Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is one of the ‘top tier’ candidates for the Republican nomination for President. Rudy served as Mayor from 1994 through 2001, distinguishing himself in the eyes of many Americans during the national crisis on September 11th. Giuliani had previously served in the Reagan White House, and also as a Public Prosecutor, and in the US Attorney’s Office.

On the campaign trail in New Hampshire, only next-door (Massachusetts) neighbor Mitt Romney has made more trips to New Hampshire than Giuliani has. Rudy has campaigned in every corner of our state.

I caught up with “America’s Mayor” in mid-June. I asked him about his plans to make America energy independent. Giuliani replied, “”Let’s get serious about energy independence. We need to put resources into ethanol production. We need to license more nuclear plants. Nuclear power is dangerous but so is every other form of power.” (Really? Wind power is dangerous???)

When I asked him about what forms of clean energy he favored, he seemed ambivalent – “We need to look into cleaning coal. Wind and solar energy today are just too inconsistent.”

While on the stump that day, Giuliani spoke about how energy independence was a critical component of our national security. He begrudgingly acknowledged that global warming is occurring and that we are probably exacerbating the problem but it is not a staple of his stump speech. While he doesn’t run from the topic when asked, he doesn’t offer it without provocation. 

So what are Giuliani’s plans for Energy Independence?

· He wants to expand domestic corn ethanol production; he believes that we should use bio-fuels to help displace foreign oil use in our vehicles. Corn and cellulosic ethanol, as well as bio-diesel should play a role. He believes that the bio-fuels industry can help revitalize rural America

· Giuliani wants to license more nuclear plants within the US and to relicense and modernize existing plants. To anyone worried about the safety of nuclear power, Giuliani said, “No one’s ever died from nuclear power in the United States” but that nuclear power needs to be produced safely.

· Giuliani also called for more clean-burning domestic natural gas;

· He has been promoting expanded drilling for domestic oil and natural gas, including drilling off of the coast of Florida and in ANWR;

· He believes that clean coal technology will help us become more energy independent. Carbon sequestration techniques are a priority for him. He stated that our abundant coal reserves may help wean us off polluting fossil fuels;

· Giuliani also supports the coal to fuel synthesis claiming it can be one of most “valuable contributors to our energy independence;”

· Giuliani is promoting Efficiency and Conservation. He has stated that America’s government, corporations, and individuals must engage in efficiency and conservation efforts that reduce demand for oil, without damaging America’s competitiveness worldwide or our standard of living. America needs to use more energy-efficient technologies and take personal responsibility for conserving energy.
With respect to climate change, Giuliani recognizes that there is a problem that needs to be addressed. He has said, “I do believe there’s global warming, yes. The big question has always been how much of it is happening because of natural climate changes and how much of it is happening because of human intervention. I think we have to accept the view that scientists have that there is global warming and that human operation, human condition, contributes to that.”

While he recognizes that climate change is a problem, he opposes mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions. He falls back on the old argument that “if China and India are not restricted, then our contribution will be minor.”  (Where is the leadership?)

Surprisingly, regarding Renewable Energy, Rudy said, “Renewable sources of electricity, including solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal power, will play an important role in our move to energy independence.”

However, I do tend to take his comments on expansion of renewable energy with a grain of salt. The reason for that is because he is leading all of the presidential candidates, of both parties, in accepting contributions from people in the oil and gas industry, totaling over a half million dollars already! Not incidentally, his current law firm has represented such companies as Chevron Texaco, Enron, Duke Energy and Pacific Gas and Electric.

Based on current national polls, Rudy may very well wind up being the Republican nominee in 2008. The NH Republican primary voters just might not support Rudy if they keep the sage words of Stephen Stills, ringing in their ears,

“Don’t let the past remind us of what we are not now. I am not dreaming.”

Next Week: Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo

SmartPower - the national non-profit marketing organization that is leading the creation of a voluntary market for clean energy and energy efficiency.

Rudy Giuliani’s Presidential Campaign Website

Image Credit: Flickr - First in the Nation Forum, Manchester, NH

Mike Garofalo’s Previous ‘Power To The People’ Columns

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes….

Senator Barack Obama is the junior US Senator representing the state of Illinois in the US Senate. He was elected to the Senate in 2004 and is serving in his first term. Previously, Obama had served as a 3-term Illinois state senator. Barack is married to his wife, Michelle, and they have two young daughters.

