News

Clean Tech Business Policy Update (November 3)

by Fatima Khan — last modified November 04, 2011 12:19 AM

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News Summary

Government & Politics

How Global Warming Fell Off the National Agenda / Time Magazine
Romney Flips To Denial: ‘We Don’t Know What’s Causing Climate Change’ / Think Progress
Solyndra Aftermath: Top Ten Reasons Why Clean Energy Wins (OpEd)/ Greentech Media
The Right Lessons From Solyndra (OpEd) / Politico
Solyndra in the Public’s Mind / FM3 & POS Bipartisan Polling Team
Why the U.S. Should Not Abandon Its Clean Energy Lending Programs / Brookings
Dems, GOP Sort of Agree on Chinese Solar / Politico
GOP 2012 agenda: What Energy Debate? / Politico
GOP Enviro Group Seeks To Put Conservation Back On Conservative Agenda/ Huffington Post
Maine Clean Energy Coalition Launches 20-BY-2020 Ballot Initiative / Think Progress
Steve Jobs’ Advice for Obama / Wall Street Journal

Science, Jobs, & Investment

New Technologies Redraw the World’s Energy Picture / New York Times
Solar Power Industry Falls Short of Hopes in Job Creation / New York Times
U.S. Solar Panel Makers Say China Violated Trade Rules / New York Times
Solyndra not the Only Photovoltaic Firm on the Rocks / MarketWatch

Articles

Government & Politics

Romney Flips To Denial: ‘We Don’t Know What’s Causing Climate Change’/ Think Progress, October 28
Speaking at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney reversed his earlier stance on climate change pollution and rejected man-made global warming. Because “we don’t know what’s causing climate change,” Romney said, the United States should not reduce carbon dioxide emissions. In a early 2011 book positioning his run for the presidency, Romney wrote, “I believe that climate change is occurring — the reduction in the size of global ice caps is hard to ignore. I also believe that human activity is a contributing factor. … Scientists are nearly unanimous in laying the blame for rising temperatures on greenhouse gas emissions.”

How Global Warming Fell Off the National Agenda/ Time Magazine, October 20
We know exactly why climate chaos has fallen off the national agenda. We’ve let it happen. And by “we” I mean everyone from environmentalists to doctors to scientists to teachers to politicians to parents. There’s no one else to blame.

Solyndra Aftermath: Top Ten Reasons Why Clean Energy Wins / Greentech Media & Huffington Post, Sept. 28
(OpEd by Payne, Fowler, Kennedy, Harvey, McCalmont, & Shah)
10. A job is a job is a job. Solar jobs grew 6.8% this past year.
9. Fastest growing sector of the economy. Growth is a good for everyone.
8. The voters are ahead of the politicians and the media.
7. It is about prices and solar prices are dropping.
6. Follow the (private) money.
5. Existing policies will make solar energy affordable for millions Americans by 2015.
4. A truly competitive free market favors solar over the oil and coal welfare queens.
3. Our military loves it.
2 . Solar in a box … off the shelf and right to your home.
1. Solar will win because we love our own nuclear power plant:
the one, the only, the original … 93 million miles away.

The Right Lessons From Solyndra (OpEd by Carl Guardino)/ Politico, October 16
In defiance of Occam’s razor, everyone’s missing the simplest point: Solyndra is one of many government clean-technology investments. Like any investment portfolio, some projects succeed and others fail. Solyndra failed.

Solyndra in the Public’s Mind / FM3 & POS Bipartisan Polling Team, September 26

Thus far, Solyndra is still news junkie fodder and not dinner table conversation.
We have seen nothing to indicate an impact on views of clean energy broadly, or solar specifically.
When presented with arguments that attempt to use Solyndra to indict public investments in clean energy more broadly, voters reject them.
Descriptions of the successes of the American solar industry offer a strong rebuttal to criticisms of Solyndra.
Solyndra does pose a potential problem for future public investments in clean energy, since it further fuels general skepticism about government’s fiscal decisions.
While we have thus far found great consistency around the country in reactions to this issue, opinions are likely to shift as the issue unfolds, and may vary among subgroups of the electorate and by geographic location.

Dems, GOP Sort of Agree on Chinese Solar/ Politico, October 28
In an unusual showing of bipartisan harmony, House Democrats and Republicans agree on the need to investigate the massive subsidies China is using to dominate the global solar industry while hurting U.S. manufacturers. Of course, the next step is a matter of debate. Republican Chairman Cliff Stearns recommends taking it right up to the World Trade Organization. But Senior Democrat Rep. Henry Waxman said a direct conflict could lead to tariffs and ultimately a trade war. "The best way to win trade wars is to out-compete.' [Yes, you did read that right. The Republican wants to turn to an international government organization and the Democrat wants to compete to win in the market.]

GOP 2012 agenda: What Energy Debate?/ Politico, October 18
“All of the above” — a phrase left over from John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign — is the exact phrase that six of this year’s eight major Republican candidates have used to describe their energy proposals. As a running line, “all of the above” emphasizes oil, coal and natural gas for near-term energy generation and positions clean energy technology such as solar and wind power as potential future sources … And despite industry reports that the solar business is booming, Solyndra has proven to be a talking point for Republicans when they argue that the government should stay out of clean energy investment.

Republican Environmental Group Seeks To Put Conservation Back On The Conservative Agenda/ Huffington Post, October 20
Many in the G.O.P. long ago rejected environmental protection no matter where or how it is applied -- and they have done so to the dismay of Sisson and like-minded Republican voters. They often point to Russell Kirk, the conservative political theorist, who famously quipped "Nothing is more conservative than conservation." Sisson says too many Republicans today are willing to turn their backs on sensible conservation measures -- even measuresthey once supported -- if it's politically expedient. "It's an unfortunate symptom of our times, how politicized and how polarized the politics has become," he said.

