Esther Whieldon writes—Solar blowback hits Reid's Nevada:
Harry Reid’s home state dealt a lethal blow Tuesday to rooftop solar power — the latest skirmish of a nationwide green energy battle that has pitted the Senate Democratic leader against his favorite target, the Koch brothers.
The move by Nevada’s utility regulator, which voted to slash the economic incentives for homeowners to install solar panels, was most immediately a showdown between billionaires Warren Buffett, owner of the state’s largest power company, and Elon Musk, whose SolarCity is the nation’s largest installer of panels that create electricity from the sun. But it also served as a proxy fight in a national struggle about states’ green energy programs, in which free-market groups backed by industrialists Charles and David Koch have fought to roll back incentives that they argue distort the marketplace and force some customers to subsidize other people’s power choices.
The Kochs’ advocacy groups didn’t directly enter the fight in Nevada, although they have campaigned in states such as neighboring Arizona to cut back programs that allow solar-owning residents to sell their excess power back to the electric grid. And Reid has singled out the Kochs’ opposition to solar incentives as part of his litany of complaints about the billionaire brothers, whom he has accused of “trying to buy the country” to promote their pro-fossil-fuel, anti-regulation agenda. [...]
High Impact Stories • Top Comments
Tweet of the Day
Blast from the Past
At Daily Kos on this date in 2004—'Clash over Christmas"? Or "Clash in Fallujah'?
U.S. Marine infantrymen fought with insurgents in Fallujah on Thursday as warplanes and tanks bombarded guerrilla positions in the heaviest fighting here in weeks. The clashes raged as nearly 1,000 residents returned to the devastated city for the first time since U.S. troops drove out most of the militants last month. At least three Marines were killed in combat that underlined how far the city and surrounding area are from being tamed as the United States and its Iraqi allies try to bring quiet before national elections Jan. 30.
Yes, this is an actual story with an actual fucking point for us for Christmas.
We are governed by the lyingest, most incompetent, scummy bastards in the history of the nation. They don't have a clue as to what to do about this Iraq Debacle. We're in deep shit.
Happy Holidays and, don't forget, Merry Christmas to the Save Merry Christmas Committee.
On “today’s” Kagro in the Morning show, it’s our 12/29/14 episode! Greg Dworkin rounded up the NYPD crisis, MTV & teen birthrates, news fails, and, Obama: lame duck or honey badger? White dudes roam WalMart with BB guns & live! A TX Xmas story. Is "Pants on Fire" strong enough?
Find us on iTunes | Find us on Stitcher | RSS | Donate to support the show!