Fantastic idea! The Congressman's proposal is intending to address the process of environmental extortion that regularly accompanies high-profile energy projects in California. This process, which we call "Greenmail" begins with the filing of a Petition to Intervene by a group calling itself California Unions for Reliable Energy (CURE). The group is actually a San Francisco based law firm called Adams, Broadwell, Joseph and Cardoso. While the petition works its way from the Environmental Impact Report process, the local unions begin forcing a union-only Project Labor Agreement (PLA) on the contracting entity. In one fashion or another, it is made clear to the contracting entity that should they sign a PLA, the environmental issues that CURE is raising will magically disappear. The vast majority of Power Plants that have been built in the past 10 years were subject to this heinous practice. Many economists have suggested that the effects of forced union agreements has cost the taxpayers of California billions of dollars and has slowed the approval of such projects to the point where it takes years to gain approval. Solar and other renuable energy projects are the latest target for Greenmail.

Even Good Things Can Be Done The Wrong Way

Dana Rohrabacher is being more clever than wise with his proposal. Removing bottlenecks is a great idea. Removing protections is foolish. Cook has a much more balanced and responsible view. Rohrabacher is being characteristcally kneejerk.

What a hypocrite Rohrabacher is.

Funny that he cares so much about solar power suddenly when he's voted against solar power over and over and over.

H R 2776 Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007
Rohrabacher voted for one version of the bill which failed, but then voted against it when it passed.

HR 6 : Energy Independence and Security Act
Rohrabacher voted against it.
Highlights: (Sec. 603) Requires the Secretary to study and report to Congress on methods to: (1) integrate concentrating solar power and utility-scale photovoltaic systems into regional electricity transmission systems; (2) identify new transmission or transmission upgrades needed to bring electricity from high concentrating solar power resource areas to growing electric power load centers; and (3) reduce the amount of water consumed by concentrating solar power systems.
(Sec. 604) Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) in the Office of Solar Energy Technologies a competitive grant program to create and strengthen solar industry workforce training and internship programs in installation, operation, and maintenance of solar energy products; (2) a research and development program to assist in demonstration and commercial application of direct solar renewable energy sources to provide alternatives to traditional power generation for lighting and illumination, including light pipe technology; (3) a research, development, and demonstration program to promote less costly and more reliable decentralized distributed solar-powered air conditioning for individuals and businesses; and (4) a grant program for states to demonstrate advanced photovoltaic technology

H.R. 5351: Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008
Rohrabacher voted against it
Highlights: (Sec. 103) Extends through 2016 the energy tax credit for investment in solar energy and fuel cell property.
Sec. 106) Extends through 2014 the tax credit for residential energy efficient property expenditures. Increases to $4,000 the maximum amount of such credit for solar electric property. Includes residential small wind equipment and geothermal heat pumps as property eligible for such credit. Allows credit amounts to offset alternative minimum tax liability.

Quoth Dana, "I rest my case." Showing that as usual he has no serious legislation or solutions to offer, just political games (as ValuesVoter demonstrates.) I had been avoiding this site because the nonstop Palin pep rallies here were giving me a migraine. But today I was told that Debbie had been falsely attacked by famed GOP mega-liar John Fund, and I'm disappointed to see that was actually a balanced enough article. Thanks for letting Dana tip his hand on what he undoubtedly plans as an attack line in the upcoming debates.

We're Americans, and I'm sure we can build all the renewable-energy infrastructure we need and still do it in an environmentally responsible manner. And, yes, with union labor, why not? I doubt that the collusion described by Kevin Korenthal actually happens; it should be illegal if it does, but it sounds more like a rightwinger's fever dream. After all nothing wakes Republicans at 3AM in a cold sweat like the possibility of labor and environmentalists joining forces for the good of the nation.

I suppose I shouldn't have called the Fund piece balanced when you could come away from it without realizing that Debbie does want to streamline the "sluggish" approval process, just not at the expense of the environment. Similar to her offshore drilling position. From the original DP story: "This is just another extreme position by Dana Rohrabacher. What we need to do is come up with a balanced approach that streamlines these projects, because they're critically important to our energy future, but at the same time recognizes the impacts to the environment," Cook said.

Just wanted to be sure that was clear. Carry on.

Rohrabacher's beef is with Bush

Cook is an expert in the field and she has no doubt forgotten more than Rohrabacher will ever even try to know about energy

There he goes again; why is Dana Rohrabacher so disingenuous?
Does anyone really buy his Trojan horse scheme? He would probably put condos on Mount Rushmore if he was given half a chance. He has been in D.C. far too long and has never met a developer or lobbyist he does not like.
Even Green projects should and must pass sensible screening and common sense scrutiny.
This is why I will vote for the modern, mainstream leadership that Debbie Cook represents. We need a visionary representative that will protect our economy as well as the environment and ensure the future health and safety of our families.
Dana Rohrabacher is just more of the same old out of touch insider politics that is destroying our hopes and dreams and compromising this nation’s greatness and everything we have all worked so hard to accomplish.

So, “Rohrabacher thinks he has a partial solution to America’s dependence on high-priced foreign oil?” Interesting! “He thinks” means he’s not sure. “Partial” means what, half, or less than half? A partial solution means he is trying to advance his own agenda with a lack of substance predicated on lies. He’s incapable of coming up with a full solution to anything; he doesn’t think that far ahead on critical issues. This is just another example of Rohrabacher and his feeble minded supporters offering up lies to pad his paltry re-election campaign with some last minute hype. Debbie Cook supports solar power (energy), e.g., streamlining projects that are important and critical to the future of our energy, yet realizing the significant impacts to the environment. She has a long history of environmental activism; not an overnight claim. She is committed to protecting and improving the environment the right way, i.e., presenting a balanced solution to the problem, of which she is exceptionally capable of doing for the betterment of all. If Rohrabacher doesn’t have a full solution to the problem, he should not be placing blame.