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twitterReid summit in green spotlight
As clean energy forum nears, questions about its value, implications swirl
Steve Marcus
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid discusses his National Clean Energy Summit, to be held next week at UNLV, during an interview Thursday in his Las Vegas office.
Saturday, Aug. 16, 2008 | 2 a.m.
The biggest name on the program for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s first energy summit, last summer, was Harry Reid. And even he slipped out of the Reno Peppermill after delivering the morning’s keynote address.
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- National Clean Energy Summit (8-13-2008)
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- National clean energy summit coming to UNLV (8-1-2008)
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Beyond the Sun
A year later, $4-a-gallon gas, melting polar ice caps and a presidential election have changed the landscape significantly.
This year’s summit, to be held next week in Las Vegas, will feature former President Clinton, oil tycoon turned wind developer T. Boone Pickens, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and a host of other luminaries, including governors, researchers and environmentalists.
There will be no sneaking out of the spotlight this time, which is exactly the point.
Democrats hope the summit and an energy speech Reid will deliver at the Democratic National Convention this month will build momentum for their candidates heading into the November elections.
The party thinks its positions on renewable energy and imported oil will appeal to voters, especially when compared with the Bush administration’s record. Only a few elected Republicans are expected at Reid’s summit, although he insists it will be a bipartisan event.
At his right hand will be Pickens with his “Pickens Plan,” which links renewable energy development and a strategy for lowering gas prices.
The oil baron plans to use billions of dollars to build a 4,000-megawatt wind farm in Texas. The wind power will free up domestic supplies of natural gas, currently used for electricity production. That natural gas, in turn, can fuel buses and trucks, reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil by 38 percent.
The nation will save $300 billion of the $700 billion a year it now spends abroad, Pickens says.
“My focus is to get the cost of imported oil down and the only way you can do that is to cut down on the imports,” Pickens said in an interview Thursday. As a bonus, in his view, the plan will create jobs, produce profits and tax revenue, help the economy and reduce the national security and economic risks of relying on a volatile Middle East for so much oil.
Pickens says he’s trying to elevate the level of the debate over energy.
“You can push health care and education off to the side,” he said. “If you can’t solve this problem, you’re not going to have enough money to do anything” about the other two.
Pickens, no slouch when it comes to making money, is a perfect symbol of one of the main themes of the summit: the intersection of environmentalism and capitalism. Sessions on Tuesday will focus on a green energy economy environmentalists say will create hundreds of thousands of jobs; on the ways businesses can save money with energy efficiency; and on boosting American trade and manufacturing through renewable energy.
Clinton will kick off the summit with a speech Monday night.
Reid has become a hero among environmentalists, but in some of his positions — his opposition to coal-fired generating plants in Nevada, his “coal makes us sick” line — doubters see an approach that could leave Las Vegas in the dark, or at least short of electricity.
Reid was careful to avoid criticizing coal use during an interview last week, saying he wanted to “focus on the positive ... It’s time we start talking about some of the good things.”
Still, Reid has put himself at risk among his own constituents in the rural counties who favor the development of coal-fired plants as an engine for economic development, and some wonder whether he will pay a price for his anti-coal stance when he is up for reelection in 2010.
Nationally, critics of Reid’s summit say it’s too little, too late. Voters want action from Congress, not more discussion, they say. They criticize the summit for focusing only on green energy, which both parties say they support, rather than on the thornier issues of coal and nuclear power, which have stalled energy bills in Congress.
“How long are we going to talk about this before we do something about it?” said a senior Republican aide in the Senate. “The American people have had it past their eyeballs with senators and government talking about it.”
Reid says Republicans talk a good talk but haven’t backed it up with support for clean energy. He blames them for the energy gridlock on Capitol Hill. Republicans have kept all-important tax credits for renewable energy developers — set to expire at the end of the year — from passing the Senate, Reid says.
The summit comes as Americans face the worst energy crisis in at least a generation.
Republicans identified gas prices as the top voter issue in spring — and an opportunity to gain ground in a tough campaign environment for the party.
Republicans crafted a highly orchestrated operation around their presumed presidential candidate John McCain’s “drill more, drill now” strategy. Democrats failed to mount a strong alternative.
Congress adjourned for August with the blame game firmly established: Republicans argue that Democrats refused to hold a vote on allowing offshore drilling in environmentally protected areas, a step public opinion polls found had gained widespread support nationally, in part because of the coordinated Republican message.
Democrats respond by labeling Republicans the party of Big Oil, noting that oil companies have permission to drill offshore in unprotected areas. Democrats also note that oil from new offshore sites wouldn’t reach the market for years, long after the current crisis.
Reid’s third in command, Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, acknowledged last month that it took Democrats time to find their “sea legs” on the issue, but said they are now forcefully striking back.
