My wish list for 2008

In no particular order, here are a few of the things I hope happen in 2008:

• A candidate who "gets it" the wins the Presidency in November and takes the first big steps to making US energy independence our next Apollo Program.
  
• The city of Pittsburgh makes significant strides to becoming one of the top green cities - this will require greener government, more green buildings, and more incentives for companies to go green
• Governor Ed Rendell's Energy Independence Strategy for Pennsylvania is finally passed
  
• A candidate who does not take campaign money from the coal and utility companies wins the race for my district's (the 18th) seat in the US House of Representatives
  
• Tesla Motors launch of their electric vehicle this year is a huge success.
  
• FutureGen proves to be commercially viable and clean coal becomes a reality, and hopefully the coal and electric companies will start coming clean and spending their money on reducing their emissions instead of spending their money on misleading public relations campaigns.
• Comprehensive campaign finance reform is finally fulfilled - all campaigns must be publicly financed from 2009 onward
• Some US States (hopefully Pennsylvania) introduce Feebates, a program where fees are charged or rebates are given to consumers who purchase new vehicles. The amount to the fees or rebates will depend on the vehicle's average fuel efficiency. Canada has already implemented feebates.
  
• Hybrid vehicles become cheaper - and an option for most new vehicle models sold in the US
  
• The introduction of clean diesel vehicles from BMW and other European manufacturers are a success here in the US