Is the battle over health care taking the steam out of the administration’s energy push?
Since the Senate decided to delay work on the big energy and climate package, the fight over health care legislation has dominated the Hill. That might explain why today the heavy artillery came out: A spate of reminders about how good clean energy is and why the Waxman-Markey bill, which the House already passed, should be the template for future congressional action.
First, a “Dozen Reasons for Clean Energy” from the influential Center for American Progress Action Fund, a Washington, D.C. based think tank. The piece doesn’t mince words during the dog days of summer: “To help focus the Senate on the importance of Sen. Boxer’s forthcoming legislation, here are 12 key reasons why the Senate should act on the House passed American Clean Energy and Security Act.” The arguments are familiar, at least: Clean energy is a motor of job creation, it’s good for the environment, and it will cost families “a postage stamp a day.”
Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts weighed in as well with his own piece on Huffington Post, singing the praises of the House legislation and countering critics that say Washington is not putting its money where it’s mouth is: “Because of these clean energy investments, and those from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Waxman-Markey bill actually helps exceed by more than 30 percent President Obama’s 10-year target of investing $150 billion in clean energy, energy R&D, energy efficiency, and the American workforce.”
Then there are the flanking maneuvers. The World Resources Institute, which does a lot of work on energy and climate issues, just launched a paean to the powers of new solar-power technology. It argues that concentrated solar power—sometimes known as “baseload solar”—can provide a low-carbon yet reliable power source for U.S. energy needs.
And there’s a list of “specific recommendations for how Congress can help the country take advantage” of the new technology: More climate legislation, more clean-energy mandates, and more money for research, for starters.
In other words, just because Congress has its hands full with really contentious legislation, don’t expect the buzz around the merely controversial legislation to fade away.