Money-Hungry Industries Fight to Expand Meaning of ‘Renewable Energy’

Motivated by dollar signs, industries are pushing to have a range of technologies categorized as renewable including nuclear power plants, the burning of garbage and even waste from coal plants. Everyone wants to get in on government incentives, which were designed to give technologies like wind and solar an economic boost.

From The New York Times:

The lure of the renewable label is understandable. Federal tax breaks for renewable energy have been reauthorized, and quotas for renewable energy production have been set in 28 states, accompanied by extensive new grants, loans and other economic advantages. And legislation is moving through both houses of Congress to establish national quotas for renewable energy sources, including the climate bill passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday.

With billions of dollars at stake, legislators have been besieged by lobbyists eager to share in the wealth.

“They’ve been queuing up outside staff offices, everyone with all their ideas as to what should be included,” said Bill Wicker, the spokesman for the Democratic majority on the Senate energy committee, which is considering a national quota.

Next thing you know, the coal industry is going to go beyond attempts to convince us that coal is clean and find a way to claim that coal is renewable. Who else is going to come out of the woodwork in an attempt to grow their bank accounts?

Lobbyists. Oy.

In The Know: Are Politicians Failing Our Lobbyists?

Link [The New York Times]
Photo credit: Flickr user david drexler

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