Interest in Renewing Renewables Renewed

News & Analysis
In the News Gristmill Blog Muckraker Podcast Features

Columns
Ask Umbra Victual Reality Weekly Recipes The Bottom Line From A to Green The Grist List

Support nonprofit, independent environmental journalism.
Donate to Grist.

ADVERTISING POLICY

[Advanced]

Tools: print | email | write to the editor | subscribe | RSS

Boosts for renewable energy get another go-round in the Senate

Posted at 10:28 AM on 04 Apr 2008

Wind- and solar-boosting folk are crossing their fingers that new Senate legislation will succeed in extending renewable-energy tax credits set to expire at the end of 2008. The Clean Energy Tax Stimulus Act is framed as an economic boon: "If both houses of Congress don't pass a bill and the president doesn't sign it into law soon, we will start to see as much as $20 billion of anticipated investment in 2008 delayed or cancelled and more than 100,000 jobs lost," warns cosponsor Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). The bill has bipartisan support, in large part because, unlike previous failed legislation, it would not seek to fund clean-energy incentives by removing tax credits for oil companies.

sources: PennEnergy, CNET News, Renewable Energy World, North American Windpower

ADVERTISING POLICY

< Previous | Next >

Comments: (3 comments)

You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have a Gristmill account, log in below. If you don't have a Gristmill account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.

The Time For Action is...not now!

The recent breakthroughs in nuclear batteries make most of the other "renewables" completely irrelevant. A spending program entirely devoted to fission and direct conversion to electricity would far exceed the benefit from any other present "green" technology.

by jabailo at 3:55 PM on 05 Apr 2008

Re: The Time For Action is...not now!

Very interesting article.

One thing though: "Popa-Simil agrees, saying it will be at least a decade before final designs of the radiation-to-electricity concept are built."

Unfortunately we don't have a decade to wait for a miracle technology. We need to utilize the available technology and get things going. There needs be investment and development in renewable energy. If these nuclear batteries do come out, great! But until then, lets put our efforts into something currently feasible.

by Quinn at 3:29 PM on 06 Apr 2008
[ Parent ]

Stll confused

If solar and wind power are such great investments and economically competitive, what with the vanishing supply of oil and the trend against more coal-fired installations, why does $20 billion in private investment 'dry up' if these projects don't get a taxpayer-funded handout?

Inquiring minds would like to know...

by edarnold41 at 11:15 AM on 07 Apr 2008

The comments of Grist users reflect the opinions of those individuals only, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Grist, its staff, its board members, their psychotherapists, or their aestheticians. Got it?