On Earth Day, Obama Touts Wind Energy, Limbaugh Celebrates Plastic Bags

(MoneyWatch)  It's Earth Day - the perfect time to reflect on what's in store this year for the energy industry. And what better way to illustrate the challenges the industry -- that's everything from oil and coal to solar and wind energy -- is facing this year then to take a look at the polar opposite approaches of President Obama and conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh to Earth Day.

That's not to say Obama and Limbaugh represent the only two stances within the energy industry on issues such as global warming, carbon tax versus cap-and-trade of emissions and whether to open up more offshore drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico.

But it does depict the distance in which many energy execs and regular citizens will have to travel to reach a compromise that will tackle how to make the U.S. energy independent, efficient and "green" without cannabiliziing existing businesses and jobs.

The Christian Science Monitor today posted a blog about the decidedly different activities of Obama and Limbaugh for Earth Day. The White House kicked off the day with its all-day live blog on a variety of Earth day initiatives and activities. At 9:20 a.m., for example, the blog posted information on the U.S. Coast Guard's Earth Day Twitter Campaign. Later, the White House released this proclamation by Obama on Earth Day, which basically talks about the need to take action and preserve natural resources while stimulating economic growth. Obama also is visiting workers at Trinity Structural Towers, a former Maytag plant turned green facility that produces wind towers in Iowa, where he will largely focus on green job creation.

Limbaugh, on the other hand, will spend Earth Day celebrating coal, cars, plastic bags and light bulbs.

"Normally, those of us with sanity sit Earth Day out, while schools frighten kids with apocalyptic tales of the earth being destroyed, because we enjoy a high standard of living," Limbaugh said in his show last week, according to the CSM article.

In his show this morning, Limbaugh said he was having all of his cars driven, his plane flown to Los Angeles and back, cranking up his air conditioning, eating beef and will "personally" oversee the destruction of two acres of rainforest, according to Limbaugh Wire, an hour-by-hour coverage of his show on Media Matters for America. I'm sure that Limbaugh had some environmentalist blood boiling this morning with his comments. Put that aside for a moment and go back to what I mentioned earlier about "the distance in which many will have to travel to reach a compromise."

Industry execs and politicos alike will get to measure that distance this year as it tries to prop up the economy, preserve jobs and grapples with climate change legislation. And they'll get to measure it sooner rather than later. Just yesterday, Congress took up the sticky prospect of climate change legislation yesterday, which will address the issue of placing mandatory caps on emissions from burning fossil fuels.

Image by Flickr user kimberlyfaye, CC 2.0