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Senate Passes Bipartisan Energy Bill To Develop New Technologies, Improve Cybersecurity (washingtonpost.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Washington Post: The U.S. Senate acted in a bipartisan fashion to pass a sweeping energy bill, touching on everything from cybersecurity for power plants to the future of the grid. The bill resulted from collaboration between Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Washington Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell. The bill, if it merges with House legislation and becomes law, would unleash billions in research and development on new energy technologies, including energy storage, hydrokinetic and marine energy and advancing the electric grid. Many of these initiatives have substantial aisle-crossing appeal, and some could, at least indirectly, help address the problem of climate change. The bill also reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and contains provisions promoting more research on the sequestering of carbon emissions from coal burning and hastening the approval of pipelines and liquefied natural gas exports. The bill, said Alliance to Save Energy president Kateri Callahan, "not only saves homeowners and businesses money and creates jobs, but it also has a huge environmental return by avoiding 1.5 billion tons of carbon emissions. Energy efficiency truly is a win-win-win for our country, making our economy more energy productive, protecting our environment and enhancing our energy security."

35 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. What's the catch? by suupaabaka · · Score: 1

    Which oligarch comes out on top with this bill? I mean, it's talking about "job creation", so it stands to reason that someone profits massively, right?

    And yes, I am a disillusioned foreign observer of American politics.

    1. Re:What's the catch? by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      We must continue to subsdiz... er, I mean encourage fossil fuel use, because, you know, it's what Jesus and George Washington would want! Remember folks, billionaires need lots of money so they can be protected from the effects of the products they produce.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  2. Go team! by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 4, Funny

    The future is now, and simple "win-win" strategies are no longer good enough! We're only going to accept 110%... no make that 120% effort and "win-win-win" results. Of course, if other countries adopt "win-win-win-win" strategies, rest assured we'll be looking at future "win-win-win-win-win" initiatives even more closely. Energy bill bipartisanship FTWWW!

    --
    Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    1. Re:Go team! by suupaabaka · · Score: 1

      It's gunna be YUGE.

    2. Re:Go team! by Virtucon · · Score: 1

      The only bipartisanship you ever see is when they finally sign a bill and everybody says, 'Gee, isn't that wonderful?

      - Colin Powell

      --
      Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    3. Re:Go team! by jandersen · · Score: 2

      Yeah - we're going to turn this country around 360 degrees!!

  3. Corrected Headline: by packrat0x · · Score: 3, Insightful

    US Senate passes bill creating a slush fund for campaign contributors.

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    227-3517
    1. Re:Corrected Headline: by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

      "Who let the hogs out . . . ?"

      "Oink . . . oink, oink oink oink oink, oink oink oink, oink, oink oink oink oink oink, oink oink oink oink . . . etc . . .

      If it walks like a pork, talks like a pork, and tastes like pork barbecued pork . . . well . . . this bill looks like pork to me.

      The only question remains for the folks from North Carolina and Texas . . . who has the best barbecue . . . ?

      A question that is guaranteed to be more interesting than Live Full Nude Sex Show Mud-wrestling . . . or an Emacs vs. Vi debate . . .

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    2. Re:Corrected Headline: by wyHunter · · Score: 1

      A bipartisan slush fund!

  4. Data Centers by johnsmithperson123 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I bothered myself to take a look for various reasons. It had a section on data centers. I swear I have never seen a more buzzword filled paragraph ever. It even had a section on "reducing water usage in data centers" that went on. Clearly they didn't get that data centers get cooler and more efficient by THEIRSELVES.

  5. Something is wrong with the headline... by sconeu · · Score: 1

    "Senate Passes Bipartisan Energy Bill"

    Wait... the Senate can do something bipartisan???? I thought that wasn't allowed anymore!

    --
    General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
    1. Re:Something is wrong with the headline... by hguorbray · · Score: 1

      Given that they all have incumbency in common and may have 2 relatively unpopular presidential candidates reducing party participation in the upcoming fall election I think they decided that 3 1/2 years of absolute gridlock needed to be offset late in the game to give the illusion that they are capable of doing something/anything....

      Banking on the short attention span of the US public...in order to keep from being voted out. Although honestly, it seems that for the past 20 years incumbency has alternated between the 2 parties as each one screws up royally when they have the majority -to the catcalls and obstructionism of the minority.

      I'm just sayin'

    2. Re:Something is wrong with the headline... by will_die · · Score: 1

      They have been passing bipartisan bills for years. The only places that are saying otherwise are the various kook sites that are read by liberals.

  6. Unpossible! Congress is broken! Obama says so! by mpercy · · Score: 1, Insightful

    How can a *bi-partisan* bill get passed? Seems impossible given recent descriptions of Congress.

    OTOH, it seems that bi-partisan bills are often pork barrels and little else.

    Rather than a real compromise that tries to incorporate and balance the best ideas of both sides, these sorts of bills seem to just have equal parts of bad ideas with enough funding that almost all players "get something".

    Taxpayers get something too, but it's the pointy end of the stick.

    1. Re:Unpossible! Congress is broken! Obama says so! by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Really? Why did we get the pointy end of the stick? What about this is screwing us?

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    2. Re:Unpossible! Congress is broken! Obama says so! by _Sharp'r_ · · Score: 1

      Who do you think is paying for all this, including the regulatory costs? Hint, it ain't coming from the Senator's salaries....

