Jonathan Lash, president of the World Resources Institute, asked a crucial question at an energy symposium Monday in Johnson County.
Will the United States have the political courage to take a leadership role on climate change, especially by investing in clean renewable energies such as wind power?
Under President George W. Bush and a mostly GOP-controlled Congress for eight desultory years, the answer was a resounding "no."
But even now with President Barack Obama and Democrats in charge of Congress, the answer still is far from a solid "yes," as it should be.
Monday’s Heartland Energy Policy Symposium helped illustrate why it’s so difficult to change what's been done in this country for decades.
A Burns & McDonnell official emphasized the positive impact of continuing to use old-fashioned coal for electricity — produced by cleaner power plants his company helps build. "The answer's still coal," said Ray Kowalik, president of the firm’s energy division.
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