The House passes an ambitiously green energy bill, and Bush threatens to veto it.

[marmar]

from Grist magazine:


Dream a Little Ream of Me
House passes ambitious energy bill, Bush threatens veto

The first national renewable-energy standard. Revoked oil-industry tax breaks that will help pay for clean energy. Funding for green job creation. A carbon-neutral federal government. What's all this, the deluded longings of some kooky environmentalist? Nope, it's a few of the features of the massive energy bill passed by the U.S. House on Saturday. "We are turning toward the future," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). "This beautiful planet is God's gift to us. We have a moral responsibility to preserve it." The legislation -- which notably requires utilities to generate 15 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020, but does not address vehicle fuel economy -- still faces hurdles: it must be morphed with the Senate version passed in June, then weather the withering gaze of President Bush, who has threatened a veto. But hey, let's just be happy for now. The vote is "a big, big deal," said Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.). "There has been no legislation like this for a generation."

http://www.grist.org/news/daily/2007/08/06/2/index.html

[phantom power]

1. Fine, make him veto it. If he does, use it against the GOP in 2008.

[kestrel91316]

2. Exactly.

[rodeodance]

3. I do not understand how people can continue to support a President with a pea sized brain!

[Faux pas]

4. pea brains tend to stick together, it makes them stronger and

scarier. Since what used to be 'our' side has joined forces with the pea brained, I'm scared sh*tless.

[C_U_L8R]

5. Peas are green

This president is not.

Perhaps it's more like a rat turd...brain... er... blossom

[Dogmudgeon]

6. 15% in 13 years? That is NOT ambitious.

We're going to need thousand or more nuclear reactors, a million or more aerogenerators, a rebuilt grid infrastructure that includes connectivity, storage, and buffering for intermittent energy sources, and a rebuilt tax scheme to encourage investment and labor and yet NOT destroy the budget. And also take into consideration a major demand-efficiency ("conservation") effort, opposition to nuclear energy, opposition to a million high-tech windmills, further development of less-mature technologies, and the required infrastructure upgrades brought to our attention by the 38W collapse in Minneapolis recently. Plus all that stuff I've neglected to enumerate.

And we can accomplish much of it in 13 years. Not just 15% of it, but at least half of it. We ought to shoot for 100% by 2030, including enough for demand growth. It will cost us several trillion dollars just in the USA, but it will eliminate unemployment for the next quarter of a century AND return a profit for our children's kids.

If we can conduct a recreational war in Iraq at the whim of an arrogant ignoramus, we can rebuild our country for the next century. And when we're done with that, we can turn our attention to fully developing our ability to explore and work and live in space.

The alternative is half a century of economic depression and mass misery. What is the problem?

--p!

[phantom power]

7. That's a lot of manufacturing. Who will make my wide screen TVs?

[phantom power]

8. It would be something like America's WWII manufacturing retooling.

A wartime economy. War for survival.

[hatrack]

9. Yeah, but the Simian Dauphin is going to have a climate CONFERENCE next month!

He's even gonna go and give a speech on how the climate is important, and helps corn grow, or something like that.

Can't wait.

[Dead_Parrot]

10. You can't rush these things, y'know

Besides, it's not like it's anything important. Just trees 'n stuff.