Really, is anyone surprised?

The New York Times reports that the Dems are unable to advance major climate change legislation before the August recess--- and perhaps not even this year. A far less comprehensive bill, one that stays in the safe territory of finger-shaking at everyone's favorite scapegoat, BP, is more likely to enjoy traction on Capitol hill.

Well, I must say, anyone who's surprised by this news probably doesn't realize just how big and powerful the fossil lobby truly is. The focus of the intended legislation was to regulate emissions from coal-fired power plants--- a major source of CO2 emissions (and mercury!)--- and coal has one big-ass lobby. Given how companies like Massey Energy can flaunt safety regulations with such bald-faced impunity--- leading to the deaths of 29 workers in one incident this year alone--- it's not in the least surprising that Sen. Reid capitulated, knowing that he could not swing 60 votes in a Dem-controlled Senate. Pathetic.

And immaterial.

We know who must lead this fight: us. All this clamoring for "leadership" from Washington is like asking trees to make it rain. We are the leaders. Congressbots respond to lobbyists, sure, but also to the will of their constituencies--- especially when that will is unequivocally expressed. Which is exactly what we must do: show them that we are in earnest in our determination to end our national addiction to oil, to break the bonds of our slavery to fossil fuels.

We must do so by using less fossil energy ourselves. And it's so easy to do! I've been trying to encourage folks in Columbus to take up the 10:10 UK cause by reducing energy consumption by 10% by the end of 2010. But the problem doesn't lie in finding 10% of fat to trim in the typical household energy budget--- it's in finding that little to trim! Once you start examining your household energy consumption, once you see how much waste is inherent in our profligate lifestyle (as evidenced by our inefficient domestic technologies), it's hard to stop at 10%!

Let us take up the challenge of change not by haranguing the congressbots, but by doing the work that must be done ourselves. If we lead, they must follow.

I'm throwing down the gauntlet

My last four electricity bills, in reverse chronology:

47 kWh
73 kWh
91 kWh
73 kWh

This, in a state with an average residential consumption of 926 kWh per month in 2007.

In my favor:

- living alone, I can call the shots on electricity usage
- small apartment (500 sq. ft.)
- heating is by natural gas (though the blower fan is electric)
- the fridge is new, built 10/08, so relatively efficient (fridges have ever-rising standards)
- don't own a TV, microwave (though microwaves have an efficiency advantage over gas ovens), or dishwasher
- I use a laundromat for clothes washing

My bills would be slightly lower, but I made an arrangement with a college student in my building to share my internet signal, so I leave on my cable modem and (his) wireless router 24/7 (I would normally turn them off at night or when away).

What motivates me: knowing that Ohio's electricity mix is overwhelmingly based on coal-fired power plants: 85% in 2008, per EIA. I don't want to breathe any more airborne mercury and other toxic (humanly or environmentally) crap than I have to; nor do I want to eat mercury-laden fish (guess where that mercury comes from).

On Tuesday the 24th, I attended a T. Boone Pickens "town hall meeting", sponsored by Ohio-based energy giant AEP. On the panel with Mr. Pickens was AEP's CEO/Board Chair, Michael Morris. In the meeting, he touted AEP's reduction in coal use, as a percentage of their energy generation mix, down to a current 66% figure. I suppose he was referring to AEP's entire generating capacity in all states where they do business, not just Ohio's. Otherwise, I can't explain the discrepancy in figures.