Democrats Cut Renewable Mandate From Energy Bill

June 21 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Senate Democrats dropped a renewable electricity mandate from an energy bill that's slated for a vote tomorrow.

The mandate, which Democratic Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico planned to attach to the bill, would have required 15 percent of all electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said Republicans blocked a vote on the standard, even though an agreement was at hand.

``We're running out of time,'' he told reporters today, referring to a full Senate schedule. ``Republicans don't want the Democrats to accomplish anything.''

Republicans also thwarted a $32.1 billion Democratic tax package, stripping the bill of incentives that Democrats hoped would drive investment in renewable energy. By defeating the renewable standards and the tax package, Republicans took out two priorities from Senate Democrats, though they left a chance of energy bill passage.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aF.sClIxsO24&refer=p...

... but who needs renewable energy when you've got nukes:

Bush Says U.S. Needs Nuclear Power to Maintain Growth

June 21 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush said the electricity needed to fuel U.S. economic growth will require more nuclear power plants, and his administration will work to ease regulatory hurdles to their construction.

Speaking at the Browns Ferry nuclear facility in Athens, Alabama, which is being restarted after a 22-year shutdown, Bush said the U.S. lags behind other Western industrial nations in using nuclear power. The U.S. gets about 20 percent of its electricity from nuclear plants, compared with about 30 percent for the European Union as a whole.

``Nucular power is a key component of economic vitality,'' Bush said. ``Nucular power is prevalent and it's recognized as a necessary power source, not only in the United States but around the world.''

The president announced no new policy initiatives and reiterated his previous proposals to jump start the nuclear industry. He noted that no new nuclear plants have come on line in the country in more than a decade, and there hasn't been a new plant ordered since the 1970s. That is changing, Bush said, because of steps the U.S. is taking to bring down some of the hurdles for nuclear power. He said there are 20 applications for 30 new reactors and construction on the first may begin by 2010.

Bush also cited nuclear power as part of the solution to dealing with global warming.

``Nucular energy produces no greenhouse gases,'' Bush said. ``If you're interested in cleaning up the air you ought to be for nucular power.''

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aZ2dK5HRDid0&refer=p...

Note, I changed nuclear to nucular wherever Bush was pronouncing it.