How serious is either candidate about alternative energy?
Senate bill 3335 was defeated in July for the 8th time.
This bill would have extended the investment tax credits for installing solar energy and the production tax credits for building wind turbines and other energy-efficiency systems.
This was a very important bill because Dallas is not Austin, and the lack of incentives here makes the installation of solar and wind technology very cost-prohibitive. And there is no support at the state level for anything ‘green’ (unless you consider that money is green).
Therefore, having a bill such as S. 3335 passed at the federal level would have not only helped many Texas residents but it would have offered a huge boost to the many businesses that are trying to get into an emerging green market.
Interestingly, this bill has been up to vote 8 times. Thomas L. Friedman writes in his New York Times Op-Ed, ‘Eight Strikes and You’re Out,’ that Obama has voted favorably 3 times to extend the credits and McCain has not shown up for any of the votes (and once, McCain was even in the Senate building at the time!). The fact that neither candidate showed up to vote on this bill is inexcusable, because a ‘no show’ carries similar weight as a “No’ vote. Getting elected may be the candidates’ primary concern right now, but no amount of campaign speeches on ‘the need for alternative energy’ can account for actions not taken.
A more detailed description of the bill is provided here:
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/leg/leg072408S.3335.pdf
Thomas L. Friedman’s ‘Eight Strikes and You’re Out.’ New York Times, August 13, 2008.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/opinion/13friedman.html