President Barack Obama comes back to the West to announce the biggest achievement of his campaign. His four-hour visit to Denver underscores how the politics of the American West no longer are a side show to the nation’s politics.
President Obama will sign the $780 billion stimulus package at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to underscore the boost the bill is expected to give the nascent renewable energy industry. There is $50 billion in the bill for renewable energy development and spending according to PowerPulse.net.
Idaho is expected to get $24 million in energy funding in the stimulus. The details are still at least days away. But one part of the stimulus energy package is so-called renewable energy grants, which are expected to be handed out to renewable developers to cover 30 percent of the value of the installation of a given solar wind or other plant. Previously, the federal government handed out tax credits, which are only good if you have to pay taxes.
The grants are up front and are slated to come 60 days after approval. You can bet that developers, utilities, electrical coops and others with plans in the pipeline will be racing to get their bids in order.
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I hope this doesn't turn out like the Carter subsidies
A lot of people have a bad taste in their mouths about solar hot water systems because of unscrupulous contractors who cared more about getting their subsidies than putting in quality installations.
Truth is hard to come by
OBAMA & Renewable Energy
Obama and the controlling Liberal Congress will set the USA economy back a decade (stimulus, yeah, right!) and this includes a failure to realize that wind and solar power can only provide a fraction of what we need and even that will take 15-25 years at great cost and pain and push back like Robert Kennedy (NIMBY). Oil independance cannot happen for years and we need Nuclear as well as new refineries. If congressional democrats were less interested in "buying" votes with these "bread crumbs," they would know that. The really scarry thing is, I think that deep down they do know...and just don't care! As for Hybrid vehicles that a majority of the country does not want, the numbers suggest that if every yearly new car buyer gets one, it will take 25 years to replace all the existing non-hybrids. We've put the people who caused most of the high gas prices and housing problems in charge of fixing it (no it wasn't Bush or the Reublicans) . Thanks, all of you who voted more for political correctness and historical precedence than for Character, knowledge and experiance. I know, McCain wasn't my top choice, but you will regret electing the new guy who's already broken (lying) every promise but one...change we-don't-need! Ernie Harper - Boise
oil independence
The high gas prices come from supply and demand and we have peaked in oil production so there is no such thing as free lunch. Oil will be more expensive and we are paying the money to people who are not our friends. The Bush administration had the most ambitious oil and gas leasing plan of the last 25 years yet actual leasing was flat with the last 10 years. That's because the industry only expands leasing when prices go up. So those who hope for low priced gasoline and the kind of unlimited supplies that have allowed us to drive gas guzzlers will likely be disappointed. We need to increase all energy supplies and we need to learn to use it more efficiently because it will never again be cheap. Most of all we need to give up our oil addiction which helps Russia, Iran and Chavez. Last year Idahoans spent $3.6 billion for oil, natural gas and coal — $2,355 per person. Every dollar left the state. Our hydropower, wind, geothermal and biofuels generated here help our economy and our tax revenues.
And flew in on a huge jet, of course!
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To read is wonderful. To comprehend art. Falling back to whatever you believed in is NORMAL.
ya know,
McCain's speeches in the senate last week were inspiring. He seemed to be the only person using common sense.
He came to sign a bill into law and flew 4,000 miles RT to do it
That's like having to shoot your poor dog and using a howitzer. Get real.
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To read is wonderful. To comprehend art. Falling back to whatever you believed in is NORMAL.