Obama, even as a freshman US Senator, is in the ‘top tier’ of Democratic candidates for President. He has visited New Hampshire more than 20 times, spending more than a month’s worth of time traveling across the Granite State. He has been virtually in every corner of this state bringing his messages of hope to Democratic and Independent voters here.

Obama’s reputation for delivering passionate speeches full of hope and promise is legendary. He is often compared to Senator Robert F. Kennedy for his ability to inspire and motivate those who hear him. But for all his inspirations and hope, Obama appears to be a man of great contradictions, at least as far as renewable energy issues are concerned.

I caught up with Senator Obama in mid May traveling through NH’s seacoast area. At a town hall meeting, I asked him, as I have asked all of the candidates, about his views on promoting clean energy. Obama’s response, “I have been leading the bipartisan effort to raise CAFÉ standards and to promote the development and use of hybrid cars.”  Well, raising CAFÉ standards is a good idea and hybrid cars are great but I really wanted some depth (and inspiration) from this man.

I followed up with my usual follow-up question about how can we make America more energy independent and he replied, “I am also working on a bipartisan effort to produce more clean coal.”  Not quite what I had hoped he would say. His candidacy and his campaign positions offer some opposing views.

Last month, Senator Obama unveiled details of an ambitious energy policy, right here in New Hampshire. Unlike in most of the presidential debates, clean energy is a real concern of the voters here, so announcing his plan in NH made sense.  Senator Obama supports:

* A Cap-and-Trade system that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050. This seems to be the standard against which all ‘green’ candidates are being measured. Obama wants the emission permits to be auctioned rather than allocated, which would a lot of money that he wants dedicated to clean energy research and development.

* He supports a national renewable portfolio standard that would require 25% of US electricity to be generated from renewable sources by the year 2025.

* He supports huge and continued subsidies for corn-derived ethanol production, which would certainly help farmers in Illinois, but do little to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But, he does support expanded use and development of cellulosic biofuel production. 

* There is another issue that Obama has supported that has not won him many friends in the environmental and renewable energy communities. He strongly supports expanding and developing more ‘clean coal’ technologies. He also wants to invest in lower emission coal plants. Again, this would help southern Illinois coal producers, but at the expense of exacerbating greenhouse gas emissions.

* Obama has stated that, ”The U.S. is recognized as the global leader in understanding better geologic coal-sequestration technologies. If we abandon that leadership, we risk leaving the rest of the planet wide open to investing billions in polluting infrastructure.”

* He would support signing the Kyoto protocols to demonstrate American leadership in battling global warming. Obama would prefer a new international global warming partnership.

* As recently as the last Democratic debate (in Las Vegas) Obama reiterated his support, albeit lukewarm, for nuclear power. He reminds us that nuclear currently provides over 70 percent of our non-carbon generated electricity. But he does understand that there are significant safety and waste issues that are cause for real concern. Nonetheless, his support is undeterred because of our dependence on foreign fossil fuels.

* Obama wishes to invest $150 Billion over the next ten years to develop renewable energy technologies in the United States.

* Another courageous stand, that many candidates are not advocating, is conservation. Obama would like to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by 35% by 2030.

* He is also promoting energy efficiency by making federal government buildings more energy efficient. His energy efficiency plans also call for the phasing out of traditional incandescent lightbulbs by 2014.

* Obama also wants the federal government to lead America in the use of clean energy. He wants 30 percent of the government’s electricity use to come from clean energy by 2020.

* Obama has authored or co-authored over 100 eco-friendly bills in the US Senate and promises this set of issues will have a prominent place in the Obama Administration. 

Senator Barack Obama is a man full of hope, promise, and complicated positions and beliefs. He is a compelling candidate, with some really strong environmental beliefs. But in his short political career, his positions on a variety of issues have changed, and so has he.

As David Bowie might sing, “Time may change me, But I can’t trace time…..”

Next week: Former NY City Mayor Rudy Giuliani

SmartPower - The national, non-profit marketing organization that is leading the creation of a voluntary market for clean energy and energy efficiency.

Barack Obama’s Presidential Website

Image Credit: Flickr - Obama at UNH, Durham, NH - February 2007

Mike Garofalo’s Previous ‘Power to the People’ Columns

It is extremely hard to find any politically uncommitted New Hampshire residents who have actually seen Duncan Hunter on the campaign trail – though it has been reported he has made 9 separate trips up here. It’s even harder to find someone who actually heard Duncan Hunter talk about clean energy or energy independence while he was here.