Maine Clean Energy Coalition Launches 20-BY-2020 Ballot Initiative/ Think Progress, October 27
Maine Citizens for Clean Energy, a new coalition of businesses, environmental groups, and public health advocates, has launched a petition drive to get a 2012 ballot initiative for a renewable electricity standard in the state of 20 percent by 2020. “The status quo threatens our health and environment, burdens our economy, and is an enormous risk to Maine’s prosperity,” the coalition warns.

Why the U.S. Should Not Abandon Its Clean Energy Lending Programs / Brookings, September 27
With the bankruptcy of the California solar-gear manufacturer Solyndra, the Department of Energy (DOE)’s loan program has been excoriated for wasting tax payer money under suspicious circumstances. The program’s website refers to 63,000 jobs created with $38.6 billion of loans. Some, like those at the Washington Post, see this number and incorrectly conclude that the government has spent $600,000 per job. Others cite the size of the loan guarantee to Solyndra—$535 million—and mistakenly equate it with the taxpayer bill for one company’s failed enterprise.

Steve Jobs’ Advice for Obama/ Wall Street Journal, October 30
Apple's founder on Obama: "The president is very smart, but he kept explaining to us reasons why things can't get done. It infuriates me." The culture of Silicon Valley is defined by engineers who approach problems logically, searching for the most elegant solution. Washington is different. Members of both parties prefer scoring political points on immigration even though this delays smarter approaches. It's no wonder that people like Jobs who value innovation find Washington so infuriating.

Business, Science, & Investment

New Technologies Redraw the World’s Energy Picture/ New York Times, October 26
Unconventional fossil fuels extracted by new technologies should shift geopolitical and economic calculations around the world in the coming decades. The United States may now have the means to reduce its half century of dependence on the Middle East. China and India may have the means to fuel the development of their growing middle classes. Japan and much of Europe may have the chance to reduce dependence on nuclear power. And, at least theoretically, poor African countries might be able to lift themselves out of poverty. But giving new life to fossil fuels is a devil’s bargain, probably making solutions to climate change, and the development of renewable energy, even more difficult.

Solar Power Industry Falls Short of Hopes in Job Creation/ New York Times, October 25
Government help for solar power was supposed to be a triple play: jobs at a time of dire short-term need; incubation of an American industry sure to be important on a global scale in the next few years; and a long-term reduction in climate-changing pollution … Renewable energy is recognized as representing a hedge against future shifts in the prices of fuels and the strictness of pollution regulations. But the effect on jobs is murkier. “Net jobs” is seldom mentioned.

U.S. Solar Panel Makers Say China Violated Trade Rules/ New York Times, Oct. 19
Seven American makers of solar panels filed a broad trade case in Washington against the Chinese solar industry on Wednesday, accusing it of using billions of dollars in government subsidies to help gain sales in the American market. The companies also accused China of dumping solar panels in the United States for less than it costs to manufacture and ship them. The trade case, filed at the Commerce Department, seeks tariffs of more than 100 percent of the wholesale price of solar panels from China ... “This had nothing to do with any input from either side of the aisle” in Congress, nor was it influenced by the Obama administration," SolarWorld's president stated ... SolarWorld said it was representing a newly formed trade association, the Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing. An existing trade group, Solar Energy Industries Association, is deeply split over trade actions against China, because it includes American subsidiaries of Chinese solar manufacturers and American companies that sell raw materials and factory equipment to Chinese makers of solar panels. See also, Six of Seven Companies Stay Anonymous in Solar Trade Case, NYTimes < http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/business/global/six-complainants-in-solar-trade-case-are-unnamed.html?src=recg >

Solyndra not the Only Photovoltaic Firm on the Rocks / MarketWatch, September 15
While Solyndra remains in the spotlight because of its bankruptcy filing after a $535 million federal loan guarantee, it’s not the only manufacturer of solar power modules to go belly up as prices of photovoltaics continue to drop.

Clean Tech Business Policy Update (September 14)

by Fatima Khan — last modified September 14, 2011 11:42 PM

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Congressional Agenda for Fall 2011 Politico, 9/6/11

Reps. and senators returned to the halls of Capitol Hill last week with Democrats and Republicans alike preparing familiar energy plans for the months ahead.
Senate Democrats plan to push energy bills as part of larger jobs bills, with a focus on Senate Energy and Natural Resources measures such as a Home Star energy efficiency plan and billions in tax credits for advanced manufacturing and renewable energy.
House Republicans will continue to hammer away at EPA regulations, including hearings on Soyndra’s bankruptcy and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's plans to hold votes this fall to repeal the administration's '10 most harmful job-destroying regulations" - a list that will likely have plenty of space allotted to EPA actions.
As the prospects for continued stalemate seem likely, however, the legislative maneuverings are less policy initiatives than marketing tools heading into the 2012 election.

News Summary

Solyndra Fallout & A Way Forward

Republicans Suggest White House Rushed Solar Company’s Loans, NYTimes
Another of Obama’s Green Energy Scams, Rush Limbaugh
Dept of Energy In Hot Seat, San Jose Mercury News
Crystal Clear Lessons From Solyndra, Arno Harris, CEO of Recurrent Energy
Will Opponents Celebrate or Will We Learn Lessons? Ctr. for Am. Progress
China’s Commitment to Clean Energy, Greentech Media Chart
Gates, Doerr Push Congress for Energy Innovation, American Energy Innovation
Hope Shines Through Bankruptcy Clouds For US Solar Sector, AOL Energy
US Solar Industry a Net Exporter, SEIA & Greentech Media
Solaria Seeks a Second Solar Factory Site / Oakland Tribune, August 31
Our Economy Can't Win a Thrown Fight, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Green for All
Not Just Dems: GOP Also Has Solyndra Ties, National Journal

