6/27/2009 - Bend
by Matt McDonald
 
Less than twenty four hours after voting no in Washington on Friday's energy bill U.S. Congressman Greg Walden was back in Oregon, making a stop at the KOHD Studio to discuss his vote.
 
Walden says his office received more than a thousand calls regarding the cap and trade provision of the bill that was passed on Friday. According to Walden the bill does not allow for slash wood taken from federal forest and burned to generate electricity to qualify as renewable energy. Making such projects eligible for federal incentives.
 
"If you can take it off private ground, county forest land, state forest land, burn it - produce electricity and it counts as renewable, why is that same type of material coming off of federal land not considered as a renewable energy source when it's burned to produced electricity," said Walden
 
 
Walden voted against the bill which now moves on to the Senate. He plans to reach out to Oregon Senators Wyden and Merkley, urging them to ask for changes to the bill.