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Lean Green Energy Producing Machine
Author: BobR
Date: 08/19/2013 12:59:50
When it comes to environmental "issues", the lines seem to be pretty clearly drawn. The Republicans are pro-oil (and coal) and the Democrats are pro-renewables. Both parties are against their opposites (who can forget Sarah Palin's "Drill baby, drill!"). Do the parties positions reflect their voting members' positions? Does the Republican party's claim of prohibitive cost for solar and wind hold water? The answer is no to both.
It seems the lines got drawn back in 1980. President Richard Nixon was the last Republican to take action to protect the environment, creating the EPA. President Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the White House roof as a token gesture to promote clean energy. When President Ronald Reagan took office, he promptly had them removed. The ridiculing of "tree-huggers" who promote renewable energy has been a Republican meme ever since.
President Barack Obama has brought the fight for clean energy back to the forefront. He is redoing Carter's attempt at promoting clean energy by reinstalling solar panels on the White House roof. The energy they collect will be used to help power the residence portion of the White House:
I haven't seen any Republican opposition to this. Republican opposition to "green energy", however, is legendary. As recently as June, Republican politicians have been claiming that green energy is too expensive and will result in the loss of jobs:
Oil, coal, and natural gas are the darlings of the Republican party. It's no wonder, of course. They and their backers come from the industry, so there is a natural inclination to ensure their revenue stream. What they don't like to talk about is that some of their revenue stream comes from the taxpayers. Subsidies in the form of tax breaks and credits are a huge chunk of change for "dirty" energy when compared to "clean" energy:
Republican politicians are just reflecting the interests of theirfinanciers constituents though, right? Not really. Poll results released in April (which have gone completely under the radar) show that a majority of Repulbican voters want immediate action on renewable energy:
So once again, Republican politicians are ignoring their constituents desires so that they may feather their nests and the nests of their friends and campaign donors. These poll results should be a wake up call to them, but with so many gerrymandered districts in existence across the country, they have a better chance getting elected by appealing to the wingnuts to win primaries, since their election in their respective primaries is all but guaranteed.
But what of their claims that renewable energy is expensive? We've already seen that dirty energy costs taxpayers more in taxes. What about the actual cost of the energy? Germany has been implementing clean energy plants for several years now. It is to the point where they will begin shutting down fossil fuel generators because they are no longer cost effective. This graph shows the cost per KW/hr steadily decreasing below the levels of fossil and even nuclear fuels:
That is an oilman's worst nightmare. This is why the oil companies want to bury clean energy. This is why the oil families want to keep energy subsidies in their pockets. It's the same thought process behind trying to kill Obamacare before the benefits are felt nationwide - once the American people realize that they are better off, there's no turning back.
Republicans can no longer claim that green energy is "too expensive". They can no longer claim Americans don't want it. Their transparent appeals to prop up a 20th century technology that is on life support ring hollow. It is time for oil and coal to go the way of the typewriter and the CRT television and the cassette tape. America wants it, and they can't afford not to.
It seems the lines got drawn back in 1980. President Richard Nixon was the last Republican to take action to protect the environment, creating the EPA. President Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the White House roof as a token gesture to promote clean energy. When President Ronald Reagan took office, he promptly had them removed. The ridiculing of "tree-huggers" who promote renewable energy has been a Republican meme ever since.
President Barack Obama has brought the fight for clean energy back to the forefront. He is redoing Carter's attempt at promoting clean energy by reinstalling solar panels on the White House roof. The energy they collect will be used to help power the residence portion of the White House:
After nearly three years, the White House began installing solar panels on the First Family’s residence this week, a White House official confirmed Thursday.
The Obama administration had pledged in October 2010 to put solar panels on the White House as a sign of the president’s commitment to renewable energy.
The White House official, who asked not to be identified because the installation is in process, wrote in an e-mail the project is "a part of an energy retrofit that will improve the overall energy efficiency of the building."
[...]
Because of improvements in technology, the price of solar panels has dropped 97 percent since then, and now the solar industry employs more than 120,000 people and generates enough electricity to power more than 1.3 million American homes, according to Rhone Resch of the Solar Energy Industries Association.
I haven't seen any Republican opposition to this. Republican opposition to "green energy", however, is legendary. As recently as June, Republican politicians have been claiming that green energy is too expensive and will result in the loss of jobs:
Leading Republicans were using phrases like "anti-American" and "war on American energy" to describe President Obama's new plan to combat climate change, escalating the rhetoric even before the President's Georgetown University speech outlining his program.
"President Obama's anti-American energy plan will increase the price of energy and hurt job creation," Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., tweeted. Bachmann is a longtime climate change denier who has defended the presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Obama plans to instruct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to limit and reduce emissions from coal-burning power plants, which are the nation’s largest source of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. As with the Romney campaign in 2012, Congressional Republicans have come to the defense of coal.
Oil, coal, and natural gas are the darlings of the Republican party. It's no wonder, of course. They and their backers come from the industry, so there is a natural inclination to ensure their revenue stream. What they don't like to talk about is that some of their revenue stream comes from the taxpayers. Subsidies in the form of tax breaks and credits are a huge chunk of change for "dirty" energy when compared to "clean" energy:
Republican politicians are just reflecting the interests of their
A large majority of respondents(77%) support using renewable energy in America much more or somewhat more than it is used today (51% and 26%, respectively). Among those who support expanded use of renewable energy, the most common preferred timing for taking such action is “immediately” (69%).
A slight majority of all respondents(52%) support using fossil fuelsin American much less or somewhat less than it is used today (21% and 31%, respectively). Among those who support reduced use of fossil fuels, the most common preferred timing is “immediately” (52%). By a margin of almost 2 to 1 (64% vs. 35%), respondents say America should take action to reduce our fossil fuel use.
So once again, Republican politicians are ignoring their constituents desires so that they may feather their nests and the nests of their friends and campaign donors. These poll results should be a wake up call to them, but with so many gerrymandered districts in existence across the country, they have a better chance getting elected by appealing to the wingnuts to win primaries, since their election in their respective primaries is all but guaranteed.
But what of their claims that renewable energy is expensive? We've already seen that dirty energy costs taxpayers more in taxes. What about the actual cost of the energy? Germany has been implementing clean energy plants for several years now. It is to the point where they will begin shutting down fossil fuel generators because they are no longer cost effective. This graph shows the cost per KW/hr steadily decreasing below the levels of fossil and even nuclear fuels:
That is an oilman's worst nightmare. This is why the oil companies want to bury clean energy. This is why the oil families want to keep energy subsidies in their pockets. It's the same thought process behind trying to kill Obamacare before the benefits are felt nationwide - once the American people realize that they are better off, there's no turning back.
Republicans can no longer claim that green energy is "too expensive". They can no longer claim Americans don't want it. Their transparent appeals to prop up a 20th century technology that is on life support ring hollow. It is time for oil and coal to go the way of the typewriter and the CRT television and the cassette tape. America wants it, and they can't afford not to.
