Energy Overload

Is there any politician in Maine that doesn't have an energy plan?

As far as I can tell we are being told we need more wind mills, more hydroelectric, more oil, less oil, more drilling, less drilling, more nuke plants, no nukes, more conservation, less consumption, more hybrids, less driving, more car pooling, different light bulbs, less speculation, tax credits, more transmission lines, more wood pellet stoves, more weatherization, a tuned up boiler, more solar panels and on and on.......

Olympia Snowe wants a bi-partisan energy summit. In a press release Senator Snowe said, "There is no excuse, no reason why the White House and the Congress cannot begin to set partisanship and politics aside to develop a consensus energy proposal," the Senator Snowe said. "This effort should not be without executive leadership and so we are hoping the President will join us in convening a national summit that will lay the groundwork for a comprehensive energy policy."

Susan Collins has a ten-point energy plan. In her plan, the Senator states, "It's clear that we need a dramatic change in our energy policy to protect ourselves from rapid increases in oil prices without sacrificing our environment for future generations. We must rally around a national effort to achieve energy independence for our economic, environmental, and national security. We should establish a bold goal of energy independence by the year 2020."

Tom Allen has an Energy Plan. According to his web site overview, Tom Allen's plan will hold the speculators and profiteers who drive up prices accountable and end their manipulation. It makes the Big Oil companies drill on all of the 90 million acres they already have under lease here in America to reduce our dependence on foreign sources. Tom Allen's plan uses tax credits and low‐interest loans to enable the middle class and farmers, fishermen, independent truckers and other businesses afford the fuels they depend upon. It makes fuel efficiency and renewable energy national priorities. Tom Allen's plan harnesses American ingenuity and entrepreneurship to discover and develop new, domestic fuel sources and technologies that will lead to energy independence.

Mike Michaud has an energy statement on his website, that includes this; "Mike supports the development of clean, reliable, and secure fuel and energy sources that maintain American competitiveness, while at the same time addressing the tremendous challenge of global climate change. Too many Maine households are being forced to make difficult budget choices because of outrageous fuel and energy prices."

Chellie Pingree has a few energy ideas as does Charlie Summers.

Governor Baldacci has already held an energy summit, and the administration is working on a comprehensive plan to tackle immediate energy needs here in Maine. In fact the Governor's Pre-Emergency Energy Task Force, has released a report with its initial recommendations. There are dozens of recommendations in the preliminary report. My favorite is the goal of "weatherizing all 477,000 single-family homes and the more than 7,000 apartment buildings throughout Maine, over a ten year period." They even suggest that we pay for it with revenue bonds for 2.4 billion dollars. I'm not sure where the "revenue" in revenue bond would come from, but I'm guessing it would be a tax on fuel.

I am tempted to ridicule all of these efforts as too little too late. But in fairness, politicians prefer to punt on most issues, until it reaches the critical stage. It's simply the survival instinct of any politician.

Here is one thing I am fairly certain of-- if you think you are going to avoiding freeze your behind off this winter by relying on the government --you might want to come up with a better plan.

Here are Wally's tips for not freezing to death this winter:

• Get some plastic and a staple gun and pick the rooms you really need to live in this winter.
• I hear it's easier to screw over CMP in the winter than it is your local oil company. Go buy a few space heaters.
• Ask yourself if you really need a cell phone or the digital extreme package for your TV. That, alone, would buy 2 tanks of oil.
• Wool socks.
• Talk to your parents or grandparents -you know, the people who have actually done without. They will definitely have a few pointers.

If you have a few more energy suggestions-not involving the government-feel free to email me at politickerme@aol.com