Force cities to adopt mass- and rapid-transit systems and quit passing out tax dollars to build more highways.

Today’s government taxes the consumer and gives it back to the fuel producers who pass it back on in the form of higher pump prices. If we are going to pay higher prices, then let’s have some better stewardship of the tax dollars and redirect them to ventures that are of greater value to America in the long term.

by: Stanford Matthews

Fri, 11 May 2007 20:24:30 +0000

Wind farms appear to be the target of ‘not in my backyard’ complaints as well as objections over danger to certain wildlife. Based on reports I have seen, it offers reasonable bang for the buck. It certainly seems more practical to me than the E85 craze.

by: Tom Gray

Thu, 10 May 2007 01:09:05 +0000

The energy bill sounds like a good start, but I would like to see Congress take this opportunity to pass a more far-reaching law that deals both with growing energy demand and climate change. One key provision of such a bill would be a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), requiring that a minimum percentage of electricity supply come from alternative clean energy sources like wind and solar. The job creation potential of wind is already starting to be felt. More background on the RPS and how you can support it available here. Regards, Thomas O. Gray American Wind Energy Association www.awea.org risingwind.blogspot.com