Yesterday the House voted yet again to allow drilling in ANWR, mostly along party lines, 225-201. Personally, I am not all that convinced that ANWR is the right move, as it would add a limited supply of oil and would delay and distract from more aggressive efforts to develop alternative fuels. Alternative fuels are the only permanent answer to the energy crisis we face.
The Republican-led House voted by a wide margin of 279-141 across party lines to uphold the 25-year old ban on offshore oil drilling outside the western Gulf of Mexico. Among ban advocates is Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL), who also successfully inserted a continuation of the ban on offshore natural gas drilling. GOP opposition to offshore drilling was led primarily by reps in coastal states and the northeast, citing threats to the environment and tourism industries.
Not much politics here, but I just thought this was interesting because I’ve really never thought about ‘light pollution.’ Living in NYC, it’s almost impossible to see stars. Every time I go to the suburbs, I’m amazed at the night sky. Lots of people and cities use sloppy night lighting. Good lighting seems an easy way to conserve energy, lessen the disruption to wildlife, and enjoy the view!
I once got a ribbon for a crappy science fair project. Maybe if the top prize were $10 million I’d have tried a bit harder. H.R. 5143 just passed the House, creating the new H-Prize to encourage the private development of hydrogen-based energy technologies. The bill was introduced by Republican Bob Inglis (R-SC) and was supported by Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY). There is good precedent for the efficacy of such awards – the first commercial spaceflight last year was spurred on by the $10 million Ansari X Prize. Unfortunately, Boehlert’s retiring this year. He was a good Green Republican.
Import tariffs on ethanol protect Iowa’s corn farmers and limit the cost-effectiveness of importing ethanol from places like Brazil. Tom Delay’s replacement, Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has decided that lowering the tariff would help lower gas prices. Maybe – at least by a little. It’s still a good idea. Farmstate lawmakers on both sides of the isle are resisting, to protect their corn farmer constituents.
I’ve posted about Goldman, Sachs & Co. CEO Henry Paulson before. Now the company he leads is investing $27 million in developing cellulose ethanol technology. Cellulose has considerable advantages over corn and other sugar-based ethanol: cellulose ethanol is produced from agricultural waste, so it doesn’t compete with food crops,and it has far lower emissions.
No one becomes CEO of Goldman, Sachs without knowing how to make money, and I’m sure Mr. Paulson plans to make a good return on this investment. It should be noted, that he’s a big environmentalist Republican, having recently donated $100 million to conservation, and has come up as a possible replacement for current US Treasury Secretary Snow. This is a great example of Republican pro-growth principles merging with environmentally responsible industry.
Socialism is back. Cuba, Venezuela, and Bolivia recently signed their own anti-US trade pact. Bolivia also plans to follow Hugo Chavez’s lead in nationalizing its natural gas plants. Why? Mostly because with rising gas prices, they want to revoke legal agreements with US & other companies to pocket the cash for themselves. This global trend bodes poorly for American companies operating abroad, it is just one more reason to launch a “Manhattan Project” approach toward energy independence and diversified energy alternatives. The GOP would be wise to tie this trend to national security. Venezuela has become increasingly indifferent or even hostile to U.S. efforts in the global war against terrorism. The GOP can win on three big issues: national security, the economy, and environment.