The Solar Energy Industries Association says, "We did not lose any of our solar champions in the House and Senate, and many of those champions are poised to assume greater leadership roles in the next Congress."
The Congressional appointments secured on Tuesday are particularly promising for the solar industry with SEIA pronouncing that "all incumbent solar champions were re-elected."
SEIA congratulated many notable solar energy champions on their re-election to Congress, including Nevada Senator Harry Reid. In the House, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus co-chairs Zach Wamp (R-TN) and Mark Udall (D-CO) will return, as will other solar advocates such as J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) and Jay Inslee (D-WA).
While Senator Tom Daschle's election loss was a stinging defeat for Democrats, his likely successor as Minority Leader is Senator Reid, a proven advocate for solar.
Industry insiders in Washington say Reid has some of the most active and well-informed renewable energy staff on Capitol Hill.
Zach Wamp, co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus, is likely to become Chairman of the House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee. Wamp is also reputed to have a staff that is active and enthusiastic regarding renewable energy issues, and should he secure that chairmanship position, is likely to be a major ally and key figure to push for solar R&D funding.
And it's not just incumbents with the potential to help solar out. Another possible solar champion is popular newcomer to the Senate, Illinios' Barack Obama, who supports a national RPS of 20 percent by 2020 that includes solar. The next four years may not be what all renewable energy advocates had in mind – particularly the devout environmentalists among them – but solar energy and other renewables may end up coming out alright in the end.
This news story is excerpted from RenewableEnergyAccess.com
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