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Mike Padgett’s Unveils “Energy 2.0″

By Kleinheider Posted on May 9, 2008 at 2:25 pm

In the wake of Lamar Alexander’s speech this morning announcing a new “Manhattan Project” for energy independence, one of Alexander’s Democratic opponents, former Knox County Clerk Mike Padgett, has released his own plan called “Energy 2.0.”

Like Alexander, Padgett discusses expanding the use of nuclear power and finding ways to burn coal cleaner. Absent in Padgett’s 10 point plan, however, there is in depth discussion of and heavy reliance on plug-in cars.

Padgett, always the populist, calls for Detroit to build more efficient hybrid vehicles. “We know electric-hybrid technology can reach in the neighborhood of 48 mpg already. In the nation that produced Henry Ford and Bill Gates, we can find a way.”

Padgett also calls for using the tax code to reward energy innovators and punish those wedded to the old ways, “Eliminate the $17 billion in tax breaks previously given to Big Oil companies and set those tax dollars aside in a trust fund to invest in renewable and efficient energy. Levy a windfall profit tax on the oil industry to help fill the trust fund.”

Padgett plan also calls for companies to buy pollutions credits so that polluters can pay for developing more renewables and making them “part of the power grid.”

See the whole plan here.

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Comments

11 Responses to “Mike Padgett’s Unveils “Energy 2.0″”

  1. Padgett’s Energy 2.0 : KnoxvilleTalks.com writes
    May 9th, 2008 2:51 pm

    [...] candidate for Senate Mike Padgett has released his own energy plan today: n the wake of Lamar Alexander’s speech this morning announcing a new “Manhattan Project” [...]

  2. Sean Braisted writes
    May 9th, 2008 3:35 pm

    Instead, grow food grains on the best agricultural acreage and reserve the land that’s unusable for food to grow cellulosic products such as corn stalks and switchgrass for ethanol.

    I don’t know much about agriculture, but how do you grow cornstalks without growing corn?

  3. dan t writes
    May 9th, 2008 5:05 pm

    Thats simple Braisted, either cut it before it starts to tossle or don’t fertilize it.

  4. Sean Braisted writes
    May 9th, 2008 5:28 pm

    But if the soil is good to grow cornstalks, wouldn’t it be good to grow corn? Or could unfertilized soil be used to grow the stalks, just not the corn?

    Again, know nothing about agriculture, just sounded a little off.

  5. Amused Observer writes
    May 11th, 2008 10:44 am

    “Again, know nothing about agriculture, just sounded a little off”

    LOL,
    It is off. Unfertilized corn will produce smaller ears unless unfertilized is a sexual description rather than a nutritional one.

    “…reserve the land that’s unusable for food to grow cellulosic products such as corn stalks…”

    The technical term that describes the thinking illustrated above is brain fart.

  6. DADvocate writes
    May 11th, 2008 11:40 am

    “We know electric-hybrid technology can reach in the neighborhood of 48 mpg already.”

    Uhhh, there are conventional cars, such as the Honda Civic, that hit 45 mpg or better already. Volkswagen makes some diesels that do better than that.

    Just when I think Congress needs to establish a better energy policy, these two nuts show their collective ignorance. At least they’re not making climate change ads a la Pelosi and Gingrich.

  7. Mickey writes
    May 11th, 2008 6:17 pm

    There is a reason we are not all using and driving these today. The technology is Not There!

  8. Paul from Florida writes
    May 11th, 2008 6:21 pm

    Ah, the 17 billion dollars that the Oil Companies are going to give up to the government and put in a ‘trust fund’.

    Like Social Security Trust Fund?
    As in ‘Lock Box’ Trust Fund?

    Yeah, right.

    I’d trust more the Saudi family and Hugo Chavez with the money then Congress.

  9. Laurence writes
    May 11th, 2008 7:57 pm

    A federal trust fund contains no assets. The Social Security and other trusts contain federal bonds which must be redeemed by the federal government as necessary. Thus they are considered part of the national debt. These trust funds currently account for 3.7 trillion of our 9.4 trillion national debt.

    Corporations do not pay income taxes. Any taxes they pay are really part of their costs which are passed on to their clients. That would mean you and I would end up paying more for energy. And windfall profit taxes were tried and failed before. Besides lowering oil production, they would hurt the stock prices of energy companies and, indirectly, every mutual fund, pension plan, 401-K or IRA invested in energy stocks.

    If you want a stronger economy and to take corporations out of politics, lower the corporate income rate, stop all subsidizes and tax dividends as ordinary income.

    And never ever trust important segments of our economy to that bunch of lawyers and bureaucrats in Washington.

  10. Tim writes
    May 11th, 2008 9:42 pm

    Hey Padgett, how about a plan DIFFERENT from Lamar’s. Tell ya what, if you will release a plan saying you are going to let the market determine the solutions, I will vote for you, campaign for you, and do everything in my power to get you elected even if you are a Demoncrat.

  11. John D writes
    May 13th, 2008 7:04 am

    “Eliminate the $17 billion in tax breaks previously given to Big Oil companies and set those tax dollars aside in a trust fund to invest in renewable and efficient energy”

    I’m sure there would be an amazing overlap between the companies providing renewable and efficient energy and the Democrat Party donor list.

    They’re going to fight Global Warming by making Al Gore richer.

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