Government & Politics

Stung by the President on Air Quality, Environmentalists Weigh Their Options, NY Times
Bring Residential PACE Program Back to Life, The New Republic
PACE: Energy Projects Generate Jobs, The Hill
SolarCity Plans 160,000 Solar Energy Systems on Military Bases, Los Angeles Times
Patent Reform Passed by Congress, Signed by President, asdf, Sept
Cities Begin Planning for a Very Different Future, Marketplace Radio
Obama Decides Against Change in Ozone Standards, USA Today

Science, Jobs, & Investment

Where the Jobs Aren’t, New York Times
Green Jobs Reality Check, Center for American Progress
Shocker: Power Demand From US Homes is Falling, Associated Press

Solyndra’s Bankruptcy Dogpatch Strategies, 9/14/11

There are many views on why Solyndra’s bankruptcy happened and its impact on the political and business agenda of the clean energy sector. The company's records are under investigation by Congress and the FBI while its failure has become fodder for continued anti-clean tech attacks from legacy energy companies and politicians with various agendas. Clean tech must come to its own defense in blogs, op-eds, and on talking head TV as the public relations mess grows and the industry’s usual political and environmental allies are distracted by other things like their own 2012 election prospects and “higher priority” agenda items like a defense of the EPA and halting the tar sands pipeline across the Rocky Mountain West. As Green Tech Media wrote on August 31^st, “[M]ost coverage of the Solyndra news is likely to gloss over the market’s subtleties … the image of the U.S. solar industry is likely to be affected negatively in the minds of both policymakers and the general public in this post-Solyndra world.”

Articles

Republicans Suggest White House Rushed Solar Company’s Loans / NYTimes, Sept 14^th

The collapse has turned what was once portrayed by some as a shining example of the promise of federal subsidies to stimulate economic growth through green jobs into a grim lesson in what others call the futility of federal meddling in the marketplace. The US House Energy & Commerce subcommittee’s Republican staff members, in a memorandum issued at the hearing, said that e-mails among White House staff “raise questions as to whether the Solyndra loan guarantee was pushed to approval before it was ready in order for the Administration to highlight the stimulus.”

Democrats did not come to Solyndra’s defense but they did defend the idea of government help for the solar industry, arguing that China is doing so on a large scale and that the United States must compete. Officials of the Energy Department’s loan office and the White House defended their decisions, which they said were carefully reviewed and not politically inspired. A DoE officials said that Chinese companies had “flooded” the market, pushing down the price of solar equipment. A factor in Solyndra’s failure was relatively high production costs, but another was a surplus of solar panels, brought on by new Chinese production, and slack demand in Europe, which had been a fast-growing market. “This isn’t picking winners and losers — it is helping ensure that we have winners here at all,” he said. See also, Los Angeles Times, Sept 12^th and Wall Street Journal, Sept 9^th

Another of Obama’s Green Energy Scams, Rush Limbaugh, Aug 31

The sun is still putting out much as it ever did, just like in Las Vegas, and yet they can't harness it. It's there every day. It doesn't cost anything. It's just there … you ask why can't we compete. We can. My question is (and I think this is the important one): How much are we taxpayers losing from all these so-called investments, as the libs call it? Because every one of these cockamamie ideas is one of theirs. They're all bombing out. They're all leading and contributing to deficits and debt, and it's all political. There's not one business reason to do any of this! There is no solar energy business out there. There is no wind energy business. This is all being done to be simply prop up an incompetent, man-child president … You know, I'm not a solar or wind expert, but when your primary source is still up there, and there's not a damn thing anybody can do to it, and you still can't make money? We're not there yet, is what tells me. We haven't figured out how to harness it yet.

Solyndra Puts Dept of Energy in Hot Seat, San Jose Mercury News, Sept 14

The Republican National Committee and other conservative critics have seized on Solyndra's implosion -- the term "Solargate" is already being used -- as evidence that President Barack Obama's original stimulus plan and the administration's support for clean technology are failed policies. "With taxpayers potentially on the hook for this half-billion dollar bust, it's time to sound the alarm about the remaining $10 billion in loan guarantees set to expire Sept. 30," Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., said in a joint statement Tuesday.

Crystal Clear Lessons From Solyndra, Arno Harris, CEO of Recurrent Energy, August 31^st

It would be a mistake to generalize from Solyndra's failure to indict the solar industry and solar policy as a whole. First, this is about one company failing in a market that has exceeded all expectations on cost reduction. Second, not all solar policy faces the same kinds of risks as the DOE loan guarantee program (LGP) … [T]he Investment Tax Credit, 1603 treasury grant program, and state-level renewable standards are much less risky. Solyndra's failure underscores just how successful the PV industry has been at cost reduction--and highlights the risks when governments try to pick winners and losers in highly competitive markets.

Will Opponents Celebrate Solyndra or Will We Learn Lessons? / Ctr. for Am. Progress, Sept 1^st

The U.S. solar industry had $1.8 billion in net exports last year. But it faces daunting challenges from both Chinese competitors and … budget cutters. Not every U.S. company will survive global industry consolidation. But the PV segment as a whole has seen more than 10% annual job growth since 2003 and is certain to continue being a big job creator — if the U.S. government doesn’t let the playing field tilt to foreign companies … [W]ith a glut of solar panels on the market today, depressed silicon prices, and the Chinese government lavishing huge amounts of subsidies on domestic manufacturers — 30 times the amount of loans as the U.S. in 2010 — Solyndra’s cost structure simply couldn’t compete.

China’s Commitment to Clean Energy, Greentech Media Chart, August 31^st

gtm graphic

Gates, Doerr Push for Energy Innovation Before Congress, Politico, Sept 14

Bill Gates, John Doerr, and several other formidable technology industry leaders brought a simple message to Capitol Hill on Tuesday: Invest in a more expansive energy and technology policy, especially ARPA-E. At a briefing hosted by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Gates and other captains of industry unveiled a new report that highlights the need for an active government role in energy innovation, recommends ways to improve the effectiveness of government innovation programs, and highlights options to pay for energy innovation investments.

