FIGHTING FOR SUN, FIGHTING COAL

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) seems out of place. Charged with wrangling the thundering herd of Senate Democrats in its contentions against a Republican minority uninhibited about using its debate crushing filibuster power, his mild-mannered ways haven’t effected legislative accomplishment.

And the Drudge Report recently turned Senator Reid notorious when it linked to a YouTube video capturing Reid’s passionate condemnation of coal: "…coal makes us sick ... it's ruining our world."

The American Future Fund, a coal advocacy group, somehow twisted this courageous and heartfelt statement into "Reid says 'yes' to higher energy taxes."

It is not entirely surprising that a coal advocacy group would have a loose relationship with truth since honesty and coal advocacy are essentially mutually exclusive concepts.

Reid may be mild-mannered but his sympathies lead him straight to the facts: "Renewables are good for the economy, create lots of jobs and are very good for the environment. That's a pretty good combination of things."

A recent confrontation in the Senate with John Ensign, the Republican junior senator from Nevada, was another demonstration of what Reid is up against. Knowing it would create friction with the Democratic House of Representatives, Ensign attached an unfunded mandate for New Energy to a Senate housing bill. When Senator Reid, as Senate Majority Leader, intervened, Ensign accused him of being opposed to New Energy.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Within the almost debilitating confines of the crushing Congressional legislative process, New Energy has no better friend.

Though both Reid and Ensign claim to support New Energy, Ensign has repeatedly voted AGAINST New Energy on crucial measures where every vote counted while Reid has consistly voted FOR New Energy.

Reid has also stood staunchly AGAINST the development of new coal plants in Nevada and AGAINST the problematic Yucca Mountain nuclear waste storage facility.

If there is a way around the resistance of the Senate’s hopelessly recalcitrant Republican minority mired in 1950s thinking, Reid will find it.

Many are beginning to believe the way around them is through them at the polls in November.

Senator Reid's comments: Commendable.

Gold miner’s son seeks energy refuge in solar
Erica Werner, July 22, 2008 (AP)

WHO
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev); Senator John Ensign (R-Nev.)

WHAT
Senator Reid has been leading the charge for New Energy and oil futures trading reform this year and suffering attacks from fossil fuels advocates.

With solar assets like this, why build new coal plants? (click to enlarge)

WHEN
- Senator Reid is up for reelection in 2010.
- Nevada’s Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) calls for the state’s utilities to obtain 20% of their poer from New Energy sources by 2015.

WHERE
- Senator Reid lives in Searchlight, Nevada.
- Nevada has the biggest geothermal energy-potential as well as the biggest solar energy-potential of U.S. states.

WHY
- Nevada presently gets 9% of its electricity from New Energy.
- Nevada has 40 geothermal projects in the works.
- Reid has stepped up advocacy for New Energy as a means to develop his state economically. He talks about the new jobs and energy independence New Energy development will bring.
- Reid wants to turn Nevada into “the Saudi Arabia of solar” as well as “the Saudi Arabia of geothermal.”

With geothermal assets like this, why build new coal plants? (click to enlarge)

QUOTES
- Karl Gawell, executive director, Geothermal Energy Association: "Nevada doesn't have a whole lot of oil or coal or gas. But it has a whole lot of sun and thermal…Senator Reid is an old-fashioned politician — he watches his constituency. He understands, with geothermal, how big the potential is for the state."
- Senator Reid: "It's too bad that it takes an energy crisis like we're having to cause a focus on renewables. It's a situation where we have these gas prices that are sky high, and it is an opportunity…"
- Frank Maisano, spokesman, Toquop Energy Project, advocating for new coal plants:"You're not going to be able to provide enough power in the short term with renewables…Las Vegas, Arizona, places like that — they need more power now."