Recent News - Al Gore Speech Details

The Gore-y Details

In a speech in Washington, D.C., today, climate activist Al Gore called for the United States to move toward using electricity that comes exclusively from carbon-free sources within 10 years in order to stave off catastrophic climate change. "I ask you to join with me to call on every candidate, at every level, to accept this challenge," he said. "It's time for us to move beyond empty rhetoric. We need to act now." 

Gore said that the convergence of high oil prices, worries about energy independence, and the threat of climate crisis have created a new political environment, paving the way for ultra-ambitious energy policies that could finally break the country's addiction to fossil fuels. 

Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection estimates that such a conversion to clean electricity would cost up to $3 trillion over 30 years, but Gore said building a new round of conventional coal plants would also cost roughly as much. Gore's plan calls for continued reliance on nuclear power at current levels while dramatically increasing power sourced from geothermal, solar, and wind. 

Meanwhile, some Democrats are quietly dreading fallout from the anticipated conservative backlash to Gore's speech, fearing that a renewed emphasis on climate issues now could turn the debate over short-term energy prices in favor of Republicans.

Recent News - Congress Daily, Outlook, 7/21/08

Senate Majority Leader Reid might try again this week to bring up a stalled package of renewable energy tax incentives and other tax "extenders" such as the research and development credit, state and local sales tax deduction and numerous other popular provisions.

The House passed its version in May, but twice Senate Republicans have blocked progress, arguing that its revenue-raising offsets should be dropped.

Sources said unless Democrats add enough sweeteners to the bill this time around, it is likely to meet the same fate as the two previous efforts, despite furious lobbying by the business community.

Some industry officials fear the package could stall until the end of the year or lapse altogether if the stalemate continues.

Lobbyists are in the uncomfortable position of being used as surrogates by both Democratic and Republican leaders to try to get the other side to bend.

"We're caught in the middle of this, and they're all just talking past each other," one industry source said.

House Democratic leaders have indicated they are willing to let the business tax cuts expire rather than pass extensions without offsets, which some fear is becoming a more realistic possibility.

Recent News - Senator Harry Reid

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today told Democratic colleagues that the Senate will adjourn for August recess by August 3, a week earlier than originally scheduled. Senate action before the August recess of key items on the agenda, including extenders and energy tax incentives, may be in jeopardy with this shortened schedule.