We hate to be the bearer of still more bad tidings, but what can we say? It’s been a rough week for the environment on Capitol Hill. One day after declining to support tougher fuel-efficiency standards, the Senate yesterday voted down a measure that would have required 20 percent of the nation’s electricity to be produced from wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources by 2020. Currently, less than 2 percent of U.S. electricity comes from renewable resources. The measure that could have changed all that, which was sponsored by Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.), was defeated by a disheartening 70 votes to 29. Opponents claimed it would have caused dramatic increases in the price of electricity. Advocates remain optimistic that the Senate will pass a less ambitious proposal for 10 percent of U.S. electricity to be generated by renewables. How did your senators vote on the Jeffords measure? Odds are, badly — but see for yourself, only on the Grist Magazine website.
