Utilities slow energy bill: Southern companies' lobbying persuades the U.S. Senate

[jpak]

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/896010/

Dec 08, 2007 (The News & Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- SO | charts | news | PowerRating -- Months of intense lobbying by Progress Energy, Duke Energy and other Southern utilities paid off Friday when the U.S. Senate delayed voting on a federal energy bill that would create a national alternative energy standard for electric utilities.

The Southern utilities want to strip out provisions that would require them to use renewable energy and conservation. They argue that solar, wind and biomass are in limited supply in the South or are too expensive to adopt on a large scale.

The Senate could vote next week on the bill, which would also create national standards for auto fuel economy and increase production of biofuels.

Progress Energy chief executive Bill Johnson urged the state delegation in Congress to quash the federal renewables provision. Johnson wrote that states should be left alone to set their own energy policies at their own pace and according to their needs.

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[peacebird]

1. we went solar, sell back power to the utility all day long.

But of course the utilities don't want that happening on a large scale, cuts down on profit....

[DBoon]

2. Biomass in short supply?

Why don't they just burn kudzu?

(sorry wrong thread.....)

[jpak]

3. and not enough "solar" in the Sun Belt

(and kudzu is for eatin' not burnin')

[madrchsod]

4. and the money keeps rolling on in.....

does`t matter what the name is on the door. money is what they all want.

[Kolesar]

5. Would rather die--than give you control