Clean Tech Business Policy Update (July 24)

News Summary

Top Stories

• Growth of Clean Economy Outpaces U.S. Overall (Brookings Report), Forbes
• Supreme Court Rejects State Lawsuits on Emissions, Atlanta Journal Constitution
• Public Attitudes Toward Climate Science & Policy, Science Progress

Government & Politics

• Climate Bill One Year Anniversary, Key Players Move On, Politico
• Climate of Denial: Gore Calls Out Obama, Media on Global Warming, Rolling Stone
• Word Choice Matters for Energy Policy, New York Times
• An Aggressive EPA Ruling on Smokestack Emissions, New York Times
• Top Senate Republican Says Eliminate Energy Tax Breaks to Reduce Debt, Washington Post
• In 2012 GOP Race, Climate Policy Is A Non-Issue, NPR
• Mayor Bloomberg Gives $50M to Sierra Club Anti-Coal Campaign, The Hill
• Wes Clark: Bringing It All Back Home, Washington Monthly
• California Delays Carbon-Trading from 2012 to 2013, LA Times
• California to Appoint 'Clean Energy Jobs' Czar, Reuters

Science, Jobs, & Investment

• Texas Vs. California... Myth Vs. Reality, Beacon Economics
• California Leads 'Clean Economy,' Study Finds, Los Angeles Times
• Southern Calif. Energy Hub Eyed for Clues to U.S. Green Economy, New York Times
• Traders and Experts Say Regional Cap-and-Trade Systems Will Proliferate, ClimateWire
• Google Creates $280-million Solar Power Fund, LA Times

Articles

Top Stories

Brookings Report: Clean Economy Growth Outpaces Overall U.S. Economy / Forbes, July 15

What’s in a name?  Brookings calls it “clean” and in Northeast Ohio we call it “advanced” but the real question is – Can the energy economy help guide the country towards a more globally competitive position?  While the energy topic has become a political issue, it should first and foremost be viewed as an economic driver that regions with strong energy assets can leverage to transition their economies.

Supreme Court Rejects State Lawsuits on Emissions, Favors Federal Clean Air Act / Atlanta Journal Constitution, June 30

Without taking sides in the climate change debate, a unanimous court rejected an attempt by California, New York and six other states to circumvent the authority of Congress to determine national energy policy and to force certain industries to cap their carbon dioxide emissions by judicial fiat.

Public Attitudes Toward Climate Science and Policy / Science Progress, June 29

Two related public polls have recently come out.  On the one hand, the polling shows that only 64 percent of Americans believe global warming is happening, with only 47 percent believing humans to be the main cause. Yet the other poll from the same month showed that 71 percent of Americans said addressing global warming should be a very high, high, or medium priority for Congress, and a whopping 91 percent of Americans—including 85 percent of Republicans—said developing clean energy should be a very high, high, or medium priority.  Further, 68 percent of Americans support requiring public utilities to produce a certain amount of renewable electricity, even if it would cost American families an average of $100 a year.

Government & Politics

Climate Bill One Year Anniversary, Key Players Move On / Politico, July 22

Since the death of cap and trade, careers built around that cause have shifted focus, the national political debate has moved on to debt limits and budget cutting, and dramatic changes envisioned for U.S. energy policy have slipped into a deep freeze. So where are Joe Lieberman, Lindsay Graham, Carol Browner, and Rick Boucher.

Gore: On Global Warming, Obama Has Changed Little / Rolling Stone, June 22

In a 7,000-word essay posted online Wednesday by Rolling Stone magazine, Gore says the president hasn't stood up for "bold action" on the problem and has done little to move the country forward since he replaced Republican President George W. Bush.  To read full text, click here.

Word Choice Matters for Energy Policy / New York Times, July 10

“At the “Twitter Town Hall” last week, where people asked the president questions via Twitter, Mr. Obama referred to “clean energy” five times,” reports Kate Galbraith.  “The only similar term he used was “alternative energy,” once. Other descriptors, like “renewable,” “sustainable” and “green,” were not mentioned.  All of these words may sound interchangeable, but experts say that they are not, quite. “Clean,” for example, can cover a broader array of energy sources than “renewable.” Mr. Obama, in a major speech on energy security this spring, called for 80 percent of the United States’ electricity in 2035 to come from “a wide range of clean energy sources,” in which he included natural gas, nuclear power and “clean coal.”

An Aggressive EPA Ruling on Clean Air / New York Times, July 10

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday issued a welcome and overdue rule compelling power plants in 27 states and the District of Columbia to reduce smokestack emissions that pollute the air and poison forests, lakes and streams across the eastern United States. The regulation reflects the E.P.A.’s determination to carry out its mandates under the Clean Air Act despite fierce Congressional opposition, and bodes well for progress on a host of other regulatory challenges the agency faces.

