Energy Bill

Clinton says clean-energy backers should quit whining and get to work

Former President Bill Clinton yesterday said that energy issues, with their links to national security and environmental decline, "may have a bigger impact on America and the world than virtually all the things that were debated" in the run-up to the recent election. At a symposium at New York University, Clinton chided supporters of renewable energy for "bellyaching and whining" about political barriers, arguing that "it's time to stop worrying about whether the current administration will change its mind" on renewable energy and get to work building a movement that does not rely on Bush's support. He acknowledged that the "new energy economy is diffuse, entrepreneurial, underfinanced, and by and large woefully unconnected politically." But he cited signs of hope that renewables are gathering bipartisan support, a sentiment echoed by Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), who expressed optimism about the chances for his Climate Stewardship Act, cosponsored with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).