Hope Shines Through Bankruptcy Clouds For US Solar Sector, AOL Energy, Sept 6^th

The August bankruptcy announcements by three solar companies is not a sign of imminent industry collapse, but the inevitable result of competition in a new and evolving market, according to industry representatives. [T]his is just part of the inevitable weeding out of firms that are unable to compete as the market landscape changes. Solyndra's bankruptcy was an anomaly. That's one of the gazillion technologies out there for solar. Some are going to make it, and some aren't.

US a Net Exporter of Solar Photovoltaics / SEIA & Greentech Media, Aug 29

With all the stories about China dominating the solar photovoltaics (PV) manufacturing sector, you might not think that America is a net exporter of solar products. But it is — to the tune of $1.8 billion. That’s a $1 billion increase over net exports documented in the solar sector last year. See also, Center for American Progress

Solaria Seeks a Second Solar Factory Site / Oakland Tribune, August 31

California's regulatory and business climate -- criticized by some manufacturers as hostile to companies -- may have opened the door for Solaria to expand, both in Fremont and with its second factory.

Our Economy Can't Win a Thrown Fight, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Green for All, Sept 1^st

Capitalism's survival of the fittest only works on a level playing field. Solyndra -- like many other clean energy companies -- are competing evenly in the United States, but on an extremely slanted field globally. Solyndra was facing, in particular, Chinese companies that received massive subsidies from the Chinese government. The investment our government made in Solyndra wasn't a hand-out; it was an attempt to help balance the playing field. But that attempt was one-tenth, one-twentieth what its Chinese competition saw. That Solyndra competed at all is remarkable and laudable.

Not Just Dems: GOP Also Has Solyndra Ties, National Journal, Sept 12^th
The Republican Party is claiming the company is a "prime example of stimulus failure" and "taxpayer-funded cronyism" because one of the investors, George Kaiser, is an Obama fundraiser. However, Solyndra's top investors also include the Republican Walton family, and the CEO, Brian Harris, is a Republican.

Government & Politics

Stung by the President on Air Quality, Enviros Weigh Options / NY Times, September 3

In late August, the State Department gave a crucial go-ahead on a controversial pipeline to bring tar sands oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast. Then on Friday, leading into the holiday weekend, the Obama administration announced without warning that it was walking away from stricter ozone pollution standards that it had been promising for three years and instead sticking with Bush-era standards.

Patent Reform Passed by Congress, Supported by President, Boston Globe, Sept 9^th

The Senate delivered an overhaul of the US patent system that President Obama has long endorsed as a way to promote innovation and put Americans back to work. Proving that Congress can, on occasion, put aside partisan differences, the Senate voted 89-9 for legislation that supporters say will streamline the patent process, reduce costly legal battles, and give the US Patent and Trademark Office the money it needs to process patent applications in a timely fashion.

SolarCity Plans 160,000 Solar Energy Systems on Military Bases / LATimes, September 8

The company's $1-billion SolarStrong project would add rooftop solar installations at 124 military housing developments in 33 states. It would double the number of sun-powered systems in the U.S.

Bring Residential PACE Program Back to Life / The New Republic, August 30

The newly introduced PACE Assessment Protection Act (H.R. 2599), which already has bipartisan support and endorsement from many organizations, provides at least a ray of hope that there might be a chance that PACE can become an important tool to boost job creation and economic growth in the residential clean energy market.

PACE: Energy Projects Generate Jobs / The Hill, September 6

A bipartisan bill to help both our economy and environment is emerging in Congress — in these days of hyper-gridlock, the effort deserves our full support. The bill restores a popular financing program, Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), to improve energy efficiency in homes and businesses across the country.

Obama Decides Against Change in Ozone Standards / USA Today, September 2

President Obama decided Friday morning not to raise ozone standards favored by environmentalists but decried by business groups and Republicans.

Cities Begin Planning for a Very Different Future / Marketplace Radio, September 1

With rising sea levels and changing environments, some cities are beginning to plan for a different future than they expected. A report not too long ago from the U.S. Conference of Mayors said almost a third of American cities have made provisions in their budgets for adapting to climate change. That is, potholes, police cars and getting ready for global warming. But with cities strapped these days just to fill potholes and pay teachers, climate adaptation gets short shrift at city hall.

Business, Jobs, & Science

Where the Jobs Aren’t / New York Times, September 5

With the economy stagnating and unemployment high, where are the jobs of the future going to come from? A few years ago, it seemed as though the Green Economy could be a big part of the answer ... An important distinction between government efforts to set the table for entrepreneurial activity and government efforts to create jobs directly. Setting the table means building an underlying context for innovation: funding academic research, establishing clear laws, improving immigration policies, building infrastructure and keeping capital gains tax rates low. Lerner notes that one of the most important government initiatives to encourage innovation was the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, which gave universities automatic title to research paid by the federal government. These table-setting efforts work. The problem is the results are indirect, the jobs take a long time to emerge and the market may end up favoring old-energy sources instead of shiny new ones. So politicians invariably go for the instant rush. They try to use taxpayer money to create private jobs now. But they end up wasting billions. We should pursue green innovation. We just shouldn’t imagine these efforts will create the jobs we need.

Green Jobs Reality Check, Center for American Progress, August 29

A lot of bogus numbers are flying around about green jobs these days. It’s time to set the record straight: Clean energy is a bright spot in the economic recovery, already creating large numbers of high quality U.S. jobs in emerging industries. Cleantech (primarily clean energy) has seen “torrid growth” from 2003 to 2010, 8.3% per year — almost double the growth rate of the overall economy during that time.

Large-Scale Solar Sector Surges in U.S. as Panel Costs Drop, Clean Techies, Sept 14

The number of new, industrial-scale solar projects being planned has increased to 24 gigawatts of solar capacity, up from 17 gigawatts just two months ago.

