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Washington Democrats have struggled, and ultimately failed, to pass any form of comprehensive energy legislation. In fact many would argue that the 2009 Federal Stimulus Package is the closest thing President Barack Obama and his party has and could come to altering the way this country uses and producers energy.
But Democrat party leader Nevada Senator Harry Reid is expected to unveil a new energy policy sometime during the remainder of 2010 and unlike past attempts that had only one-sided support, Reid has already stated he believes his new, simplified proposal, which he has said will likely be unveiled during Congress’s lame duck session this fall, will get GOP members on board. While no details of Reid’s legislation have been released, the Senator has hinted that he will likely include renewable energy standards (RES) in an attempt to get utilities and consumers using alternative forms of energy.
It is that issue that has brought Kansas Senator Sam Brownback into the discussions and made him an example of the GOP.
Since Brownback made public his support for RES back in July, the Kansas gubernatorial candidate has been murmured to be one of the Republicans likely to back Reid’s plan. But Brownback’s camp is quick to point out that he hasn’t committed to anything.
“Senator Brownback supports a reasonable renewable energy standard, but the senator will have to see the overall energy bill before he decides whether he will or will not vote for it,” Brownback’s press secretary Becky Ogilvie said in a statement for The Sentinel.
In new state-wide television advertisements, The American Wind Energy Association, which would stand to benefit from any type of renewable energy standard, asks viewers to “thank Senator Sam Brownback” for his support of renewable energy standards, which were first proposed by a Senate committee in 2009.
“Senator Brownback’s press release is further demonstration of the bipartisan support that exists for the national Renewable Electricity Standard,” the Wind Energy Association said in a statement released in July. “Senator Brownback has experience in Kansas with the economic development benefits of renewable energy and has promoted renewable energy policy in the Senate, providing a key vote in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for the energy bill last year. We believe an RES not only has support for passage, but will strengthen the energy bill’s chances as well.”
Brownback’s proposed support for new legislation comes from his past work on the Natural Resources Committee, which authored the American Clean Energy and Leadership Act in 2009 that also included renewable energy standards, which many said were simply too weak.
In a statement released back in July, Brownback made clear his support for renewable energy standards over other forms of environmental legislation.
“. . . A moderate RES would be an important step towards a cleaner energy future, but without the job-killing provisions that come with cap and tax,” Brownback said in a statement in July.
He has also included the development of wind energy and ethanol in his “Roadmap” for the Kansas economy, which he unveiled last month as part of his gubernatorial campaign.
Brownback is one of the few in his party that has publicly supported energy standards. Many Republicans fear requiring utilities to incorporate renewable energy forms into their portfolios because their states do not have access to any form of renewable energy. Kansas, however, has seen hundreds of wind turbines spring from pastures and grasslands, which have give utilities access to the wind power.
Previous attempts to curb carbon emissions have died due to lack of bi-partisan support. It appears legislation with some type of renewable energy standards has a chance of hitting Obama’s desk. Reid has stated that he will likely not include any type of cap-and-trade-type proposals in his bill, due in large part to its failure to accrue votes in the past. On Wednesday, during the third of three energy summits held in Nevada this month, Reid noted that his new legislation would include incentives for property owners to make energy-efficient improvements to their homes and would also promote the use of natural fuel.
Washington Democrats have struggled, and ultimately failed, to pass any form of comprehensive energy legislation. In fact many would argue that the 2009 Federal Stimulus Package is the closest thing President Barack Obama and his party has and could come to altering the way this country uses and producers energy.
But Democrat party leader Nevada Senator Harry Reid is expected to unveil a new energy policy sometime during the remainder of 2010 and unlike past attempts that had only one-sided support, Reid has already stated he believes his new, simplified proposal, which he has said will likely be unveiled during Congress’s lame duck session this fall, will get GOP members on board. While no details of Reid’s legislation have been released, the Senator has hinted that he will likely include renewable energy standards (RES) in an attempt to get utilities and consumers using alternative forms of energy.
It is that issue that has brought Kansas Senator Sam Brownback into the discussions and made him an example of the GOP.
Since Brownback made public his support for RES back in July, the Kansas gubernatorial candidate has been murmured to be one of the Republicans likely to back Reid’s plan. But Brownback’s camp is quick to point out that he hasn’t committed to anything.
“Senator Brownback supports a reasonable renewable energy standard, but the senator will have to see the overall energy bill before he decides whether he will or will not vote for it,” Brownback’s press secretary Becky Ogilvie said in a statement for The Sentinel.
In new state-wide television advertisements, The American Wind Energy Association, which would stand to benefit from any type of renewable energy standard, asks viewers to “thank Senator Sam Brownback” for his support of renewable energy standards, which were first proposed by a Senate committee in 2009.
“Senator Brownback’s press release is further demonstration of the bipartisan support that exists for the national Renewable Electricity Standard,” the Wind Energy Association said in a statement released in July. “Senator Brownback has experience in Kansas with the economic development benefits of renewable energy and has promoted renewable energy policy in the Senate, providing a key vote in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for the energy bill last year. We believe an RES not only has support for passage, but will strengthen the energy bill’s chances as well.”
Brownback’s proposed support for new legislation comes from his past work on the Natural Resources Committee, which authored the American Clean Energy and Leadership Act in 2009 that also included renewable energy standards, which many said were simply too weak.
In a statement released back in July, Brownback made clear his support for renewable energy standards over other forms of environmental legislation.
“. . . A moderate RES would be an important step towards a cleaner energy future, but without the job-killing provisions that come with cap and tax,” Brownback said in a statement in July.
He has also included the development of wind energy and ethanol in his “Roadmap” for the Kansas economy, which he unveiled last month as part of his gubernatorial campaign.
Brownback is one of the few in his party that has publicly supported energy standards. Many Republicans fear requiring utilities to incorporate renewable energy forms into their portfolios because their states do not have access to any form of renewable energy. Kansas, however, has seen hundreds of wind turbines spring from pastures and grasslands, which have give utilities access to the wind power.
Previous attempts to curb carbon emissions have died due to lack of bi-partisan support. It appears legislation with some type of renewable energy standards has a chance of hitting Obama’s desk. Reid has stated that he will likely not include any type of cap-and-trade-type proposals in his bill, due in large part to its failure to accrue votes in the past. On Wednesday, during the third of three energy summits held in Nevada this month, Reid noted that his new legislation would include incentives for property owners to make energy-efficient improvements to their homes and would also promote the use of natural fuel.
