Wamp Turns Up Heat on Congress for Renewable Energy Provisions; Would Corker Do the Same as Senator?

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April 22, 2005

Wamp Turns Up Heat on Congress for Renewable Energy Provisions; Would Corker Do the Same as Senator?

U.S. Representative Zach Wamp (TN-3) sent a power surge toward his House colleagues yesterday when he berated them for a lack of tax incentives in the proposed Energy Policy Act (HR 6). He called attention to his substantial time spent as an appropriator, and to his co-chair position in the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency caucus, while indicating rather clearly that he is on the same page as the President (which implies that those responsible for the lack of alt-energy tax incentives are not).

It was a bold stance (and one well-timed for Earth Day, though I tend to agree with this guy that we shouldn't have to have a special day that makes us remember, duh, we need to take care of our home). Rep. Wamp should be thanked, by progressives and conservatives alike, for his efforts to move our nation in a direction that holds simultaneous benefits for the environment and for national security.

UPDATE: while Zach Wamp, a Republican, put his vote where his mouth is with regard to renewable energy, several Democrats in the Tennessee delegation were among the majority that approved the House version of this BigOil-endorsed energy bill. Reps. Davis, Ford, and Gordon, on whose side are you?

This vote also has import to the 2006 US Senate election: although it may be wishful thinking on my part, I'd like to believe that Bob Corker's record of promoting Outdoor Chattanooga and attracting alt-energy industry to the area is an indicator that he would support a more forward-thinking energy agenda in the Senate, while Harold Ford's House vote shows exactly what kind of Senator he would be.

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