Can a Renewable Energy Standard Come Back from the Dead?

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I just wrote about the struggles of getting a Republican to support anything regarding clean energy in my post on PACE’s chances of getting into the upcoming energy bill. So, I won’t write at length about that again.

But there’s still a struggle going on for another biggie that some of us are hoping a near-miracle will save (and this one has at least one Republican behind it) — a national Renewable Energy Standard (RES). Although Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) called it dead immediately after calling a “comprehensive” climate change and clean energy bill dead, nearly half of Senate Democrats are putting the pressure on Reid to bring it back.

What are the chances?

The 27 Senate Democrats who authored the letter wrote: “A strong RES will give certainty to clean energy companies that are looking to invest billions of dollars in the U.S. to manufacture wind turbines, solar panels and other renewable energy components.” Furthermore, this would create thousands of jobs in the US, what we all want, right?

Reid said on Saturday, when he dropped the RES, that he didn’t think an RES was filibuster-proof, though. “I don’t think I have 60 votes to get that done,” Reid said at the progressive Netroots Nation conference in Las Vegas.

However, since that time, one Republican has jumped on the RES bandwagon.

And, following that, Tom Daschle, a former Senate Democratic leader who now does work for the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), said that the 60 filibuster-proof votes are there.

Will we see Reid change his mind? Are the 60 votes there? I would like to think so, but am very hesitant to get optimistic at this point.

via Grist

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Photo Credit: kevindooley via flickr

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