Last week I attended a talk by former CIA Director James Woolsey, who believes energy independence is our next great national challenge, as it is closely integrated with our national security. A major portion of his talk focused on the potential synergies between electrical utility companies and environmentalists. The subject: the plug-in hybrid.
You don’t often hear a Republican say “Tax me!!” but that’s exactly what Paul Anderson, chairman of Duke Energy, has proposed. As reported by USA Today, Anderson, a registered Republican, has asked the federal gov’t to tax companies based on the greenhouse gases they produce. And he’s not just any Republican – he’s a major Bush supporter and part of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
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.
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.