SADLY, GETTING SUCH ACTION ON A NATIONAL LEVEL...:

A project for Bush: Clean energy: It’s politically savvy. It’s good economics. And he has the record in Texas to back it up. So, why not? (Joshua Green, September 9, 2010, Boston Globe)

[W]hile this may come as a shock to some people, Bush can legitimately lay claim to a legacy that could serve as the basis for something larger. That legacy, buried beneath so many other things, has been all but forgotten.

On a personal level, Bush long ago embraced green living in his own home. His Crawford ranch, the “Western White House,’’ is a marvel of clean technology that is built from discarded limestone, features geothermal heating and cooling, and uses purified wastewater to irrigate the garden.

As governor, he had a big impact on Texas. In 1999, Bush signed into law what has come to be regarded as a model renewable-energy standard — the requirement that a certain proportion of the state’s electricity come from clean energy, which often spurs innovation. This law helped Texas to become a leader in clean technology, especially wind power, and it surpassed the statutory requirements years ahead of schedule. Today, Texas generates more wind power than Denmark, and most states have adopted renewable-energy standards of their own. As president, Bush’s administration promoted the objective of obtaining 20 percent of the nation’s energy from wind power by 2030.

...would have required a mature Democratic Congress.

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 9, 2010 6:26 AM