Harvey Wasserman (Mother Jones): Free and Green

[Jack Rabbit]

From Mother Jones
Dated Tuesday January 20

Free and Green
A free-market-embracing, green-power-supporting alternative to the Bush energy plan.
By Harvey Wasserman

Two hundred and fifty-seven feet high -- and highly profitable – a pair of Danish-made turbines twirl in the northern Ohio winds. Owned by the City of Bowling Green in concert with some other municipal utilities, the $1.8 million machines each produce enough electricity to power nearly a thousand homes. But these ultra-modern generators represent more than just a wise investment – they are both symbol and reality in a war over national energy policy that will be fought again in Washington this year. It’s a war we can’t afford to lose.
Two months ago, Senate Democrats – supported by seven Republicans -- barely beat back a Bush Administration-backed national energy plan. The proposal was a fossil/nuke grab-bag, bloated by $20-30 billion in subsidies, tax breaks and other giveaways for some of the nation’s biggest polluters.
The administration invested significant political capital in pushing for the bill’s passage, and the defeat was a nasty shock for the White House. But those who think the fight has been won may be in for an even nastier shock in the coming months. As Congress slouches back into session, the fragile coalition that defeated the bill is already cracking. Now, advocates of clean energy face a formidable task: Develop a viable alternative to Team Bush's coal-oil-nuke-gas (CONG) plan, and do it soon.
Of course, just being greener won’t be enough. Our clean alternative will need to make fiscal sense, and will need to meet the nation’s huge energy needs. The good news: Thanks to a host of technological advances, such a plan might be surprisingly simple to develop.

Read more.