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'The Future Just Failed By One Vote'

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By MELISSA MEEHAN

Published: December 20, 2007

Last week the Senate failed to muster the 60 votes necessary to move forward an energy bill that would, in part, redirect tax subsidies away from oil and utility companies and channel them instead to clean, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.

In a passionate post-vote speech, Senator Dick Durban of Illinois quipped, "The future just failed by one vote," and sadly, he may be right. At a time when oil companies are enjoying the highest profits in their history and the Arctic ice is melting faster than expected, why does the Senate choose to protect dirty, polluting energy sources instead of embracing clean energy solutions?

The Senate ultimately passed a version of the energy bill, signed by the president this week, that removed many of the meaningful provisions to advance a clean energy future. While the Senate deserves praise for raising our automotive fuel economy standards for the first time in 32 years, the final energy bill is not the visionary piece of legislation it once was.

We've all read the news about climate change - we know the planet is warming; it is primarily caused by humans, and if we want to protect ourselves, we must reduce our global warming pollution now, before it is too late. The path forward is a clean energy revolution that ends our fossil fuel addiction and stimulates our economy with jobs and new business opportunities in emerging technologies.

Ironically, the same week that the oil-controlled Senate voted against clean energy, American delegates in Bali dug in their heels and refused to move signficantly forward on international climate talks.

In both circumstances, politics and adherence to "business as usual" created an insurmountable roadblock on the path to a clean, energy independent future.

In the energy bill vote, Sen. Bill Nelson voted for a clean energy future while Sen. Mel Martinez voted against it. Keep in mind that in Florida, we've got a whole lot of sunshine and virtually no coal, oil or gas deposits. That means that energy dollars will now leave our state, when they could have been invested right here in Florida in solar power systems driven by the renewable energy tax incentives that Martinez voted down.

Opponents of the tax package will tell you that if we take away tax breaks for big oil, they will punish consumers by raising prices, but Floridians know better. The price of oil has been steadily rising even with those tax breaks, and, at $90 a barrel; the oil companies are fooling themselves if they think we believe they are pressed for cash.

In Florida, we are internationally recognized for our vulnerability to rising seas caused by global warming. A recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development lists Miami in the top ten cities most vulnerable to global warming in the world. Fortunately, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is working diligently to reduce Florida's risk. Last week he hosted a summit in Tampa to promote transportation options that will reduce global warming pollution.

Last week's vote demonstrated that every single vote counts. The world's scientists are telling us that we have about a 10-year window to get ourselves on a clean energy path to avoid the most serious consequences of global warming. Keep that in mind the next time you go to the polls.

Melissa Meehan is Coastal Organizer for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

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