Senate Approves (Small) Renewable Fuels Provision

[kerrygoddess]

Senate Approves Renewable Fuels Provision
17 June 2005

One small step for the Environment passed through the Senate today.

Utilities would have to generate at least 10 percent of their electricity from renewable sources under a measure the Senate approved Thursday.

Separately, a package of environmentally friendly tax incentives was advanced by a committee as senators made clear their intention to fashion a sharply different energy bill from one passed by the House.

Electric utilities would have to rely more heavily on wind turbines, solar energy, biomass from garbage or plants and other non-fossil fuels to generate electricity under the provision approved by a 52-48 vote.

The Senate rejected a measure that would have established a higher reduction of oil imports in the next 20 years.

MORE - http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=1095

[aquart]

1. Are we supposed to say, thank you? Good work? Not today.

It must encourage their owners to know they stay bought.

[lakeguy]

2. Finally, but in 20 years we won't be able to afford oil!

Can anyone say PEAK OIL?

[tritsofme]

3. That's great, but wait until it gets to Conference

Then Delay will take over, shut out the Dems, and later the Senate will pass the House version, probably worse in the end.

[Mass]

4. A first step but

1/ Will the Democrats in the Senate vote as unanimously for the Jeffords amendment that would move the threshold to 20 %, which is an actually ambitious goal, rather than a weak threshold that some states have already reached. (not asking for the Republicans, they could not even vote for the Cantwell amendment setting goals to limit import of foreign oil, which is the real thing we should be focused on.).

2/ Will this be stripped in conference?