I really wish I wasn’t in this position this morning. Not the one where I’m hunched over my laptop at my kitchen 
desk, but the one where I’m asking you (yes you!) to actually DO something about our nation’s energy policy. I’d much rather have you sit back with an interested smirk on your face as you glean over state, federal, and local solar incentives, read about such-and-such cool solar installation in Spain, or even watch in amusement at Dave’s complete lack of skills at being an investigative solar reporter. Here’s the deal though, here’s why we’re pissed, and here’s why we’re looking for you to jump up from your seat, throw a concerned citizen cape on, and pick up your telephone:
Congress is failing us, our planet, and is about to screw us out of being the front-runners in the burgeoning green energy industry. Two days ago the SEIA has issued a warning that our lawmakers are considering dropping investment tax credits (ITCs) for those of you intending to go solar. This is unconscionable.
ITCs currently are at low rates ($2,000 for installing your own solar/30% of system tax credit for homes and businesses) and now our government littlewhigs are poised to eliminate them altogether. Unfortunately, that’s not all. There’s also growing concern that they will throw a national energy standard off the table as well. This standard calls for at least 15% of the nation’s electricity generated from renewable sources by 2020.
What?! We can’t meet that? Of course we can. There’s just a lot of old oil and coal interests here that don’t want that. So, pick up that phone and politely urge your congressperson and/or senator to grow the balls to stand up for the planet, our economy, and progressive thought patterns. If they so happen to be on the same page as you, great. However, urge them to speak the f*ck up in front of other representatives! It’s like we’ve got a whole bunch of these guys running the show:
WTF!?
If you want some more ammunition for your phone call or if you need some further encouragement to actually make that phone call, here are 3 more issues that just popped into mind to consider:
About a week ago, Warren Buffet was willing to wager $1,000,000 with any Forbes 400 executive that their percentage paid in income taxes was less than the average rate of all of their secretaries. Nobody took that bet.
Billions of dollars in farm subsidies (going mainly to multimillionaire landowners who don’t even farm anymore or never did) are artificially supporting the production of products detrimental to the environment, our health and sucks the livelihood from our international trade partners.
The amount we are spending on the Iraq war (can we still call this a war?) dwarfs that which we are investing in renewable energy research and development. For a thoughtful review on just what we could purchase with all those war dollars, please check out this NYTimes article and this SolarPowerRocks article.
Be strong! Pick up the Phone!
Let us know you did!
They’re voting next week:
(202) 225-3121
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