President Obama addressed Planet Warming in his Acceptance Speech, Energy Winners and Losers
Obama, in his eloquent victory speech last night said he wants to build a country "that isn't threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet,". This reference refers to an issue that the Administration has put in the closet for the past two years - Climate Change. It will be interesting to see what kind of emphasis the President's new administration will actually put on this hotly contested issue. The environmental community, who did a lot of work in behalf of President Obama, will no doubt put a lot of pressure on the Administration to address this issue which is hugely important to them.
Romney's energy strategy went nowhere - more coal and more drilling on federal lands did nothing for the electorate. On the other hand, Obama's focus on the wind energy production tax credit and the potential of renewable energy technologies to add to our economy and our efficiency might have had an impact on some voters.
The Hill has a great article on how the 2012 election results might affect energy policy. Wind energy tax credits are a clear survivor of the 2012 election. President Obama has been strong supporter of the PTC, while Romney was opposed. Many Republican Members of Congress in states with significant wind energy might now be free to vote for these credits. As I mentioned above, the President brought up climate change in his acceptance speech which means that climate issues could possibly be a talking point in the President's next year agenda. Senator Ron Wyden, as the next head of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, will set a new tone for the next Congress energy agenda. With the President's victory, the Oil and gas industry might lose some of the tax incentives that have been so dear to them in the past.
Congressman Henry Waxman very nearly lost his Congressional seat to a self funded challenger. His loss would have had huge implications for the House Energy and Commerce Committee.