Whats a renewable fuel, anyway?
It would seem to be a pretty simple matter to pass the renewable portfolio standard that has long been sought by Senate Energy Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman, a New Mexico Democrat. After all, even the Republican-controlled Senate passed essentially the same measure two years ago, requiring that major electric utilities produce 15 percent of their power from wind and other clean energy sources like solar and geothermal by 2020. More than 20 states already have such laws, and a new analysis by the federal Energy Information Administration said it would raise energy prices less than 1 percent while dramatically increasing the use of solar energy and reducing greenhouse gas growth. But the proposal faces an effort by fellow New Mexican Pete Domenici, dean of the Republicans on energy matters, to have the standard include all “alternative” fuels, such as his longtime favorite, nuclear power, and “clean” coal technologies. Better fuel economy for cars soon, or much later? Arguably the mos
