Obama package focuses mainly on alternative power sources

[Dover]

Source: Houston Chronicle

WASHINGTON — Since oil gushed from Spindletop in 1901, the Houston area has been the energy capital of the United States and a major destination for federal dollars devoted to oil and gas production.

But the mammoth economic stimulus bill that is winding its way through Congress largely bypasses Houston-based energy giants and fossil-fuel development in favor of funding new technologies to glean power from crops, the sun and heat trapped beneath the earth.

“There’s not a lot of oil and gas” money in the stimulus bill, said Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston.

Instead, President Barack Obama’s package focuses most of its attention, and an expected $54 billion or more in energy spending, on renewable and alternative power sources, not on the fossil fuel production of Houston’s major oil companies.

The stimulus plan’s largesse will directly benefit Houston-area biorefineries that transform cooking oil and crops into fuel and on energy developers who install vast wind power farms on the West Texas plains.

The federal dollars also are likely to help pay for a state project to build power lines between remote wind farms and Houston and Dallas.

Biofuel grants
With Texas getting federal money for electricity transmission upgrades, grants for biofuels research and the extension of tax credits popular with wind power investors, Green said the stimulus package is “an easy sell,” even to people whose fortunes have been tied to fossil fuels...cont'd



Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6251158.html

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Houston, we have a problem.
Awwww....left out in the cold?
Hardly.

Let's see...the oil companies have Iraqi oil (BIG contracts) and the Caspian region deals, for which Americans paid and are still paying an unquantifiable price in blood and money and global outrage. And what do the American people get? A continuation of cheap oil/gas and their ongoing model of global self- destruction and exploitation not to mention unending war (and unprovoked invasion)? I'm sure the Iraqi people would have to agree....what a deal!

And then there's all those unpaid taxes, etc....and this whole industry is as dark as their crude.

[harun]

1. It's great to hear this. It has been so long since we have had news like this.

[Why Syzygy]

2. My concern is

that those may not be the best energy alternatives. I would like to see more research and development.

[woodwrite]

3. I guess this is central to the republicans' objections

Their "clients" are being largely excluded from the deal, eh? That "most-recommended" thread about Exxon's record profits while cutting thousands of jobs is pretty indicative of how the GOP's demanded tax cuts work. There needs to be a way to REQUIRE the corporate tax-cut-mongers to stand up in front of Congress and explain this away,..... and they may not sit down until they do.

[SpiralHawk]

4. "This is, um, a, evil communism. Smirk." - Fatcat Republicon Oil Cronies

[DUlover2909]

5. AWW, pretty kitty!

[Optical.Catalyst]

6. This is a start, but we need to go big with clean, renewable energy development.

Take it to the Moon. Let's have a 'Moon Shot' type of program like what we did in the '60s to develop clean renewable energy in the United States.

[NJCher]

7. every day is like Christmas

I love this guy.



Cher