President Bush is in a politically perilous place. His immigration plan bogged down in the Senate (though it may make a comeback next week), and he is drawing increasing fire for the failure of both American troops and the Iraqi government to build stability. Up until this point, Bush has also avoided climate change. But his tune has changed in the last month. At the recent G8 summit, Bush resisted mandatory caps but agreed that the US and other industrialized countries (including India and China) need to act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He has the opportunity to bolster his domestic and international image by supporting meaningful environmental legislation. Ethanol funding is almost assured given that it promotes domestic security and benefits Republican constituents. Bush will likely even have the foresight to throw some funds at cellulosic research, recognizing that corn ethanol alone will not quench America’s liquid fuel thirst. Electricity, however, is a trickier issue. In the past, Bush has allied himself with coal and nuclear. It will be all too easy for him to stay on that path, pushing for new nukes along with coal-to-liquid and carbon capture and storage technologies. Both have grave, long-term side effects and high pricetags (for more on coal see my recent post). But Bush also has experience with renewables – let’s not forget that Texas produces more wind power than any other state in the nation due in large part to Governor Bush’s policies. While Bush has resisted carbon caps, that leaves the door open for a national renewable portfolio standard. The time is right – Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico has authored a bill to require 15% renewable energy to the grid by 2020. With Bush’s support, it will clear Senate roadblocks. It will be quite the turnaround for the man some have labeled G. W. (Global Warming), but I’m not closing the door on a greener Bush by 2008.
A Greener Bush
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