Well, so much for enjoying Boxer’s continued grilling. Early in the hearing, after one brief but blistering round of questions, she had to depart for votes on the Senate floor. She passed the gavel down to Joe Lieberman, who also had to leave, and down it went until it reached Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who closed up the hearing — a brief one by Senate standards.
Sanders remains the only member of the committee asking serious questions about renewable energy. He pokes the most significant holes in the skeptic argument that drastically decreasing our carbon consumption will also drastically decrease our standard of living.
It’s nice having heroes, but he needs more support.
Here are links to opening statements from Chairman Boxer (D-Ca.) and Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-Ok.) and testimony from the witnesses, submitted for the record:
- Barbara Boxer
- James Inhofe
- Peter A. Darbee, Chairman of the Board, CEO, and President, PG&E Corporation
- Jonathan C. Pershing, Director, Climate, Energy and Pollution Program Climate and Energy, World Resources Institute
- Anne E. Smith, Vice President, CRA International
- Dr. Margo Thorning, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, American Council for Capital Formation
- Wiley Barbour, Executive Director, Environmental Resources Trust
