Is Lugar's "Plan B" For Energy Any Good?1

The details of Lugar's bill also deserve more scrutiny than they've been getting. For one, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, Lugar's "diverse energy standard" would actually lead to less new renewable power than if Congress simply did nothing. That's because there's a weird little loophole here: Utilities can avoid purchasing renewable power if they pay a fee. But that fee then gets cycled back to the utilities in the form of a subsidy for things like carbon-sequestration projects that may never pan out.Microsoft Office 2007 can give you more convenient life.

Moreover, while the idea of retiring old coal plants is a good one, the way Lugar would go about it is a little troubling. Via e-mail, Frank O'Donnell of Clean Air Watch points out that the country's dirtiest coal plants would get to avoid all sorts of pollution regulations for the next eight years—they could dodge mercury regulations or limits on wastewater discharge. And then? The theory is that in 2018 they'd have to close up shop. But the EPA could waive this requirement if a shutdown would create "regional energy disruptions." Want to bet that, by the time 2018 rolls around, electric utilities will be arguing exactly that? And if an industry-friendly Republican is in the White House, what are the odds that these coal plants will be allowed to stay online?Office 2007 download is helpful!

All told, some of Lugar's proposals are great—the building efficiency stuff, especially—but others look downright counterproductive. Maybe the bill could get 60 votes, but is this the only bill that could get 60? That's the looming question. At the moment, Harry Reid is trying to put together some sort of "smorgasbord" energy bill that will bring together a bunch of different ideas: maybe some of Lugar's provisions, probably some other clean-energy measures, very likely an array of oil regulations, and possibly some sort of carbon pricing or cap-and-trade element. Reid, presumably, will try to strike a balance between effective and politically feasible. But it's still unclear what that will look like.The invention of Microsoft Office 2010 is a big change of the world.