      My sig is quite appropriate for this story.

      --
      The party of stupid and the party of evil get together and do something both stupid and evil, then call it bipartisan.
    3. Re:Unpossible! Congress is broken! Obama says so! by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Last time I check, the govs job was to protect America. That is why we have a MILITARY. In addition, to having a military, CONgres and the president, should do as much as possible to AVOID war. And our importing energy leads us to go to all sorts of wars.

      So yeah, they ARE supposed to spend money WISELY. And this bill sounds like it, though I am still looking into the nuke stuff that we need.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    4. Re:Unpossible! Congress is broken! Obama says so! by wyHunter · · Score: 1

      Obama will probably veto it.

  7. Hopefully, they have something for gen IV nuclear by WindBourne · · Score: 2

    Seriously, we need to get these companies going on building small reactors that can burn up nuke waste, and give cheap SAFE energy.

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    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  8. Senate yes. The house, not so much by WindBourne · · Score: 2

    Seriously, the Senate tends to put partisanship aside. At least for now.
    OTOH, the house does not. And that is why this bill was passed by the senate and not the house.

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    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  9. THis is the SENATE, not CONgress by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    It remains to be seen if the house will put America first and back something similar.

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    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    1. Re:THis is the SENATE, not CONgress by Virtucon · · Score: 1

      The House of Reps + Senate = Congress how exactly being 1/2 of Congress is the Senate not Congress?

      --
      Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    2. Re:THis is the SENATE, not CONgress by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      huh. Let me guess. You are a political 'science', business or liberal arts background. Yes?

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      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    3. Re:THis is the SENATE, not CONgress by Virtucon · · Score: 1

      From Article I of the Constitution

      All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

      It's known as the vesting clause.

      I just read the constitution, you should too.

      --
      Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    4. Re:THis is the SENATE, not CONgress by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      I have read it. You should realize that CONgress is the Senate AND the house.
      When it is just 1 of them, then it is just 1 of them. IOW, The Senate is NOT CONgress. Any more than you are the HUMAN RACE. You are a part of the human race.

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      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    5. Re:THis is the SENATE, not CONgress by Virtucon · · Score: 1

      You are a part of the human race.

      Speak for yourself human.

      --
      Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
  10. pipelines and exports by clovis · · Score: 2

    This bill was about exactly two things:

    hastening the approval of pipelines and liquefied natural gas exports

    Nothing else in that bill matters to our rulers, and nothing else in there will happen.

  11. No nuclear? by blindseer · · Score: 2

    In my mind any energy plan that does not include nuclear power is going to fail. This is especially true if this energy plan includes a desire to reduce carbon output.

    To those of you that claim nuclear power is too dangerous, too expensive, or too much whatever else I say that if this is true then global warming is not a threat. Besides hydro electric power nothing beats nuclear power on safety, price, availability, or reduction in carbon output. If global warming threatens the lives of billions then we can do nuclear power to save them even in the highly unlikely event that means another Chernobyl.

    Wind, solar, and whatever else that is "green" just cannot provide the energy we need. Any reliance on some future technology to make them viable again means that global warming is not a threat. If we can wait 20 years for fusion to come along, meaning we keep burning coal until then, means that global warming is not a threat.

    Since the US Senate has not passed a bill that includes support for nuclear power then they don't seem to believe that global warming is a threat. By "support" I don't mean subsidies, there are other ways to show support besides money. Requiring the US DOE to actually do their job and provide a path free from fossil fuels would be a start.

    --
    I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
    1. Re:No nuclear? by Mike+Van+Pelt · · Score: 1

      When they talk about energy production, especially about reducing CO2, and refuse to include nuclear in the mix, that tells me all I need to know about them.

      "It would be nothing short of disastrous if we were ever to discover a source of clean, cheap, abundant energy."

      (Cold fusion, back when it looked like it might really exist) "It's like giving a machine gun to a retarded child."

      They are against energy. Energy, full stop. They will oppose any energy source, no matter what its characteristics, if it threatens to produce enough energy to keep industrial civilization powered.

  12. How many KWH? by Anomalyst · · Score: 1

    How many KWH does bipartisan energy generate?
    Can one assume it is wind-based originating from congressional blowhards?

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    There is no right to feel safe thru security vaudeville at the expense of everyone's freedom, privacy and tax money.
    1. Re:How many KWH? by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      Enough KWh that they are sending you a bill for the power.

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      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  13. Shovel Ready Jobs by Virtucon · · Score: 1

    The more I listen to members of congress the more I want the stocks brought back. Set up about 30 of them on the Mall and then I'll own the
    rotten tomato concession. When any member of congress or the president fucks up, it's in the stocks for three days getting pelted with rotten tomatoes.

    --
    Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
  14. Why is security lumped in there? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    There must be some freedom-trampling involved, because otherwise why would you bundle "cybersecurity" (ugh) with energy?

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  15. Re: And yet, no mention of Thorium? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Thorium isn't going to happen. Fusion is not going to happen, either. Get over it, the free ride is over. Now we should expect it to turn ugly as soon as renewables turn out to be not up to it and unsustainable for the current population...

  16. I would upvote this if i could by Rujiel · · Score: 1

    Anytime a bill is bipartisan, you better believe everyone is getting screwed.