In early June, Hunter did attend a gathering of the New Hampshire State Republican Party in Manchester. I was able to ask him a question about making America energy independent. His response, “I support drilling offshore and in ANWR to reduce our dependence on hostile foreign sources. We need to increase our dependence on American oil. I would also support construction of more American oil refineries.”

I quickly followed it up with a question about if he felt that fossil fuels were exacerbating the global warming crisis. Hunter’s response, ”I have to leave now.” Perhaps he actually did have to leave. Or perhaps he thought I was one of those enviro-types! In any event, that was all that he said.

Not to be deterred, I searched Hunter’s official presidential campaign website for his positions on energy independence, and how he would combat global warming. I think the ‘Internet wasn’t working properly’ because no matter how hard I tried to find information on his website about those two topics, I couldn’t find them? I hunted, and hunted, and hunted – to no avail.

At a Republican candidates’ debate in New Hampshire, Hunter stated that we “should battle the problems of global warming and energy independence together” – which isn’t a bad idea! But where is Hunter’s plan for doing that?

The Republicans for Environmental Protection watchdog group, hardly a group of left-leaning environmental crazies, gave Hunter a rating of 13 (out of 100) for the year 2006. While that is an awfully low rating, it was a marked improvement over his 2005 rating of MINUS 4! The nonpartisan League of Conservation Voters issued Hunter the lowest possible environmental score for 2006; his lifetime rating from the LCV is just nine percent.

Even without a written energy plan or a plan to combat global warming, some people in New Hampshire are supporting Hunter. But how many? Well the recent NH polls all have Hunter at 1 to 2% or less. In fact, reviewing the Republican polls from 2006 forward, there were no polls in which his support in NH measured more than 2%.

I guess New Hampshire Republican voters are just ‘hunting” for someone else.

Next week: Democratic Senator Barack Obama of Illinois

SmartPower - The national non-profit marketing organization that is leading the creation of a volunatry market for clean energy and energy efficiency.

Duncan Hunter’s Presidential Website

NH Polling Home 

Image Credit - Flickr - Hunter in NH at St. Anselm’s Debatein Manchester

Republicans for Environmental Protection

League of Conservation Voters

Mike Garofalo’s Previous ‘Power to the People” Columns

…. with apologies to a similar sounding movie title, I did attend an event at which Mike Huckabee was the guest speaker. Back in March, former Republican Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, was interviewed by WMUR-TV in Manchester, NH. ‘Channel 9,’ as it is affectionately known, is the only statewide television station in New Hampshire and it is taking advantage of our lead-off spot in the Presidential Primary process by interviewing all of the presidential candidates.

Okay, well we are the first primary state as of today, but that is certainly subject to change. With all of the states jockeying for position and wanting to leap-frog over other states, New Hampshire is zealously guarding it’s ‘Number One’ status. In fact, NH Secretary of State Bill Gardner has stated that "New Hampshire state law mandates that New Hampshire’s primary shall come first and that is what I am going to do." If other states keep moving the process up, we may wind up having our primary in about two weeks! Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but not much of one.

Anyway, Governor Huckabee came to New Hampshire to discuss his presidential campaign, and to educate the voters of the Granite State who seemed to know very little about this former Governor. Regardless of where you stand politically, after you meet him, you have to admit that Huckabee is a very interesting guy. If elected, he would be the second US President from the small town of Hope, Arkansas. Yes, William Jefferson Clinton was the first US President from Hope – population just over 10,000. Admittedly, Huckabee is a bit of a long-shot, but then again so was Clinton in 1991!

Huckabee served as Governor for ten years, and is well-known as a social conservative. He garnered fame beyond politics by losing a whopping 110 pounds through a strict diet and exercise regimen. He went from huffing and puffing while trying to walk up the steps of the State Capital to running in marathons.

He is engaging and articulate and argues his positions well. But where does he stand on clean energy and making America energy independent? Well, I wandered over to his website to see if any additional information was available beyond his answer to my direct questions to him.

