Al Gore Joins Tea Party in Battle Against Utilities

[Purveyor]

by Alex Nussbaum

If you go far enough left or right on the American political spectrum, you end up in the same place: trashing utilities for trying to kill the solar-power revolution.

If you’re Al Gore, former Democratic vice-president and climate change activist, you blast Big Power for “using the atmosphere as their sewage infrastructure” to suck up carbon emissions and trying to shut down competition. The industry is waging a “war on solar,” he told investors Monday at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance conference in New York City.

If you’re Debbie Dooley, a national Tea Party activist who says state laws discriminate against residential solar, you tell the same audience that Americans want “energy freedom” and not “government-sanctioned monopolies” that tell consumers where they must buy power.

In back-to-back speeches, the political Odd Couple struck surprisingly similar tones on clean energy’s future, even if Gore dwelled on renewables’ role in avoiding catastrophic global warming while Dooley didn’t use the words “climate change” at all, focusing on consumer choice.

“This is a battle that we will win,” said Dooley, a board member of the National Tea Party Patriots group. “I am literally floored with the response I have been getting from conservatives with the right message.”

more...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-13/al-gore-joins-tea-party-in-battle-against-utilities

[stevenleser]

1. What a weird title and take. Gore is exactly where you would expect on this issue

and the Tea party person is fighting for a personal interest. There is nothing to indicate her position is endorsed by any Tea Party group.

Nothing to see here.

[think]

3. Title is a stretch. Dooley did collaborate with Democratic leaning environmental groups in Georgia

to achieve a victory. Hopefully they can do the same thing Florida in 2016.

There is nothing wrong with working with opposing political groups when mutual interests can be furthered IMO...

From the article:

Dooley, chairwoman of the Atlanta Tea Party chapter, joined with Democratic-leaning environmental groups two years ago, defeating a Georgia proposal to levy a fee on solar-panel owners for their use of the electric grid.

Florida may be next:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/energy/tea-party-pushing-for-florida-to-step-up-solar-energy-efforts/2202617

Link to Ballotpedia.com Florida Right to Produce and Sell Solar Energy Initiative (2016) (original one wasn't working here for some reason):

http://goo.gl/EzJkQ8

[MisterP]

2. I posted on the bizarro version of this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026466374
When Florida officials pulled the plug on a significant incentive for rooftop solar systems, the move came at the urging of big power companies with a heavy reliance on fossil fuels — and of the state chapter of the NAACP.

The Florida chapter is one of a number of minority organizations that have aligned with utilities. Their backing has given power companies a potent ally in their fight to slow the spread of solar energy installations.

...

The National Black Caucus of State Legislators and the National Policy Alliance, which represents the Congressional Black Caucus as well as some 10,000 black lawmakers in all levels of government, have backed model legislation imposing surcharges and limiting the appeal of net metering. Their proposals are almost identical to bills favored by big energy companies.

"We want solar available for everybody, not just people who are wealthy," said Joe Gibbons, a former Florida lawmaker. He persuaded the National Black Caucus of State Legislators to pass a resolution that closely resembles one drafted by the American Legislative Exchange Council, the conservative advocacy group partially funded by utility companies.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-solar-race-20150209-story.html

[joeybee12]

4. Misleading...they aren't joining in anything...

Just happen to be against the same entity for different reasons.

[Maedhros]

5. Not misleading at all.

Tea Party fights against utilities.

Gore begins to fight against utilities.

Gore has joined the fight against utilities.

Makes perfect sense.

[JI7]

6. BS he did not join the tea party

He was speaking of an issue which sunshine else supports also and happens to be part of the tea party.

[dembotoz]

7. with the koch bros funding of the tea party i can not imagine they will allow this to spread

folks will learn which side of the bread is buttered