(I know, that’s a terrible, terrible joke.)
The Washington Post has a great article about Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper tooling around on a Vespa and other ways that national leaders are setting energy examples and implementing smart local energy policies. The piece also has a short and sweet summary of Bill Richardson’s recent energy policy in New Mexico:
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a U.S. energy secretary in the Clinton administration, is emphasizing his experience in the field as he contemplates a race for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008. In addition to the tax rebate for hybrid buyers, Richardson has floated a bond issue to pay for energy efficiency in public buildings, launched a new mass-transit system serving Albuquerque and its suburbs, and funded a program to pay one month’s heating bill each winter for needy families.
If you’re looking for Bill talking points, it doesn’t get much easier than adding this information to his stint as Energy Secretary and his international negotiations. The bottom line is this: the Gov. has a track record on issues as big as international development of nuclear energy, and as small as local community solutions to energy costs and conservation. Very nice.