The Election’s Over: So Now What?

 

 
Our take on the election:

I haven’t heard the full total yet, but at last count this summer big oil, coal, and dirty energy had spent in excess of $180 million and by election day had ramped that up to over $270 million spent on this year’s Presidential and Congressional races.. and LOST on many actual ballots. 

In fact, they may have helped galvanize voters against their repugnant fossil-fuels-at-all-costs agenda. A must-read article here from Rebecca Leber at Think Progress discusses WHY, instead of just letting “you decide” with only innuendo, fear and half-truths to go on: Analysis: Why Voters Didn’t Buy TV Attack Ads From Fossil Fuel Interests.

Truth will out, as the Brits say.

That is, unless you count the costs their anti-renewables campaign contributions got them:

• their bought and paid for witch hunts that made Solyndra a household name and all renewable energy implied as the same, causing a cascade of other failures.
• putting an end to the measly, yet effective, Production Tax Credit (PTC)
• help to brainwash “low information voters” as Bill Maher calls them, convinced they don’t benefit from a cheaper, cleaner, renewable resource
• the idea that giving RE government support, as in tax break “subsidies”, even if only a microscopic percentage of what dirty energy gets, is a “boondoggle”!!  I’ve gotta admit I love that word, it tells me instantaneously I’m dealing with one of the powerwashed!

Well, just because the party less antagonistic to renewable energy was re-elected and gained seats, doesn’t mean you and we should just sit on our collective haunches…

So here’s some political action floating at the moment:

� First, one of my renewables idols, Paul Gipe, says we should be bringing president Obama’s attention to our abysmal rankings and how far we’ve fallen behind most of the free world, and many of the not so free, as well.
You can read his article here:
Now Re-elected, President Obama Should Examine US’ Renewable Rank

� I found in my inbox this great one from AWEA (American Wind Energy Association)’s Power of Wind,  where you can sign their petition to:

 Let congress know to pass the Production Tax Credit(PTC) beyond this year.

It has helped spur billions in private investment, and helps serve the country’s strategic interest. They say the PTC has been instrumental in helping the wind industry to:

• Lower the cost of wind power by more than 90%
• Manufacture components for wind turbines at nearly 500 U.S. manufacturing facilities
• Power the equivalent of 12 million American homes
• Provide 35% of all new U.S. power capacity in the past five years

� And when you finish with that, you can then directly contact your legislators and let them know that they need to get on board via email on their system.
You can do that here: Save USA Wind Jobs: Contact Congress Today!
Both took less than 30 seconds.

� Then a real grassroots campaign I’ve picked up from my local Sierra Club :
“a petition to Pres. Obama, for the establishment of a National Energy Policy based on renewable wind and solar power, and help for us to End Our Fossil fuel Addiction. “

also took less than 30 seconds.
I LOVE the share options when you finish, in fact you may have been tweeted it directly from us already…

 

� Solar campaigns exist as well, here you can join the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) ‘s

Solar Power Advocacy Network

and click on this link where you can see all their pending legislation and

Legislative Agenda

and what you can do about it.

 

Or, you could just write your own state and national legislators. Feel free to share those with us. 

Oooh, getting political now, huh?   You betchya! (Sarah Palin, 2008)

So what the heck are you waiting for? get moving!