Opponents have long complained that Congress had not authorized commercial development of offshore wind energy. Now it has.

It appears, at the end of the day, there are fossil fuel interests trying to stop a renewable energy project.

Making important energy policy that affects national security, the economy and public health is too important to be done behind the closed doors of a conference committee that avoids public hearings or the scrutiny of the full committees of each chamber. This is coming at a time when members of both parties are talking about their commitment to reform Congress to make their work more transparent and to curtail the influence of lobbyists.

I would just hope Congress comes back from their break with renewed energy to do something about this issue. These concerns about immigration aren't going away. And they haven't been dealt with.

Partners like Whirlpool are national leaders in energy efficiency. The ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award winners are leaders in adopting energy efficient technologies into their products and practices. They have shown year after year that energy efficiency is good for business and helps consumers save important energy resources while protecting the environment.

Billy Hill I've known since freshman year in Congress,