Shocker: Power Demand From US Homes is Falling / Associated Press, September 7

Over the next decade, experts expect residential power use to fall, reversing an upward trend that has been almost uninterrupted since Thomas Edison invented the modern light bulb.

###

Presidential Candidates on Climate & Energy

by Fatima Khan — last modified August 29, 2011 07:50 PM

Filed Under:

Featured

Michelle Bachmann (Congresswoman from Minnesota)[i]

Asked about the “man-made climate change myth” and “green jobs” in an August campaign event, Bachmann said, “I think all these issues have to be settled on the base of real science, not manufactured science.” In a 2009 House floor speech, the Congresswoman challenged the idea that carbon dioxide is harmful to humans, "Carbon dioxide is not a harmful gas, it is a harmless gas ... And yet we’re being told that we have to reduce this natural substance and reduce the American standard of living to create an arbitrary reduction in something that is naturally occurring in the earth."

Bachmann has opposed raising fuel-efficiency standards and objected to requirements for energy-efficient light bulbs. She has called for the EPA to be abolished, labeling it the “job-killing organization of America” and pledging to have the EPA’s “doors locked and lights turned off.” She has also promised more domestic oil production while committing that, "Under President Bachmann, you will see gasoline come down below $2 a gallon again. That will happen."

Herman Cain

Herman Cain (Fmr. CEO of Godfather’s Pizza) [ii]

While speaking in Iowa in April, Mr. Cain stated that “There’s a … study that said that if we did all the solar, all the wind in every wind corridor of this country that we could, it might do 5% of our energy needs. All of this alternative stuff is a joke.” Regarding the EPA, Mr. Cain has promised if elected that he would “create a panel of oil and gas officials to instruct the agency in overhauling its permitting program” and says that eliminating its permitting programs “would be an option.”

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich (Fmr. Speaker of the House)[iii]

Mr. Gingrich has in the past said that the nation must do something to address climate change and has resisted calls to pull back on that. In a 2008 TV ad with Nancy Pelosi sponsored by Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection, the former House speaker said, “We do agree our country must take action to address climate change.” His campaign website offers a “mostly everything” path: “Today's high gas and energy prices are entirely a function of bad government policies. Newt has an American Energy Plan that would maximize energy production from all sources -- oil, natural gas, wind, biofuels, nuclear, clean coal, and more -- and would encourage clean energy innovation without discouraging overall energy production.” There is no mention of solar energy.

In a mid-August Republican debate, Gingrich called the EPA a “fundamental threat to freedom in this country” and accused it of being “anti-American jobs, anti-American business, anti-state government, anti-local control.” Gingrich proposes deregulating fossil fuels, saying that we should rely on the inventiveness of the free market to solve our energy challenges.[iv]

Jon Huntsman

Jon Hunstman (Fmr. Governor of Utah & Obama Ambassador to China)[v]

In a May 16 Time magazine interview, Governor Huntsman ripped a western cap-and-trade compact he helped create as governor, “Cap-and-trade ideas aren’t working; it hasn’t worked, and our economy’s in a different place than five years ago … [P]utting additional burdens on the pillars of growth right now is counter-productive.”

Nonetheless, Huntsman agreed that there is near-scientific consensus on the connection between climate change and human greenhouse gas emissions. “All I know is 90 percent of the scientists say climate change is occurring. If 90 percent of the oncological community said something was causing cancer we’d listen to them … though we can debate what that means for the energy and transportation sectors.” And in an August Tweet, following criticism from some conservatives, Huntsman re-affirmed his views, “To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy.”

Ron Paul

Ron Paul (Congressman from Texas)[vi]

In Congress, Ron Paul has cosponsored bills that would offer tax breaks to Americans who commute by bicycle and use public transportation. His libertarian nature, though, results in a general view that, “my answer to energy is to let the market work. Let supply and demand make the decision. Let prices make the decision. That is completely different than the bureaucratic and cronyism approach.” He has explained his opposition to solution to climate change by arguing, “We're not going to be very good at regulating the weather.”

Paul strongly opposes requiring American automakers to increase fuel efficiency standards as well as providing incentives for alternative fuel vehicles. He voted “no” on enforcing limits on CO2 global warming pollution, tax credits for renewable electricity, tax incentives for energy production and conservation, tax incentives for renewable energy, removing oil & gas exploration subsidies, keeping moratorium on drilling for oil offshore, raising CAFÉ standards, and prohibiting oil drilling & development in ANWAR.[vii] He has said that abolishing the EPA is not one of his higher priorities

Rick Perry

Rick Perry (Governor of Texas)[viii]

Governor Perry told New Hampshire voters on August 17 that he does not believe in manmade global warming, calling it a scientific theory that has not been proven. He wrote in his newest book that global warming is “all one contrived phony mess that is falling apart under its own weight,” and has said, “I think there are a substantial number of scientists who have manipulated data so that they will have dollars rolling into their projects. And I think we are seeing almost weekly, or even daily, scientists are coming forward and questioning the original idea that man-made global warming is what is causing the climate to change.”

To fend off accusations that he is only supportive of fossil-fuels, he often points out that Texas is a leader in wind energy, but credit for that largely goes to George W. Bush who passed a renewable portfolio standard in 1999 when he was governor. A tougher version of it was passed in 2005 when Perry was governor, but according to Jim Marston, the regional director in Texas of the EDF, "Neither Governor Perry nor his people were involved in the writing or passage of that bill … He has done nothing significant to advance the course of wind energy in Texas – it was all done by others, and Perry has just taken credit for it."

Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney (Fmr. Governor of Massachusetts) [ix]

In a 2011 book positioning his run for the presidency, Governor Romney wrote, “I believe that climate change is occurring — the reduction in the size of global ice caps is hard to ignore. I also believe that human activity is a contributing factor. … Scientists are nearly unanimous in laying the blame for rising temperatures on greenhouse gas emissions.” While reaffirming that in June, he appeared to backtrack on August 24th. Asked at a New Hampshire town hall meeting whether he believed in global warming and if humans contribute to rising temperatures, Romney said: “Do I think the world's getting hotter? Yeah, I don't know that but I think that it is … I don't know if it's mostly caused by humans ... What I'm not willing to do is spend trillions of dollars on something I don't know the answer to” and "I do not believe in putting a carbon cap" on polluters. Romney's campaign denies that the candidate's position has changed at all, citing his consistency on questioning exactly how much humans have contributed to global warming. Romney later added, “I think it's important for us to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may well be significant contributors to the climate change and global warming that you're seeing.”

On EPA regulation, Romney has both criticized the EPA for attempting to regulate greenhouse gas emissions while supporting other aspects of EPA’s mission. He wants more efficient energy alternatives here in the U.S., fuel-efficient vehicles, and public-private R&D partnerships. However, he did not support the Northeast’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and has never supported cap-and-trade arguing that it will place the United States’ global competitiveness at a disadvantage. In an interview with US News and World Report in December 2007, he called for an energy-focused “Apollo Project” to make America more innovative and competitive: “We are going to have to get ourselves independent of foreign oil, and that's going to require a substantial investment…I wish we could become energy independent for only $100 billion.”

DROPPED OUT

Tim Pawlenty (Fmr. Governor of Minnesota)[x]

Having once taken climate change seriously as governor, including support for cap-and-trade, Pawlenty apologized in an early presidential debate in 2011. “Everybody in the race, at least the big names in the race, embraced climate change or cap-and-trade at one point or another, every one of us … It’s a bad idea … I was wrong. It was a mistake. And I’m sorry.”

# # #

[i] i. http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/08/18/why-michele-bachmanns-2-a-gallon-gas-promise-is-a-fantasy/#ixzz1VUQcAm1L; ii. http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/environmental_law/2011/08/michele-bachman-on-climate-change.html; iii. http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/08/17/297902/michele-bachmann-man-made-climate-change-is-manufactured-science

[ii] http://www.therightscoop.com/herman-cain-green-energy-is-a-joke/

[iii] http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/environmental_law/2011/08/should-we-require-scrubbers-for-the-republican-candidates-positions-on-pollution-and-epa.html

[iv] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-mannle/gingrichs-energy-solutions-lacking_b_864552.html

[v] http://swampland.time.com/2011/03/24/on-global-warming-no-clear-skies-for-most-2012-gop-contenders/

[vi] http://www.grist.org/article/paul1

[vii] http://www.ontheissues.org/tx/Ron_Paul_Energy_+_Oil.htm

[viii] http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-affairs/texas-gov-rick-perrys-answer-to-climate-change-start-prayin-20110428; http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-affairs/rick-perry-and-the-environment-three-things-you-need-to-know-20110817

[ix] http://reut.rs/oUJVj7.; http://www.cleaneconomycapitol.org/2011/04/2012-republican-presidential-hopefuls_12.html; http://money.usnews.com/money/business-economy/articles/2007/12/04/romney-talks-taxes-trade-and-energy-independence?s_cid=related-links:TOP

[x] http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/pawlenty-my-past-support-for-cap-and-trade-was-stupid-audio.php

Clean Tech Business Policy Update (August 29)

by Fatima Khan — last modified August 29, 2011 05:29 PM

Filed Under:

News Summary

Science, Jobs, & Investment

Building the Green-Collar Economy, Discover Magazine
Ford, SunPower Team Up on Alternative Energy, San Francisco Chronicle

Government & Politics

U.S. Cities Prepare to Adapt to Climate Change, USA Today
U.S. Jobs Expected from New Fuel Economy Standards, Reuters
USA’s First Large-Scale Industrial Carbon Capture & Storage Facility, US DoE
California: Law Aids State's Clean Tech Growth [Erceg & Hochschild], Sacramento Bee
California: Offsets Could Make Up 85% of Calif.'s Cap and Trade, New York Times
California Panel Reaffirms Carbon Trading Program, Los Angeles Times
California: Gov. Brown Seeks to Extend Public Good Charge, Los Angeles Times
California: Clean Energy Wants Public Goods Charge Extended, CapitalPublicRadio

Politics Extra: Presidential Candidates on Clean Energy & Climate

Michelle Bachmann: Settle the issues on “real science, not manufactured science.”
Herman Cain: “All of this alternative energy stuff is a joke.”
Newt Gingrich: We “must take action to address climate change,” but EPA a “threat to freedom.”
Jon Huntsman: “I believe in evolution & trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy.”
Ron Paul: “My answer to energy is to let the market work.”
Rick Perry: Global warming is “all one contrived phony mess that is falling apart.”
Mitt Romney: “I believe that climate change is occurring,” but “I don't know if it's mostly caused by humans,” and “What I'm not willing to do is spend trillions of dollars,” yet “it's important for us to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases.”

Articles

Business, Science, & Investment

Building the Green-Collar Economy / Discover Magazine, September 2011

The lure of renewable energy sources is that they help fight climate  change. Four experts argue that the transition to a clean economy could also jump-start economic growth and put a new generation to work.

Ford, SunPower Team Up on Alternative Energy / San Francisco Chronicle, August 11

SunPower, based in San Jose, will offer discounted home solar systems to people who buy the all-electric Focus, which Ford plans to start selling in California late this year. The two companies announced the effort, called Drive Green for Life, in Richmond on Wednesday at a former Ford auto plant that now houses a SunPower office.

Government & Politics

U.S. Cities Prepare to Adapt to Climate Change / USA Today, August 15

An NRDC report says coastal cities such as New York and San Francisco anticipate "serious challenges" from sea-level rise, while Southwestern cities such as Phoenix will face water shortages and Midwestern cities, including Chicago and St. Louis, can expect more intense storms and flooding.