His exploratory campaign website has a section called ‘Issues’ and I opened the ‘Energy Independence’ tab. While I was interested in reading it, I thought that it was light on specifics. Huckabee’s plan on his website is short on specifics, but some of what I see raises lots of red flags with me

The highlights are:

• The first thing he will do as President will be to send Congress a comprehensive energy plan – (so far so good);
• He wants us all to conserve;
• He wants to expand exploration (hmmmm);
• He wants us to pursue all avenues of alternative energy:

• Wind
• Solar
• Hydrogen
• Biodiesel
• Biomass
• Clean coal (ouch!)
• And, of course, (here it comes) nuclear!

He does make a valid point that with 6 million flex-fuel vehicles on the road, of all the pumps at the over 170,000 filling stations nationwide, there are only 2,000 gas pumps that can actually dispense E-85 ethanol. And let’s not even talk about the corn subsidies that help the price of ethanol remain at an artificially low levels.

At the ‘Conversations with a Candidate’ program, I asked Huckabee how would America become more energy independent in a Huckabee administration. He responded, "America needs to become more energy self-sufficient. We have to explore all types of energy options such as wind, solar, hydro, biomass, ethanol and, as Europe is doing, we really do need to look at small nuclear."

When I asked him how he would deal with nuclear waste and the enormous cost to build a nuclear plant, he said that technology may hold the answer to the waste, and building smaller nuclear plants will significantly reduce the costs. When he reiterated that "Europe is doing it," I reminded him that Europe also uses much more wind and solar than we do and, perhaps, that might be a better course to follow.

Overall, Huckabee is likable but he seems to be a contradictory candidate. He is extremely conservative on some issues, yet broadly, dare I say, liberal on others. But that is a dangerous game to play. His efforts to be all things to all voters may mean that he actually appeases none of them.

Next week…. Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich!

SmartPower

Mike Huckabee for President

Image source: WMUR-TV ‘Conversations with a Candidate’

Editor’s note: We’re very happy to welcome Mike Garofalo and SmartPower to GO! Every Wednesday, Mike’s "Power to the People" column will look at the energy proposals of the declared candidates for President of the United States.

Hello GO Community! My name is Mike Garofalo and I am the Communications Director for SmartPower, a national non-profit marketing organization that promotes clean energy use all across the United States. In the last five years we have helped more than 20,000 homeowners commit to buying clean energy. We have also taught them that clean energy is just as reliable as any other type of energy. That is our mission and so far 80 municipalities in three states have committed to our "20% by 2010" (sm) campaign.

The terrific folks at Green Options graciously invited me to share with you a weekly blog about what the presidential candidates, who are campaigning up here in New Hampshire, are saying about clean energy and energy independence. Now if you have never been to New Hampshire during a presidential primary, you are truly missing something special. The NH Presidential Primary is not won with slick ads and expensive marketing campaigns. It is won by campaigning in coffee shops, town halls, and in your neighbor’s living room. Each week, we will take a look at a different candidate, both Democrats and Republicans, and I will report to you exactly how they answered my questions about clean energy and energy independence.

Early in the campaign season, US Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) came to NH and held town hall meetings at both Dartmouth College in Hanover, and at New England College in Henniker. Town hall meetings are very popular here. They give the candidate an opportunity to answer a wide variety of questions and it gives "average citizens" an opportunity to see the candidates in a more formal setting than in someone’s living room.

Although Biden was here to discuss his plans for getting US troops out of Iraq, he did take questions on a limited number of other topics. Being that this is my 10th NH Presidential Primary season (Yikes!), I am pretty adept at asking candidates about topics other than what they may want to talk about.

During the meeting, I asked Biden what his plans were for making America energy independent, should he get elected. Biden said, "Our dependence on fossil fuels is ruining our environment. In 2005 Senator Dick Lugar and I co-sponsored a bipartisan Senate Resolution calling on the United States to return to international negotiations on climate change. I think that we can strengthen our national security by reducing our oil consumption." I was able to ask a follow-up – ok, the trick to doing that is to remain standing while the candidate answers your first question. Under no circumstances should you simply nod and sit back down, which is exactly what they want you to do. I asked Biden what role clean, renewable energy would play in a Biden Administration. He said, "We should immediately be transitioning to farm-grown fuels like ethanol and dramatically increasing our use of renewable energy – wind, water and solar. That is what my administration would encourage."

Like virtually every candidate, Biden’s campaign has issued a comprehensive energy plan and has specific plans on how to deal with climate change. His plan, strangely, is ‘heavy’ on fuel requirements and ‘light’ on plans for renewable energy.

