[tomder55]

Did you see Speaker of the House Madame San Fran Nan wants to turn the Capital green ? (at tax payers expense of course )

Speaker Nancy Pelosi | News Room | Press Releases

First, since electricity use is the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions from House operations, the Speaker has directed that all purchased electricity must come from renewable energy sources (such as solar or wind power.) Buying from these clean sources immediately eliminates 57,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually (equivalent to instantly and permanently removing 11,000 cars from the road).

This will do nothing except drive up the cost of electricity use in the Capitol . The electricity generated by power plants will just be sold to someone else.

The second effort designed to achieve carbon-neutrality calls for the House of Representatives to stop burning coal at the Capitol Power Plant. This action will reduce the emissions from the plant by 30 percent. The cost associated with switching to cleaner natural gas has already been placed in the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill that the House will vote on this week.

Besides costs issues of conversion and paying the extra $$ for natural gas ;which is costlier because supplies are no where's near as abundant as coal ;and the small fact that it almost achieves no real greenhouse emissions reductions... I don't have a problem with this . I would prefer that she would announce instead that they would continue to burn the coal ,but install state of the art scrubbers to clean the emissions .

The third pillar of the carbon-neutrality strategy, the buying of the carbon offsets, balances out the remaining 24,000 tons of carbon emissions still being released into the atmosphere by House operations. Offsets are credits that are purchased (in this case from the Chicago Climate Exchange) to offset carbon emissions through investment in other U.S.-based environmentally-friendly projects.

Pay carbon offsets!! To whom?? Al Gore??

This is the same person who wants to fly around on jumbo jets and to take family along on military provided free-rides .

the institution will dramatically reduce its overall energy consumption – by 50 percent – in just 10 years.

I can think of better ways to reduce energy consumption by Congress by 50% (and I'll resist the temptation to say they should just keep Teddy Kennedy's mouth shut :D ). Either turn off the A/C during the summer months or just go home for 6 months of the year . The mood of the nation is usually much better when they are on vacation anyway .

[Capuchin]

Hi Tomder, maybe it's time you made a thread about something you are happy with, or does that not exist? :rolleyes:

[Capuchin]

Oooh I must have missed that one!

[tomder55]

Got some more news I'm happy about. I'm glad that Tony Blair is at the EU meeting insisting that national sovereignty is not compromised any more than it already is . I'm also happy that today is the summer solstice .