The much talked about “cap and trade” portion of an energy bill that the U.S. Senate is drafting is no more. Senator Harry Reid, Majority Leader, said that there were simply not enough votes to include the measure (60 votes are needed to pass the bill). The bill will instead focus on energy efficiency and the ongoing saga that is the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Critics argue that with no required cap on carbon emissions, power companies will switch to natural gas, and one-third of coal-fired power plants in the U.S. could close. These plants would not be replaced until Congress passes guidelines for greenhouse gas emissions.
Normally this is the part of the post where we would offer the official Operation Mustard Seed opinion, but this is one topic we are going to stay quiet about, and let people come up with their own interpretations of the facts. Politics are a dirty business, and we feel that it is better not to have our opinion on the written record. (Although anyone interested in chatting politics and drinking coffee can head over to the “Contact Us” section of the “About Us” page and shoot us an email.) However, we will say that we are excited that Congress has finally decided to address energy efficiency, and we hope that it can swiftly and amicably put together a bill that is in the best interests of the country.