Sun Burst: Why It’s The Wrong Time To Push For Solar Power

[Slate] A funny thing is happening to President Bush on his way to confronting the country’s addiction to oil: He’s being one-upped by Republican governors promoting solar power. In his State of the Union address, Bush said he would increase the federal government’s research budget for solar power to $150 million, but the money will come out of other renewable-energy projects. Meanwhile, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has pledged a million solar rooftops in California by 2017, and in January a $2.8 billion rate hike for utilities was approved to pay for it. In New York, Republican Gov. George Pataki signed a bill last year offering up to $5,000 in tax credits to homeowners who install solar power equipment on their roofs.