President Obama is considering spending billions of dollars on building an interstate clean energy system, in which carbon-belching, coal-fired power will be replaced by renewable energy generated from sun and wind.
"Power engineers are already sketching the outlines of the next-generation electrical grid that will keep our homes and factories humming with clean-but fluctuating-renewable energy. The idea is to expand the grid from the top down by adding thousands of miles of robust new transmission lines, while enhancing communication from the bottom up with electronics enabling millions of homes and businesses to optimize their energy use."
Comments
Not so fast . . .
While many of us would like the new grid to replace coal with clean-renewable energy, it's really quite a stretch to say that's what Obama has planned.
The guy has come out in favor of carbon capture and storage for coal, meaning there's a long road to travel before he actually supports a clean-renewable energy revolution.
The grid is an important step, but it would be naive to just trust that Obama won't rest until we're all living off of solar panels and wind mills. The coal lobby has both Republicans and Democrats in its pockets.
Don't underestimate their power. Fight it.