Ready to wonk out a bit? Let's talk about the energy bill debate coming up in Washington.
Hmm, never mind, maybe it's a good time to head to the islands and avoid hearing politicians of every stripe crow about their commitment to energy independence -- and then watch Congress and Bush fail to deliver the bold, clean energy moon shot we really-really need.
As Yoda might say: Imperial folly it is. Especially since we won't mobilize as quickly as China to retool our oil-thirsty economy. Or because smart folks like Amory Lovins have been identifying how to do this stuff simply, safe AND money smart for uh, a generation.
We just, duh, need to take this stuff to scale.
Fired up? Good, because to create the Green New Deal we need to restore our economy and keep us safe, we're gonna have to invest serious dough -- like what we're spending on the Iraq war. Plus support local-state-regional innovations, public private partnerships and make workforce training not an empty promise, but a guaranteed ticket to a job in a renewed, regionally strong manufacturing economy.
Now for the bad news: like most Boston Red Sox seasons, it looks like we gotta wait for next year.
That's because the Senate looks set to vote next week on an energy bill that has some good stuff in there but will then get watered down in conference with the (oooh) scary House Republicans while they load up on Cheney-fried pork. Whatever technology you favor, the scale of the bill is still a drop in the bucket of what we need to invest to meet this national challenge.
Environmentalists can rejoice a little, seriously, in the fact that some 2008-minded Republican presidential wanna bees, besides McCain, have begun the 12 step process and are actually admitting the problem of global warming.
If we take the long view in fact, there are major seeds of hope sprouting everywhere -- business people get this, governors get it, generals are worried about our vulnerabilities, most of all the people get this.
We just need to finish gathering together all the strange bedfellows who get it.
So hats off to great, ongoing organizing efforts like StopGlobalWarming.org -- they are already building towards lighting up 2006. And watch for a growing chorus of voices for change -- innovative utility executives, mayors, 25by25 farmers, Hewlett commisioners, corporate watchdogs and vibrant green-blue-community-business partnerships like Apollo and CERES.
In short, it's on baby -- so see you Independence Day in Philly 2006 for some real fireworks! Until then, all we got to say is a great big mahalo to peak oil.
In the meantime, if you're close to the sausage-making in the Capitol, feel free to check out the New Apollo Principles for some decent benchmarks to pick out the energy independence posers -- from folks who are really 2006-serious about the challenge.