Some of the highlights of his energy plan are:

• Increasing CAFÉ standards to 40 mpg by 2017
• Invest in lithium ion battery technology for plug-in hybrids
• Require new vehicles be flex-fuel vehicles
• Require gas stations to sell alternative fuels
• Increase the amount of farm-grown fuel in our fuel supply
• Commit $5B into research on new alternative fuels
• Set a National Renewable Portfolio Standard of 20%
• Require federal government to purchase 10% clean energy by 2010 and 20% by 2020
• Make federal buildings more energy efficiency
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050
• Restore US leadership on climate change.

Biden’s campaign is seemingly ‘stalled’ here in NH. Consequently, hehas made 23 visits this year
to Iowa, and only 8 visits to NH. His only statewide campaign office is headquartered in the IBEW hall in the capital city of Concord.

Perhaps Senator Joe is just "Biden his time!"

SmartPower
Joe Biden for President: Energy

Image source: Joe Biden’s Photos at Flickr

A California-based startup company called Cleantech America LLC plans to build the solar farm. The company develops utility-scale solar plants and wants to commercialize photovoltaic (PV) solar technology in order to slow global warming and increase America’s energy independence.

The San Joaquin Valley Customer Choice Solar Farm (hopefully they’ll think of an acronym or something) is expected to be completed in 2011 and will cover 640 acres. That’s far larger than North America’s largest planned solar power plant in Nevada and double the size of the world’s largest solar project planned for Germany.

Cleantech’s CEO Bill Barnes told CNN that this project will make California the world’s clear leader in solar power, catapulting it ahead the current powerhouse, Germany:

“We’re pretty confident that solar farms on this scale are going to have an industry-changing impact. We think it’s the wave of the future. This scale of project, I think, creates a tipping point for renewable energy…the impact for it will be similar to the impact of the computer chip.”

The San Joaquin Valley is well-suited for a large solar project, according to Cleantech. Its good sun resources allow for power to be generated close to where it is needed and reduce the poor air quality that plagues the area. Producing power locally will also save on transmission costs that can drive up the price on out-of-state electricity.

According to the EPA, an 80 MW solar power plant would avoid up to 450 pounds of toxic mercury emissions and 100 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year – a major contributor to global warming. That’s the equivalent of keeping 20,000 vehicles off the road. The University of California at Berkeley found that the San Joaquin Valley could see considerable job creation if the growth of solar projects in the area continues; up to 1,040 installation and maintenance jobs and 1,600 solar manufacturing jobs may be created, mostly in the local vicinity.

Some significant hurdles remain. Namely, choosing one of five sites under consideration to locate the solar power project, connecting it to the transmission system, and contracting with a manufacturer to supply the PV panels. The California Energy Commission must certify the solar plant as a renewable energy source that doesn’t create pollution, and a number of local permits must be obtained.

Cleantech will partner with the California Construction Authority to build the plant and sell the energy to the Kings River Conservation District, a public agency that is the water management arm of the San Joaquin Valley Power Authority. The Power Authority was created in late 2006 to reduce the power now bought from investor-owned utilities like PG&E and Southern California Edison.

Cleantech America
CNN
Fresno Bee

The Office of Energy Independence is charged with weaning the Hawkeye state off of foreign oil by 2025 – no small feat considering that Iowans use 78 million barrels of oil each year.

But put down your muskets for this revolution – Governor Culver is looking for anyone already working to research, develop, commercialize, or implement new methods of reducing our dependence on oil through renewable energy, biofuels like cellulosic ethanol, and energy efficiency. He’s currently interviewing about 50 candidates, with a Director expected to be named by the end of the month.

When describing the Office of Energy Independence, Iowa State University President Gregory Geoffroy put it like this: “We are going to do for biomass what George Washington Carver did for the peanut, and it won’t be for peanuts.”

(Carver was a famous scientist who attended and taught at Iowa State, and developed multiple uses for the peanut, including peanut butter)

Ahem.

The director will be expected to provide an Iowa energy independence plan and release an annual report each year on the state’s progress. The creation of the Office of Energy Independence complements the establishment of a climate change emissions inventory and registry, as well as the Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council to determine the best strategies for reducing climate change emissions.

