Tarak Shah, a former chief of staff to the under secretary for science and energy, pointed out that at the Paris climate conference in 2015, President Barack Obama set a goal of doubling federal investment in clean energy research. The spending bill, Mr. Shah said, is “absolutely huge for energy innovation.” (For more on why experts think such innovation is crucial for tackling climate change, see this article.) One notable dynamic here: A number of Republicans who don’t typically talk about global warming have nonetheless been eager to support clean energy research in recent years. When the solar and wind industries warned last year that the tax overhaul bill would cripple renewable energy investment, Republicans like Senator Rob Portman of Ohio stepped in. Mr. Portman’s state is a major manufacturer of wind turbine components and has more than 100,000 jobs in clean energy industries.

Source: New York Times March 28, 2018 21:56 UTC