If ever there was an issue that ties to together so many others -- national security, terrorism, the environment, the economy, and climate change -- alternative, renewable energy is it. So I was pleasantly surprised, in between emails claiming Obama is going to take our guns away and digs at SCOTUS nominee Sonia Sotomayor, when I found this from Moveon.org:
So why on earth is Congress considering an energy bill that: Would 1) weaken current law, repealing President Obama's authority to crack down on dirty power plants, and 2) doesn't actually require the creation of new solar or wind power?
Why? Because Big Oil and Coal have teamed up with conservatives in both parties, and they've been successful in weakening the bill. ... The key thing is that Congress can still strengthen it—if there's a public outcry. Can you sign this petition ... today? Eighty thousand MoveOn members have already signed. We need to double the number of signatures by Wednesday [and] MoveOn members will personally deliver this petition to many congressional offices the next day.
The sun puts out about 400 trillion terawatts and it will last for billions of years. The tiny fraction that earth intercepts in just a few minutes would power every gizmo on the planet for quite a while. And the fossil fuel industry really has nothing to worry about: even with significant investment and a space-race style crash program to develop and implement cheaper, more efficient solar power, it will take years to decades to make a serious dent in traditional energy production. Besides, they’re the ones best positioned to cash in on new energy technology. Apparently, the energy industry still has to be led to water and have their heads forced to the surface for a big drink: please sign the petition here.