Green Jobs Expected from New Fuel Economy Standards / Reuters, August 16

A report released this week by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), automotive workers union (UAW), and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) shows that vehicle emissions standards and clean vehicle R&D and production are already responsible for 155,000 jobs at 504 facilities in 43 states and the District of Columbia. 119,000 jobs have been created in this industry since 2009 alone. The NRDC has an interesting interactive map on its website now showing where all these facilities are and providing a bit more information on them.

Nation’s First Large-Scale Industrial Carbon Capture and Storage Facility

US Dept. of Energy, August 24

The U.S. Department of Energy issued the following statement in support of today’s groundbreaking for construction of the nation’s first large-scale industrial carbon capture and storage (ICCS) facility in Decatur, Illinois. Supported by the 2009 economic stimulus legislation – the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – the ambitious project will capture and store one million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year produced as the result of processing corn into fuel-grade ethanol from the nearby Archer Daniels Midland biofuels plant. Since all of the captured CO2 will be produced from biologic fermentation, a significant feature of the facility is its “negative carbon footprint,” meaning that the storage results in a net reduction of atmospheric CO2.

California Panel Reaffirms Carbon Trading Program / Los Angeles Times, August 25

The California Air Resources Board voted to reaffirm its cap-and-trade plan Wednesday, a decision that puts the nation's first-ever state carbon trading program back on track, for now. The on-again, off-again rules have been years in the making and are meant to complement AB 32, California's landmark climate change law that mandates a reduction in carbon pollution to 1990 levels by 2020. The air board adopted a preliminary carbon trading plan in late 2008 but was sued by environmental justice groups in 2009.

Greenhouse Gas Law Aids State's Clean Tech Growth [Erceg & Hochschild]

Sacramento Bee, August 21

We already are seeing hints of what AB 32 could mean for our economy. Since the bill became law, investment in California's clean technology sector has skyrocketed, with more than $11 billion in venture capital flowing into the state. The National Venture Capital Association estimates that each $100 million in venture capital funding will help create 2,700 jobs directly and support other jobs indirectly, while generating $500 million in annual revenue over two decades. It is clear that clean energy policies are propelling the state down a positive economic path.

Offsets Could Make Up 85% of Calif.'s Cap and Trade / New York Times, August 8, 2011

Starting in 2013, California's landmark cap and trade law will give companies the option of using offsets, investments in forest preservation and other efforts that pare carbon, instead of emissions reductions. California argues cap and trade needs offsets to keep costs low. Environmentalists warn the numbers stack up in a way that threatens the success of the plan. The Golden State plans to limit offsets to 8 percent of a business's total reported greenhouse gas emissions. The 8 percent limit, green groups argue, translates to a much larger percentage of the carbon cuts mandated under the plan. Offsets will potentially make up 85 percent of all greenhouse gas reductions in the program from 2013 through 2020, a level some environmentalists see as perilous. The state agrees that hitting that 85 percent level for offsets is possible but said that it is an improbable worst-case event.

Gov. Brown Seeks to Extend California Energy Surcharge / Los Angeles Times, August 25

In a major effort to create more high-tech jobs, Gov. Jerry Brown is sponsoring legislation to extend a state program that collects about $400 million a year from utility customers and invests it in renewable energy and efficiency programs.

Clean Energy Backers Want Utility Fees Extended / Capital Public Radio, August 17

Every month, your electric bill has a one percent state surcharge - and your natural gas bill has a 0.7 percent surcharge. Those fees are set to expire at the end of the year, and Tom Steyer with Californians for Clean Energy and Jobs says lawmakers should pass an extension.

# # #

Clean Tech Business Policy Update (July 24)

by Fatima Khan — last modified July 24, 2011 10:45 PM

Filed Under:

Featured

News Summary

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

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.

Clean Tech Business Policy Update (June 13)

by Fatima Khan — last modified June 13, 2011 08:05 PM

Filed Under:

News Summary

Government & Politics

How We're Meeting the Job Creation Challenge, Wall Street Journal
New Mileage Stickers Include Greenhouse Gas Data, New York Times
Has Vermont Solved the Solar Permitting Problem? GreenTech Media
New Jersey Governor Pulls Out of 10-State Climate Initiative, New York Times
Reicher: Renewable Energy Siting Important, But Investment More So, Stanford News
Calif: An Unclear Course on Emissions Policy, New York Times
Calif: AB32 Cap & Trade Program Allowed to Proceed Pending Appeal, Legal Planet
California Likely to "Suffer Most," Says Study, KQED

Science, Jobs, & Investment

Electric Battery Gets You Gooing, Gooing, Gone, MSNBC
Friedman: How Many Planet Earths Does it Take? NYTimes
California Leads U.S. in Utility-Scale Solar Projects, Solar Server
California Farmers Split on Solar Farms, Fresno Bee

Articles

Government & Politics

How We're Meeting the Job Creation Challenge / Wall Street Journal, June 13

“We've been at work for the past 90 days to develop recommendations for a series of immediate, actionable steps to accelerate job creation,” jobs council head and General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt, wrote in an Op-ed in today’s Wall St Journal. “Today we are presenting an initial ‘progress report’ to the president that includes a series of steps that can help spur hiring in the short term in areas like construction, manufacturing, health care and tourism.” He added, “No single idea, however well-conceived, will solve our nation's employment challenge. So we're taking a comprehensive approach with eight teams focused on specific areas such as skills and training, regulatory reform, and innovation.”

New Mileage Stickers Include Greenhouse Gas Data / New York Times, May 25

The federal government unveiled new fuel economy window stickers, for vehicles starting with the 2013 model year, that for the first time include estimated annual fuel costs and the vehicle’s overall environmental impact.

Has Vermont Solved the Solar Permitting Problem? / GreenTech Media, May 31

As much as one quarter to one third of the costs of a home or business solar system cost comes from overhead costs -- the time spent by installers in getting the building, zoning, and fire department permits, waiting for inspection, and dealing with changes. The cry for an improved permitting process in the U.S. has been put forth by SolarTech, Vote Solar, and other organizations and firms. The DOE SunShot program is looking to get solar to $1.00 per watt installed. It can't happen without a well-thought out permitting process.

