With gas prices at $3 a gallon as far as the eye can see, plus increasing prospects of global warming and war in an oil-rich part of the world, the heat is on to wean the nation from fossil fuels. In Washington this week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, industry leaders (including the three Detroit automakers), farm groups, governors, county officials, and environmentalists launched an effort to have the nation get 25 percent of its total energy from renewable sources by 2025. This ambitious proposal – dubbed ’25x’25’ – goes well beyond what Congress and the White House have enacted so far, and it’s likely to encounter environmental and economic speed bumps along the way. The goal of securing one-fourth of the nation’s total energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass, and biogas by 2025 was introduced this week as a concurrent resolution in both houses of Congress. So far, it has at least 30 cosponsors with the number growing daily. ‘I think that this goal is definitely achievable,’ says Rep. Collin Peterson (D) of Minn., the ranking member of the House Committee on Agriculture. ‘I think we’re going to beat this 25 percent […]