She’s big on energy issues gosh darn it. But last we heard her mantra was, “Drill, baby, drill!” It seems her tune has changed and now Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has released a new, and very ambitious, renewable energy mandate for Alaska. Sarah Palin now intends to get half of Alaska’s electricity from renewable energy sources like wind power.

The plan has environmental groups voicing approval. Kate Troll, executive director of the Alaska Conservation Alliance called it a “very forward-thinking energy plan.”

Is this about-face from Palin connected to the Obama administrations strong push for more reliance on renewable energy? Maybe Palin just knows which way the wind is blowing.