Click on the headline (link) for the full text.
Many more articles are available through the Energy Bulletin homepage
John McCain Could Still Win This Election By Throwing A ‘Green Hail Mary’
Bill Paul, Energy Tech Stocks
John McCain could win the White House by throwing a “Green Hail Mary.”
McCain’s mantra between now and Nov. 4 should be:
We can save money, save the economy, save our national security, and save the planet, if we are willing to come together as a nation and wage an “energy efficiency revolution” in the White House, your house, and in every office and factory in the land.
McCain should call every American “to arms” in a new American Revolution where every individual has a role to play in saving his family, his country, and his planet.
He should say this revolution will be fought with caulk guns, light bulbs, new building codes, sophisticated software programs, and much more. He should announce that America now has national energy efficiency goals, starting with qualifying every house for an “energy efficient mortgage” that makes every house worth a couple thousand dollars more, even as every homeowner’s monthly operating costs are reduced.
McCain should call upon his and Barack Obama’s volunteers to join in going door-to-door armed with literature that explains to people all of the simple and inexpensive changes they can make, such as caulking around doors and windows, cleaning oil burners, and making sure their car tires are properly inflated. (He is going to have to eat some crow on that last one.)
(27 October 2008)
Not much time left. -BA
Bartlett election preview
Frederick News-Post (Maryland)
Republican U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett has run a low-key campaign to maintain his 6th District Congressional seat, while his challengers drove across the eight-county district in a largely grassroots effort.
Democratic challenger Jennifer Dougherty, the former mayor of Frederick, hopes to snatch the seat away by focusing on the economy, health care and energy policy.
… Bartlett is seeking his ninth term in Congress. During that term, he hopes to be a leader in energy policy and is vying for a coveted leadership role: ranking member in the House Armed Services Committee.
Bartlett defended his position to serve for more than 16 years. His retirement is widely speculated about in political circles, but he is ready to go back to Washington this term.
… As the election nears, the attention of voters has turned toward the economy.
Bartlett voted against a controversial $700 billion bailout plan to shore up the country’s ailing economy.
When a hot issue comes up, his office typically receives 100 calls. With the bailout, his office fielded almost 4,000.
“What I want to do is protect Main Street,” Bartlett said. “I don’t want to reward bad behavior.”
Long recognized as an advocate for alternative energy, the Prius-driving Bartlett blames the economy’s downturn on rising fuel prices and an inadequate long-term supply of oil.
Rising energy costs are the unrecognized factor in the mortgage meltdown, he said.
“These people got themselves into very unwise loans, and when the cost of gasoline went up, what are you going to do?” Bartlett said. “Are you going to put gas in your car to go to work or are you going to pay your mortgage?”
Dougherty has criticized Bartlett for talking about the need for renewable energy, but not getting anything done.
“The incumbent congressman has given 50 speeches on Peak Oil in Congress but has done nothing to help lower gas or home heating oil prices,” she stated on her website. “He has had 16 years to make his mark and that’s enough.”
(26 October 2008)
Related:
Q&A with 6th district candidates
District 6: Bartlett doesn’t flinch from his principles, but Dougherty claims to be narrowing his lead (Baltimore Sun)
Green Energy Likely Winner, Big Oil Loser In US Senate Races
Ian Talley, Dow Jones via CNNMoney
A strengthened Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate will likely boost the outlook for renewable-energy companies while large oil companies could be socked with a multi-billion dollar windfall profits tax next year.
Many polls predict Democrats will win a half-dozen or so U.S. Senate seats from Republicans in the Nov. 4 general election. This could give Senate Democrats a voting edge needed to approve a Renewable Portfolio Standard, or RPS, a requirement for greater alternative energy production from wind, solar and biomass.
Many Democrats promise a “new direction” in energy policy, supporting a move away from fossil fuels.
If elected, these candidates could allow Democrats to pass a windfall profits tax for Big Oil companies such as ExxonMobil (XOM), Chevron Corp. (CVX) and ConocoPhillips (COP), according to a Dow Jones Newswires review of campaign promises and polls.
There would also be more political mass to set stricter energy market regulations and to pave the way for congressional intervention of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
(24 October 2008)
