Energy Bill Adopted by House Requires Utilities to Use Renewable Power Sources - New York Times

Reason #12,683 why I hate Republicans.

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 — The House passed a wide-ranging energy bill on Saturday that will require most utilities to produce 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources like wind and solar power. President Bush has vowed to veto the bill because it does nothing to encourage increased domestic production of oil and gas.
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Ummm ... that's the point, dumb-ass. Those are not "renewable" or "clean."

"The bill allots money for the development of alternative fuels and for increased efficiency of appliances and buildings. It is also meant to spur research on methods to capture the carbon dioxide emissions that scientists say are largely responsible for global warming.

The House also passed a bill to repeal roughly $16 billion in tax breaks for the oil industry enacted in 2005. Some of the money would be used to pay for the research grants and renewable-fuel projects in the energy bill.
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I just gotta say, here, to all the cynics who hate both parties and won't bother to support the Democrats because "there's no difference between the two parties," etc. blah blah blah: you're full of shit. The Dems have done a lot already, in a very short time, even with a tiny majority and a dick-head president who threatens to veto anything substantial. And this bill illustrates the point perfectly: Republicans = billions in tax cuts for oil companies even as they are exceeding their own profit records; Democrats = repealing said tax breaks and funding alternative energy.

When I recall Nader's remark in 2000 about how there wasn't a "dime's worth of difference" between Bush and Gore, I think he still needs to publicly apologize for that asinine crap. It's truly hard to imagine how different these past 6 years would have been, had Bush been sent back to Crawford instead of installed by his cronies on the Supreme Court.

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The White House expressed its opposition to the Democratic energy bills, saying they did not meet their stated goals of reducing oil imports, strengthening national security, lowering energy prices and beginning to address global warming. The White House also said the tax bill unfairly singled out the oil industry.
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Ah! It's that "Compassionate Conservatism!" He really does have a heart -- look how bad he feels for the poor little oil companies, everyone's picking on them, god it makes me want to weep, the depth of his compassion...

How can Bush -- after saying we're "addicted to oil" in his State of the Union speech -- turn around and claim that reducing our dependence on foreign oil and funding alternative energies (which, presumably, will reduce our dependence on foreign oil) is a bad thing and wouldn't help national security or begin to address global warming? ... Oh yeah, I forgot, whatever Bush says is usually the exact opposite of what is true. You're right: I'm looking for reason and logic where there is none. (Anyway, "Global Warming" is a myth invented by Al Gore, isn't it? (In cahoots with thousands of so-called "scientists.") So why should Congress do anything about it?)

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Republican opponents of the measure echoed the White House position, saying that the package provided no new supplies of energy, would drive up fuel prices and provide billions in what they called “green pork” to support Democrats’ pet environmental projects.
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“This is really an exercise in sterile futility,” Mr. Barton said, referring to the president’s veto threat, “because this bill isn’t going anywhere.”
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First of all, all he's saying here is that Bush is a jackass; and if the Republicans got behind the measure, they could override a veto, so maybe he should consider convincing his fellow-Republicans to stop obstructing it, hmmm?? And I don't wanna hear one GODDAM word from any fucking Republican about gas prices. EVER. You know what drives up gas prices? Corporate greed, excess profits, and excess consumption (wars in the Middle East don't help, either); and by their own Free Market Utopian logic, 1.) the oil companies should never get subsidies, and 2.) reduced demand will drive prices DOWN. They seem also to ignore the fact that solar and wind energy captures energy that's now essentially being wasted, and is practically self-sustaining; how in the world can they say that would not "create" new energy??? Furthermore, every time there's a bill that would increase CAFE standards, the bloody Republicans oppose it.

Personally, I think this bill is weak. 2020? Are you kidding me? What's the hold up? If we spent HALF of the time/energy/money as we spent on the mindless slaughter in Iraq, we could do this in three years.

And what ABOUT those CAFE standards? Why was that left out? And what about further incentives for Hybrids and electric cars? Why is there still a bloody waiting list for a Prius?

I don't get it.