POWER POLITICS: Is the proposed clean energy agency a dirty deal for taxpayers and the environment?

U.S. lawmakers are considering legislation that would create a new independent federal agency to promote government investment in clean energy.

But watchdogs are raising questions about whether the way the proposed agency is structured is unfair to taxpayers and bad for the environment. Among their concerns are its bias toward nuclear power -- a critical issue for the South, which is at the center of the nuclear industry's planned revival. Full Story »

Posted by Beth Wellington

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Review

Beth Wellington
4.1
by Beth Wellington - Jul. 29, 2009

Sturgis not only writes about the proposed clean energy bill and contrasts the Senate and House versions of the bill, but provides a source comparing the price of nuclear v.s. other energy and looks at the Senate sponsor's ties to the nuclear industry. Fred Gatlin criticizes the author for bias. In thinking about it, I have lowered my evaluation of the article to "somewhat fair" because, other than news releases from the bill's sponsors in both Senate and the House touting his legislation, Sturgis does not provide an opportunity for those being criticized by the watchdogs to respond. She has a point of view and does not hide it. After all, her organization's mission is to develop "research and publication projects that directly support grassroots organizing, especially efforts for corporate and government accountability." She does, however, provide any reader w. material sufficient to aid in reaching ones own conclusions. Thus I stand by my recommendation--like Mike I appreciate her sourcing. If you check the hyperlinks, which for online sources adds a dimension not available in print sources, she includes a map to show where corporations are actively planning to build one or more new nuclear power reactors as of 01/08; a copy of the letter to the Senate from those concerned about CEDA; a copy of the news release from the bill's sponsors in the House and Senate; a copy of PSR's detailed analysis of both the House and Senate bills; a presentation on nuclear subsidies in the climate/energy bills by PSR; a paper on the economics of nuclear reactors by Mark Cooper, Senior Fellow for Economic Analysis at the Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law School; a link to an earlier article on Lamar Alexander's nuclear bill which included a link to his radio address on the topic among other resources; an article in Science Daily which explains the finding of a study in the July 2009 issue of the International Journal of Global Warming by civil and environmental engineering professors regarding energy calculations; documentation of campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org; a Nuclear Energy Institute press release on the industries leadership awards for various legislators; and a link to one of the watchdogs' action pages asking individuals to write the Senate.

I find it interesting that critics of energy reform cite costs of a carbon tax, but are all for giving money to coal for unproven technology such as carbon sequestration and to coal and nuclear for coal-to-liquid and construction of new nuclear plants, in which private investors have proved unwilling to invest due--questioning their cost v.s. benefits.

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Beth's Rating

Overall
4.1

Good
from 12 answers
Quality
4.0
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4.0
Fairness
3.0
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4.0
Style
4.0
Context
4.0
Depth
4.0
Enterprise
5.0
Relevance
5.0
Popularity
4.5
Recommendation
4.0
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5.0
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