Big energy companies must have lobbied pretty hard to kill that bill.

I am sooooo sick of the methuglican party...I can't tell you.  They are behind this defeat....How much more "study" does global warming need?  I wasn't born when Kennedy was able to rally the country around the space program - but I was around for the moon landing (I was pretty little.) It showed what we CAN do if the will is there.  I pray we get that back - FAST. 

You know, Adam, I don't even need to read another thing to know our government went the wrong way.  What are they thinking? Our government in Michigan is considering retooling for alternative energy since the auto industry is not moving forward effectively, and we have the manufacturing facilities to handle the changeover.  I know this..we have sun and we have wind.  We have so much wind that my neighbor's old fashioned and re-tooled windmill cannot even be used functionally because it was intended to be just ornamental and the WIND keeps breaking it.  Ironic, isn't it?

Ruthmarie, I like your politics.  It's nice to know there are sane people on Active Rain.

You can go on the Web and see who's shoving money at the GOP.  Among others, some of the biggest donors are mega-energy companies, communications conglomerates and large private insurance companies.

Eric - While I don't have the facts, I agree that big energy/oil companies must have lobbied hard (and supported monetarily) those that voted against this bill. The only reasonable reason I could think of for a senator to vote against this is if their state would not benefit from any federal support because they have less natural solar or wind available to create alternative energy. But that just doesn't seem like the case. What's the theorom that states that the simplest solution is usually the correct one?  They simply got bought out. And what about McCain?? Like Solar wouldn't be useful in Arizona...although by abstaining, he did better than most of his party.

Ruthmarie - honestly, I had to look up methuglican and couldn't find anything. Did you mean "Rethuglican"? 

Susan - yes it seems way too simple that we need to be aggressively promoting & moving to alternative energy. I guess some just don't care because they think they'll be dead before it affects them. 

Adam,

It's really sad to see that the established big energy companies got their wish by taking care of their Senate friends and thus promote regressive policies. Why don't they get involved in the alternative energy business themselves?

Esko, some big energy companies are slowly getting involved, but they want to do it on their own terms, at their own pace.  That won't move energy policy ahead at the speed required to get us out of trouble.

Xcel Energy in Minnesota is now investing in wind turbines, mostly across the southern part of the state.  I've heard estimates that wind power could provide up to ten per cent of power needs within twenty years.  But who knows if that's accurate?

John McCain should have demonstrated some leadership instead of abstaining.  Abstaining is not leadership.

Adam, the legislators we elected to effect change have apparently been bought, part and parcel, by corporate Amerika.  Do you think, when the Artic ice melts in 5-7 years and their expensive beachside vacation homes are under water, then might they take notice?

Eric has it - the big energy companies know they need to change and some of them are. The problem is that change costs them money in the short-term. Maybe we can incentivize big businesses to make these changes?  Maybe we can bribe our legislators into bribing the big companies to make these changes? =0

let's at least keep positive about change. There is already talk of reviving this energy bill for the tax credits on it's own as a separate bill. We'll see....

Adam Pascu

Green Housing Realtor