GreenGop.org

Green Car Congress points out Arnold Schwarzenegger’s latest plan to make California the leading innovator for renewables and new technologies in the U.S.  Motivation for the proposal is not just to protect the environment, but also to create jobs and new business.  More Republicans and liberal environmentalists need to recognize and exploit this connection between economic growth and new green-friendly industries.

Sustainablog gives a plug to the Evangelical Youth Climate Initiative, part of the growing environmentalist movement within the evangelical community.  To all leftist and liberal religion-fear mongers out there: here’s your most important coalition group for green causes.  I am fully supportive of increasing environmentalism in the GOP, and here is a great chance to do so.

The Practical Environmentalist talks about a group that helps green small businesses to thrive and make money.  I have written on this theme in the past – the long-term strategic goal for protecting the environment must be based on the mutual interest of industry and green interest groups.  “Environmentalist” today is associated with anti-business, anti-profit, anti-growth activities.  Likewise, “big business” is labeled as anti-earth.  These perceptions and realities much change, as each group realizes we can make money and protect the earth.

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.

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.

Mr. Democrat Sen. Ted Kennedy (MA) gets a 95% rating from the League of Conservation Voters but is blocking a proposed wind farm that just happens to be 8 miles off the coast of his family compound. Unfortunately, Republican Gov. Mitt Romney also opposes the plan. Point is, sometimes Dems could do better too. I wonder what it takes to get 95%?

Think going green is bad for business?  Leading venture capitalist John Doerr doesn’t think so.  In fact, he’s pouring $100 million of a $600 million fund into technologies that provide cleaner energy, transportation, air and water.  The global market for clean energy climbed to $40 billion last year and is expected to grow to $167 billion by 2015.  “…greentech could be the largest economic opportunity of the 21st century,” says Doerr.  Sounds like a money making dream for any Republican…

Republican Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. (MD) recently added Maryland as the eighth northeast state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.  The collective agreement commits participating states to drastically reduce pollution from power plants that produce smog, acid rain and harmful ozone, while capping emissions of CO2.  It is interesting to note that the RGGI was initiated by Republican Governor George E. Pataki in 2003.  Today, of the eight participating states, four are led by Republican Governors: NY, MD, CT, and VT.  These Republican governors understand that long term costs of uncontrolled pollution far outweighs the short term costs of producing cleaner energy.  National republicans ought to follow their lead in developing national energy and pollution reduction policies.