“No one believes that drilling is going to lower the price of gas in the near future,” Reid says. “If they do they have bad information.”
Democrats point to polls showing voters blame President Bush and the oil companies, before they blame Congress, for high gas prices.
Bill Wicker, the Democratic spokesman for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said Republicans’ message isn’t sticking with voters.
“Just how stupid do they think the American electorate is?” Wicker said. “Everybody knows that two oil executives have run the White House for seven years. Everybody knows that Big Oil gives gobs and gobs and gobs of money to Republicans, and comparatively very little to Democrats.”
Republicans intend to continue with their own message. Some are talking about a government shutdown this fall unless they get a vote on drilling, and Nevada Sen. John Ensign told Fox News this week that the move is not out of the question.
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The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
The Nevada's Attorney General Masto is trying to kill the new coal plants in Nevada.
God, would you please explain exactly what he or his fellow Democrats in Congress could do when the president and a significant minority in both houses believes the solution to energy issues is to do everything possible to increase oil company profits?
Maybe we could actually try conserving energy and being smart instead of just using the same stuff that, yes, is increasingly making our air look like Beijing's on a good day.
Using USA gas for fueling vehicles is still defeating the object, gas is still a fossil fuel and still a very nasty pollutant
""Doubters see an approach that could leave Las Vegas in the dark, or at least short of electricity"".
Just hang on for a couple of years, then you can import electricity from Sweden, as we are expected to have a big surplus due to all the renewables we are using, and all the energy saving projects we have now in place.
“How long are we going to talk about this before we do something about it?” said a senior Republican aide in the Senate. “The American people have had it past their eyeballs with senators and government talking about it.” Why didn't Republicans do ANYTHING to increase our energy when they controlled government, the only things rebpuclicans did was increase prices and profits. Good legislation comes from good debate, maybe if Republicans would have started the discussions 7 years ago when the problem started, we'd have good legislation by now. Instead we are living by Cheney's 2001 energy policy. When did prices start their rapid rise, 2001.
"Republicans identified gas prices as the top voter issue in spring — and an opportunity to gain ground in a tough campaign environment for the party." Republicans are masters at creating problems so they can claim to solve them. We know who created the problem, and we don't trust the republicnas to solve the problem. Republicans are like an arsonist wanting to help put out the fire.
GOD - You're hatred of Americans and America reminds me of other terrorists who hate America. Try contributing something to the discussion instead of your hatred of Americans.
If you considered hyrdo (water dams) as a renewable then yes Sweden has lots of renewables.
Over 98% of electric power in Sweden comes from nuclear and water dams (hydro). It is about half and half from both sources.
I think most Amercians when they hear the word renewable that they do not think of hydro. But it is technically a renewable.
Most "Greenies" people hate new hyro projects in the US because it harms the fishes. You can find "Greenies" that hate anything about energy production including wind and solar.
Of total energy use (transportation, electric power generation, home heating), Sweden has no significant wind or solar use. There is a tiny fraction that uses heat pumps.
Here is a good article from NY Times on wind power and some stuff on Sweden, too.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/23/busine...
"as we are expected to have a big surplus due to all the renewables we are using"
Sweden last year had to import energy because it did generate enough internally to support itself.
They expect that trend to continue because Sweden's demand is growing faster than its capacity to generate energy. They stop building nuclear. There is no where else for them to build hyrdo dams. Wind is not a 24/7 generator of power and it is used to reduce nuclear fuel cost. It really does not add to power capacity.
If there is ever a drought (multiple years of little snow fall)in the Sweden than Sweden will hurting for energy.
http://www.geographyinthenews.rgs.org/re...
In 1995, Sweden had period of low snow fall. That lead to "Reductions in Norwegian hydropower capacity led to 600% increase in mean weekly prices"
I think Sweden should invest more money in nuclear power.
Hey GOD? I saw where you said you were educated in another post. Did you miss the class on blasphemy?
While the old poop from Panama ridicules Obama's basic steps consumers can take right now to reduce consumption, his oil-drenched GOP masters prey on simple-minded ideologues like nance and GOD here, convincing them that drilling is our only hope and inviting them to narrow the issue to one and only one aspect of the problem. You're just their little, mindless robots and we object when you interject your vitriolic, myopic babble into the discussion. Now go sit in a corner and be quiet or one of the adults here is going to take a stick to you.
The below talks about Pickens Plan. The irony is that Fox wants to expose this! Somewhere in between are those of us who think green energy can be localized near urban areas so we can have some open space. Pickens is a scammer. He also funded the Swift Boat attack on Kerry in 2004 .
