Despite powerful lobbying from renewable energy groups, the Senate has largely ignored the push toward increasing the proportion of electricity to come from cleaner sources such as wind, solar and geothermal.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) left out a mandate requiring utilities to derive a certain percentage of their electricity from renewables in his scaled down energy bill this summer, citing a lack of support. Opposition from utilities in the Southeast, election year politics, lack of support from the GOP and a dwindling Senate legislative calendar have all doomed the efforts. Legislation requires 60 votes out of 100 for passage.

Groups from across the spectrum have tried to lobby the Senate to get a renewable energy goal. The bipartisan Governors' Wind Energy Coalition, which includes 26 governors, represented the wind industry. The American Wind Energy Association used Washington power broker and former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle for its efforts.

The BlueGreen Alliance of environmental groups and labor unions held discussions and news conferences in 17 states to promote clean energy. Others including the National Farmers Union, the National Association of Wheat Growers, the Biomass Power Association, the National Hydropower Association and utilities such as Xcel Energy Inc. and AES Corp. all participated.

News organizations have been targeted to keep the issue alive with the public and in the Senate. Despite everything, it is unlikely that a law such as the one proposed by Obama that requires 25 percent of the nation's electricity from renewable sources by 2025 will be passed.

The lack of progress has been felt by the wind industry, which has had the worst year so far since 2007, with few long-term contracts being signed, according to Rob Gramlich, a lobbyist.

An opposing lobby group, Southern Co., has spent $6 million in lobbying against the renewable electricity mandate. In comparison, the American Wind Energy Association has spent $1.3 million so far. Twenty-eight states currently have their own renewable mandates (Frederic Frommer, Associated Press, Sept. 16). -- GV