by Timothy Rose, media relations director, Fresh Energy

An often overused phrase in politics and business (but hopefully not childcare or CIA interrogations): “keep their feet to the fire.” Star Tribune reporter Pat Lopez took an interesting look at Governor Tim Pawlenty’s record of big ideas.

Make no mistake, Pawlenty is a skilled politician with a great deal of experience. Many have commented on the seeming change in his philosophical bent from the halcyon days as a state representative. Rumors abound about possible aspirations for higher office. The Governor, naturally, demurs.

A little over a year ago, Pawlenty staked his claim to a genuine legacy of economic development and environmental protection during his keynote at the Midwest Ag Energy Network. His staff point to the Next Generation Energy Act of 2007 as proof of action on his rhetoric. Perhaps. For me, the question becomes how to reconcile that history with his apparent support for the proposed Big Stone II dirty coal plant that is both environmentally flawed and, if viewed through an economic lens, outrageously under-priced.

The answer? Let’s chop some wood and stoke the fire (no lumps of coal, please). This is no time for cold feet.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 13th, 2007 at 11:20 am by Fresh Energy and is filed under Energy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.