This blog was written by Jennifer Rennicks, former Senior Director of Policy & Communications at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

Guest Blog | May 21, 2009 | Energy Policy

As the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee began its work crafting a new energy bill, members weighed in on a critical issue: whether or not a national renewable energy standard (RES) should be included.

Today, Tennessee’s Senator Bob Corker cast an important vote against an amendment offered by Alabama’s Jeff Sessions that would have removed the RES language altogether.

While Sen. Corker said he did not support the current RES as it appears in the draft proposal, he did say he was willing to work with  committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico and was, therefore, opposed to striking the language altogether.

With renewable energy companies like Wacker and Hemlock working to open billion-dollar, solar-component production facilities in Tennessee that will bring hundreds of well-paying green jobs and with the state’s strong renewable energy potential from biomass, solar, wind and hydro-energy, Corker’s vote shows that he’s ready to start having serious discussions about how we might move forward into a clean energy economy.  It’s time for all of our elected officials to roll up the shirt sleeves and get to work.