Top Senate Republican suggests eliminating energy tax breaks to reduce debt / Washington Post, June 15

One day after a majority of Republicans voted to do away with ethanol subsidies, the Senate’s No. 3 Republican said Wednesday that he is working on legislation that could eliminate a variety of energy tax subsidies and dedicate the proceeds to debt reduction.

In 2012 GOP Race, Climate Policy Is A Non-Issue / NPR, June 21

The Supreme Court today reaffirmed that it is the Environmental Protection Agency’s job to curb dangerous carbon pollution under the Clean Air Act, deciding in Connecticut v. American Electric Powerthat states cannot bring suit directly against five of the nation’s largest power companies to curb their emissions as a public nuisance.

Mayor Bloomberg Gives $50M to Sierra Club Anti-Coal Campaign / The Hill, July 21

Coal-fired power plants generate about 40 percent of the country’s electricity, according to the Energy Information Administration. The Sierra Club’s “Beyond Coal” campaign will receive Michael Bloomberg’s donation in support of efforts to wean the country off its dependence on coal in favor of lower-emissions technologies.

Wes Clark: Bringing It All Back Home / Washington Monthly, 2010

America has a dirty secret, and a mortally dangerous problem. You will occasionally see it mentioned in the press, but almost no politician will give it more than a passing reference. Many despair of finding a solution; others fear offending powerful constituencies. Scholars now consider it so banal that they seldom study it. Most businessmen accept it as a sad, sorry fact of life, though it makes some of them very rich.

California Delays its Carbon-Trading Program Until 2013 / LA Times, June 30

Facing continued litigation, California officials will delay enforcement of the state's carbon-trading program until 2013, state Air Resources Board Chairwoman Mary Nichols announced Wednesday.

California to Appoint 'Clean Energy Jobs' Czar / Reuters, July 15

Mather Kearney, deputy director at the governor's Office of Economic Development, said that Governor Brown's shortlist had been narrowed to three candidates but that the scope of the role had been widened beyond clean energy alone to encompass the broader unemployment crisis.

States Cannot Bypass E.P.A. on Power Plant Emissions, Justices Rule / New York Times, June 20

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled out a federal lawsuit Monday by states and conservation groups trying to force cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The court said that the authority to seek reductions in emissions rests with the Environmental Protection Agency, not the courts. EPA said in December that it will issue new regulations by next year to reduce power plants' emissions of carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas.

Business, Science, & Investment

Texas Vs. California... Myth Vs. Reality / Beacon Economics, June 2011

As the battle rages on in the media and political circles about how California is losing out to Texas, it’s important to keep in mind that much of the current debate centers on a misinterpretation of the data or on myth. When digging deeper into the GDP statistics, it is clear that California grew at a very similar pace to Texas in real terms over the past 17 years. In addition, the growth in California’s manufacturing sector far exceeded the rise in Texas’ industrial base. And, while many claim that businesses are fleeing California for the more business friendly climate of Texas, several recent studies have shown that firm migration accounts for less than 1% of the job destruction in the state.

California Leads 'Clean Economy,' Study Finds / Los Angeles Times, July 13

Nationwide, 2.7 million people work in the "clean economy," according to a new study. It employs nearly 320,000 people in California. In the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the sector accounts for about 90,000 workers.

Southern Calif. Energy Hub Gives Clues to U.S. Green Economy / New York Times, June 22

A small company that developed a $1 billion wind farm works out of a pink-hued building near the Pacific Ocean here. Down the hill, an investment firm decides how to spend $6.5 billion on energy ventures. Two traffic lights away sits a company that is building one of the world's largest wind projects. Renewable power developers, biofuel researchers and clean technology entrepreneurs have flocked to this coastal city, making it a growing hub of energy-sector interests.

Traders and Experts Say Regional Cap-and-Trade Systems Will Proliferate / ClimateWire, June 16

Regional cap-and-trade systems will continue to spread in the United States and Canada and are poised to converge on each other, in spite of troubles experienced at the Northeast's government-run program, experts confidently predicted yesterday.

Google Creates $280-million Solar Power Fund / LA Times, June 14

By the end of 2010, home solar panels were capable of producing 74 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power about 74,000 average California homes. That was up 33% from the beginning of the year. More affordable financing options were key to the increase, analysts said. SolarCity is known for its lease programs and power purchase agreements, which allow customers to avoid the tens of thousands of dollars of upfront expenses. SolarCity will use the Google fund to pay for installation and maintenance costs. Customers pay only for the electricity produced by the panels, usually in monthly installments. Google will get a cut of those payments. Google has put nearly $700 million into wind farms, solar power systems and electric vehicle programs.