A bipartisan group of Midwest governors on Thursday demonstrated both parties can work together to address one of America's biggest problems -- energy. With minimal fanfare, they compromised on an issue that has left Congress deadlocked.
Governors adopted a platform supporting renewable power such as electricity derived from wind turbines and solar panels. They also expressed support for ag fuels created from non-food products such as wood chips, timber and switchgrass -- rather than eating the seed corn.
Although Gov. Jim Doyle currently doesn't want nuclear reactors built in Wisconsin, he went on the record saying all options should remain on the table. That's a serious commitment on a serious issue. Increasingly, energy demand is taxing our ability to produce it within our own national borders.
Most troubling: the total lack of direction from Washington. Except for market-based factors, i.e. escalating oil and gas prices, average energy consumers have little incentive to conserve. Various tax breaks could be offered to average Americans, but President Bush and Congress can't advance beyond greasing energy producers and making war to protect foreign oil sources. That's not a recipe that will solve the problem.