Harry Reid is NOT enviro. He wants every acre of open space in Nevada covered with "green" eyesores. To the anti NIMBY idiots...the people who are forced to give up their backyards are not going away and a thug like Reid or Pickens will fail if they ignore us.
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395304,00.h...
"Simply put, Pickens' pitch is "embrace wind power to help break our ‘addiction' to foreign oil." There is, however, another intriguing component to Pickens' plan that goes unmentioned in his TV commercials, media interviews and web site -- water rights, which he owns more of than any other American.
Pickens hopes that his recent $100 million investment in 200,000 acres worth of groundwater rights in Roberts County, Texas, located over the Ogallala Aquifer, will earn him $1 billion. But there's more to earning such a profit than simply acquiring the water. Rights-of-way must be purchased to install pipelines, and opposition from anti-development environmental groups must be overcome. Here's where it gets interesting, according to information compiled by the Water Research Group, a small grassroots group focusing on local water issues in Texas. "
Mr. Myopic:
Name one source that says that McCain has said: "drilling is our only hope",
You sir are being myopic in stating that Republicans are saying drilling is our only hope.
Republicans are saying to do it all.
Democrats are the ones offering a myopic limited view of solutions.
I do hope Senator Wyden's oil report is included in the discussions ( http://wyden.senate.gov/issues/wyden_oil... )
Also, please highlight the difference in the Republican's plan on drilling and the Democrats. Republicans should call their legislation 'oil leases' as they refuse to include conditions to actually force the oil companies to drill. Democrats are not against drilling, they are against handing more leases to oil companies who have proven in history to 'sit' on the millions of acres already leased to them. Keep pushing 'use it or lose it' on all oil leases.
God, I find it interesting that when you and those who agree with you have nothing else to do, you fall back on the tired old, "some of us fought for this great country." I presume you did. Did you fight for the right of oil companies to make astronomical profits while drilling in places that won't produce oil for years and will do nothing to solve our problems of energy dependence--which we are now seeing the fruits of, since by destabilizing the Middle East for the sake of a lie, the Bush administration helped Russia's efforts to return to superpower and superaggressor status? No, you fought for freedom, didn't you? That means freedom of expression. You are expressing it, and you should. But it would be nice if you had as much respect for yourself as you claim to have for your country. If you respected either, you would be more tolerant of those who disagree with you.
Republicans are saying do it all? You're joking! Have you read the proposed bill they are speaking to the empty house in favor of? It doesn't mention refining capacity, it doesn't mention municipal development funds for offering 'green' building credits, it doesn't mention research funds into solar/wind/shale/biomass or other sources of energy independence. It only offers leases, and has no provision for accountability.
We drive cars and when we do so, we use gasoline. If we started thinking about the manner in which we use that gas and make it more efficient, we use less gas. Funny, but not a single authoritative source, from the Department of Transportation to the American Automobile Dealers Association to NASCAR disagrees that tire inflation alone, with nothing else, will reduce gas consumption. But no one is proposing that alone, you're just seeing only that. And the old poop from Panama only says that to ridicule. He will lose because he shows such contempt for the American voter.
Funny that YOU, of all people, should be requesting source material. Your cheap debate tactics are juvenile.
For over a decade, your republican congress did nothing except ridicule opposition to ANWR. And today, in the midst of crisis, they still frame the debate around drilling at the behest of their masters. And sheep like you guys just follow along. Would that you be lemmings and there be a cliff nearby.
Here's the really painful question. How many of you (liberal or conservative) could live with less? Yes, yes, I know I am on a laptop now, but it is powered by a solar battery. Really was not too expensive at all, but the price needs to come down. The point is, I lived most of my life without the Internet, Cell-phone and even without TV. The big population of the world is the issue, yet no one discusses zero population. No one is willing to live on less energy. My friend is in real estate and there are people in many states who won't even consider buying a house without air conditioning and refuse to consider a swamp cooler which works very well in the southwest.
Here we are trying to save the planet! The liberals are pointing fingers at the Hummer drivers while they can not survive without their text messages ant flat screen TV's. The conservatives are using their post traumatic stress syndrome to blame all the liberals for their own diabetic energy wasting lifestyles, but I see very few people really attempting to use less energy. Americans are spoiled brats (that includes you, Harry Reid) who won't really lift a finger to conserve energy. That's why T-Bone Pickens laughs all the way to the bank.
Democrats are against new drilling.
You know what, Sun? You're absolutely right! I'm turning the thing off and going for a walk! Good on ya, lad.
Thanks nance. We got that. Now please do the right thing and turn yours off also. Go for a walk. In traffic, perhaps?
I'm gonna watch Nance's head explode.
Democrats to offer bill with offshore oil drilling
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/i...
Turns out they're NOT against new drilling.
