Senator lampoons wind power, hopes for drilling offshore Florida

Washington (Platts)--10May2005

A senior Republican senator on Tuesday blasted wind power's potential in the
US and said he hoped Florida eventually would allow natural gas drilling off
its Gulf of Mexico coast. Speaking to reporters about energy legislation under
development, Sen Lamar Alexander (Republican-Tennessee) said a number of
longstanding issues continue to vex the Senate: electricity, whether to
address fuel economy standards or set a renewable energy requirement, and how
to address carbon dioxide emissions. 

Alexander said he expected a forthcoming Senate bill, which could begin to be
debated in committee later this month, will include incentives for hybrid
vehicles, continued help for renewable sources and money for carbon
sequestration research and development, as well as loan guarantees for coal
gasification and nuclear power plants.

Alexander also said he hoped the Senate would adopt his proposal to allow gas
leasing in offshore areas, including Florida, where drilling is prohibited.
But Alexander was most forceful in talking about wind power, saying wind farms
need an expensive tax credit and massive amounts of land to generate a "puny"
supply of electricity. Congress is expected to renew an existing 1.8 ct/KWh
renewable production tax credit in an energy bill. "We need a national energy
policy, not a national windmill policy," he said, maintaining that "everybody
is mouthing renewable energy and wind" without thinking of their impacts.

This story was originally published in Platts Electricity Alert
http://www.electricityalert.platts.com

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