A Second Wind

As a renewable source of energy, it was under attack in 20 states--as were other alternative sources of energy. Leading the charge was a corps of well-financed conservative groups, and one front in their well-financed attack was Republican-led states. Mandates that have been passed over the last 15 years calling for alternative energy sources to be an ever-increasing part of the energy base in a state. Given the way red states and the conservative groups lined up, it certainly looked like rollbacks in state renewable energy requirements--if not outright repeals--were inevitable. And yet, energy and politics have a strange way of playing out. The mandates in question are state renewable portfolio standards, which call for a certain percentage of a state's electricity to be generated through renewables, such as biomass, solar, thermal, hydro or wind. Here, Walters examines whether attitudes on green power are changing after conservatives failed to roll back requirements for some states to use alternative energy.