Office of the Governor
RE-AMP RoundUp
U.S. Department of Energy

Congresswoman Solis explained why the bill is important:

"… I know that we can achieve the goals of becoming energy independent and reducing our global warming emissions. But the strength of our nation’s economy depends on the availability of a highly skilled and well-trained work force. This legislation is an opportunity to advance not only the energy security of our nation, but also the economic security of our families.”

During committee deliberation, Democrats defeated a Republican amendment to include coal-to-liquid technologies. Fuel from liquid coal produces more than double the amount of global warming pollution as petroleum-based fuels and doesn't help to solve the climate change problem.

The Green Jobs Act is part of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “Energy Independence Day” plan. Other parts of the plan include bills that would set new energy-efficiency standards for home appliances, require more efficient lighting, promote green buildings in the public and private sectors, provide long-term incentives for companies to invest in renewable energy, and spend $3.5 billion over five years to improve how the U.S. grows and produces biofuels.

Congresswoman Solis
Gristmill, via Topix
Tri-Valley Herald
Washington Post
The Green Options Interview: Van Jones

Authored by Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) and co-authored by more than 100 House members (so far all Democrats), the PROGRESS Act is designed to complement the House Democrats’ Rural Working Group’s Biofuels Plan. Representative Hoyer explained:

“Fostering a safer, cleaner, and more prosperous America requires that we reduce our dependence on foreign oil. It is past due time to achieve real progress for America. I hope to work with my colleagues in the new Congress as well as with President Bush to pass this critical legislation and take action once and for all to achieve energy independence that strengthens our national security, boosts our economy, creates more jobs, and protects our environment for future generations.”

The PROGRESS Act includes five major proposals:

• Establish a National Energy Security Commission that would bring together government, industry and academic leaders to develop national goals and recommendations that Congress would have to act upon under expedited rules.
• Establish a National Biofuels Infrastructure Development Program that would include development of retail pumps, tanks, etc for biofuels.
• Promote Transit Use & Develop a Rail Infrastructure Program that would create a stimulus package to promote public transit and upgrades to the freight rail system to get an affordable and reliable supply of biofuels to market.
• Ensure Federal Government Leadership in the Use of the Alternatives to Oil by increasing the use of alternative fuels in federal and state fleets, developing biofuel plants in every region of the country, and speeding development of biofuels standards to promote use.
• Establish a New Manhattan Center for High Efficiency Vehicles to develop and promote technologies to double the average vehicle efficiency, diversify fuels, and continue to develop fuel cells and hydrogen.

All of the proposals appear to be a strong step forward, although it’s unfortunate that the last one is named “the New Manhattan Center.” Alluding to the development of the atomic bomb doesn’t really inspire me as much as, say, “the New Apollo Center” would. And it’s ironic that Toyota – a Japanese automaker – blazed the trail for efficient hybrid vehicles, and we’re now trying to surpass them with a program name connected with their nation's destruction!

Although the bill failed in last year's Congress, Rep. Hoyer is hopeful that it will get to the House floor this year with such strong support.

Congressman Steny Hoyer
Southern Maryland Online

For decades, presidents have talked about “energy independence” but with little movement in that direction. Renewable energy powers about 6 percent of America’s electricity now, and most of that comes from obsolete hydropower dams.

In this, the 110th Congress, money for renewable energy is going to compete with government tax policies that allow for companies to deduct purchases of SUVs and tax breaks for second homes. Fuel efficiency standards haven’t moved in decades, and there are no federal building codes to encourage commonsense efficiency.

Why are we so slow to move towards a clean energy economy? Why is Denmark getting 22 percent of its electricity from wind power and we are getting less than 1 percent? Benjamin Kroposki, a scientist with NREL, explained that the fast and “cheap” energy that fossil fuels provide are the easiest to turn to, and we have a lot of them. He told the New York Times, "You have fossil fuels competing with renewable fuels. Renewables lose every time."

Amy Jaffe, an energy expert with the James A. Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, agreed:

"We are going dirtier. If you need to come up with a fuel source other than drilling for oil under the ground in the Middle East, what is the most obvious thing with today's economy, today's infrastructure and today's technology? Oil shale, liquefied coal and tar sands. It's all dirty, but it's fast."

It’s time to hold a commitment ceremony with renewable energy, America! No more of this two-timing with Mr. clean-cut, reliable and dependable Renewable Energy and Mr. dirty, fast-and-easy Fossil Fuels. You know which one is healthier for you, will be there through thick and thin, and which one will never leave you.

The New York Times, via the News Observer