So sad to watch you shrivel into soundbytes, Nance.
The Democrats are playing games.
They want drilling with 1,000,000 conditions that will make it not very attractive for anyone to drill. That want to tax all the profits. That is crazy!!!!!!
American voters will see the Dems BS.
No, the one playing games here is you, Nance.
You say they won't offer drilling. When they do, you whine that there's too many conditions.
You're basically regurgitating the talking points of the oil industry, anyway. Absolutely unwilling to compromise on anything, you've proven that the Republicans continue to stall and obstruct any real reform.
The BS here is from Republican lackeys who won't accept a compromise when it's offered and who choose to whine and throw a tantrum (!!!!!) instead of work towards an answer.
Your rhetoric failed. Impotent soundbytes is all that's offered now from the neocon oil acolytes.
Democrats offer for drilling is so bogus...
It is loaded with large new taxes (Democrats should change the name of their party to Taxicrats).
It has a zillion conditions that make it impossible to drill.
God, I didn't question your love of country; you simply fell back on saying that you fought for your country. I honor that. But I don't think that means you love your country more or less than a lot of other people. I think it just means that you fought for your country without ever reading the Constitution and caring about what it says--unlike George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Don Rumsfeld, who didn't fight for their country, never read the Constitution, and don't care what it says. Strange, too, that for someone called God, the tolerance you express is exactly the opposite of the sort that I found Jesus expressing when I read the Bible.
Nance, Democrats made an offer. Make a counteroffer. If oil companies need that off-shore oil so badly when they are reporting record profits, they should be willing to show in return that they want to do something for the rest of us.
I think someone in Wahington should install a windmill or propellor on this mans head. It might actually get some energy upstairs for a change. He is against offshore drilling and justifies it with "It will take too long for the public to gain any benefit from it." His estimate is 7-10 years. What does this alzheimers victim think will happen here ?? They will just be magically up and running within 12 months ?? And his reported employment benefits are at least 5 years away. Wake up Reid or step aside you fool, unemployment is at its highest in Nevada in 15 years. Instead of chasing wind and dreams, lure some industry to Nevada that will actually hire people and lower these numbers. But that requires thinking, something that Reid seems to be incapable of doing....
"oil companies need that off-shore oil so badly"
Perhaps people who are losing their jobs in Las Vegas due to high gas prices want more oil from offshore.
I am sure that other countries that have oil do not want us to drill for it.
Nance doesn't have a counteroffer, Mr. Green. He has lots and lots and lots of complaining and misinterpreting/misstating/outright lying about candidates' positions, but no counteroffer.
Ask him about his false claim that Obama wanted 150 million plug-in hybrids on the road by 2015, or the bogus claim that the Democrats controlled the House and Senate in 1998.
They wanted drilling and the Democrats are going to be the ones to compromise and make it a part of a sweeping energy bill.
But the constant whining from the Republicans has to stop. It's counterproductive and divisive.
I am glad that a few Democrats have come to their senses and finally realize that new drilling is needed. McCain must have convinced them. That shows that he has true leadership skills. Even Obama has agree a little with McCain on that.
Those Democrats are putting pressure on Pelosi.
But Pelosi is up to her games and really does not want any new drilling. She is loading it up with crazy stuff like crushing new taxes on that new drilling.
Pelosi should stop playing games.
Yes, very crushing. When you consider their profits, those taxes wouldn't crush a feather. But it sure provides a good excuse for you and your friends, doesn't it? Your commitment to drilling and energy independence are truly impressive.
He is a liberal fascist.
jfnance32
Since the NY article you refered too, some new decisions have been made here in Sweden. Nuclear power is again being discussed, and we could well be building again, and there are still plenty of rivers in the north that can be used for hydro schemes.
""Of total energy use (transportation, electric power generation, home heating), Sweden has no significant wind or solar use. There is a tiny fraction that uses heat pumps"".
This is not the case, as we have at least 600000 households outside the builtup areas that are using both air to air, and most are the deep drilled type heat pumps. All cities, towns and large villages have their own CHP plants, and households and businesses are saving more and more energy, so that by 2010 we are expecting our total Energy useage to drop by 6%
CHP plants are using household waste, industry waste, forest waste as fuel, so no fossil fuels are used in these plants. This is a huge step forward which is getting much interest from abroad.
I am using numbers from the Sweden Energy Acency 2007 publications.
http://www.swedishenergyagency.se/web/bi...
I am sure that are entities that are using heat pumps.
It is still just a tiny part of the energy usage in Sweden. According to those publications, it is less than 1% of Sweden total energy output.
If we could bottle the hot air from all the politicians talking about energy, we'd be self-sufficient. The impossible thing is getting one of them to actually do something besides lining their pockets with money from the oil companies.