New Jersey Governor Pulls Out of 10-State Climate Initiative / New York Times, May 26

Gov. Chris Christie said Thursday that New Jersey would become the first state to withdraw from a 10-state trading system, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, declaring it an ineffective way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Mr. Christie stepped back from questioning the science, saying that he believed that climate change was real and was caused at least partly by human activity. He said that rather than relying on the RGGI program, he was committed to increasing the proportion of electricity generated by natural gas, the sun and the wind.

Stanford University Professor Testifies on Retaking Leadership in Renewable Energy / Stanford Law School News, June 1

Dan Reicher is a law professor and executive director of the Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance. He testified before the House Natural Resources Committee on what it will take for the United States to resume its global leadership position in renewable energy technology.

An Unclear Course on Emissions Policy / New York Times, May 30

The Pew Center on Global Climate Change notes that more than 30 states have set mandatory goals for the amount of electricity that utilities get from solar and wind energy and other renewable sources and that 36 states have climate action plans, for example. All these initiatives together could eventually be woven into the fabric of a national climate policy formed not in Congress but in the context of pragmatic state policy, the optimists’ thinking goes. “What we may be seeing is the bubbling up of climate policies from the bottom up.”

Calif: AB32 Cap & Trade Program to Proceed Pending Appeal / Legal Planet, June 6

The 1st Appellate District of the California Court of Appeal has temporarily stayed (in other words lifted) the trial court’s injunction preventing the California Air Resources Board from implementing its cap and trade program for greenhouse gas emitters. CARB asked the appeals court to allow the state to continue to work to implement the cap and trade program pending the outcome of the case.

California Likely to "Suffer Most," Says Study / KQED, June 2

California Likely to "Suffer Most," Says Study -- California is likely to suffer more than any other state from worsening air pollution due to climate change by the end of the decade, according to a new study from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

Business, Science, & Investment

Electric Battery Gets You Gooing, Gooing, Gone / MSNBC, June 8

Alternative vehicles are still "alternative" in part because fuel cell and battery technologies still have many hills to climb — cost, efficiency and weight to name a few. A group of MIT researchers recently combined the strongest aspects of traditional batteries and fuel cells to create a whole new kind of battery. "It's a flowing electrode that's electrically conductive all of the time. That's the secret sauce," said Yet-Ming Chiang, the professor of material science and engineering at MIT who led the development.

How Many Planet Earths Does it Take? (Thomas Friedman) / NYTimes, June 7

How many “planet Earths” we need to sustain our current growth rates? How much land and water area do we need to produce the resources we consume and absorb our waste, using prevailing technology? We are currently growing at a rate that is using up the Earth’s resources far faster than they can be sustainably replenished, so we are eating into the future. Right now, global growth is using about 1.5 Earths. “Having only one planet makes this a rather significant problem,” says Paul Gilding.

New Report Shows California Leads U.S. in Utility-Scale Solar Projects / Solar Server, June 2

“Clean Energy: Ten Trends to Watch in 2011 and Beyond” by Pike Research in Colorado found that while the United States represents a small fraction of the global solar market, California leads other nations in large-scale utility-owned solar projects.

Calif: Valley Ag is Split on Solar Farms / Fresno Bee, June 4

Given that the same fundamentals that farmers want -- space and sun -- are what solar developers want, the stage is set for conflict. "This is sort of a new area," said John White, executive director of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies, a Sacramento-based partnership of environmental and energy groups. "The industry is not as prepared for the issues as we should be. ... You're going to have land-use conflicts in areas where communities aren't sure this [technology] is appropriate."

Clean Tech Business Policy Update (May 23)

by Fatima Khan — last modified May 23, 2011 12:45 AM

Filed Under:

Featured

Jon Stewart asks the EPA’s Lisa Jackson what kind of pressure she faces in her job: "Lobbyists? Phone calls at night? You get, let's say, a tuna head in your bed?"

The full interview: http://bit.ly/18d6v

News Summary

Government & Politics

Under Pressure on Gas Prices, Obama Shifts on Domestic Drilling, The Hill
Harry Reid & Enviro Groups Agree to Disagree, Politico
Tax Policy & Gasoline Prices Memo, Congressional Research Service
Permitting, Inspection, Interconnection: Locals Should Level Solar Playing Field, SacBee
Jerry Brown Signs 33% Renewable Electricity Standard, Nation’s Most Aggressive, AP
House Speaker John Boehner Fundraises in Silicon Valley, SJMercuryNews
Republican Presidential Candidates on Climate & Energy, Dogpatch Strategies

Science, Jobs, & Investment

Renewable Energy Could Meet 80% Of Global Energy Supply Needs, Solar Industry Magazine
Scientists’ Report Stresses Urgency of Limiting Greenhouse Gas Emissions, New York Times
US-China Quarterly Market Review, Acore
SolarTech Unveils "Great California Solar Challenge" San Jose Mercury News
PG&E Abandons Wave Power, KQED Climate Watch

Articles

Government & Politics

Under Pressure on Gas Prices, Obama Shifts on Domestic Drilling / The Hill, May 14

President Obama announced Saturday the government would hold annual onshore lease sales in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve; extend the life of leases in the Gulf of Mexico and in some areas off the coast of Alaska for one year; speed up ongoing Interior Department testing in the mid- and south-Atlantic to gauge the level of resources; and establish an interagency task force to coordinate permitting for offshore drilling in Alaska.

Harry Reid & Enviro Groups Agree to Disagree / Politico, May 18

Harry Reid has had enough of environmental groups' attacks on vulnerable Democrats who won't toe the green line, but even after a closed-door meeting between the two camps, the groups are making no promises to back down.

Tax Policy and Gasoline Prices Memo / Congressional Research Service, May 11

The oil and natural gas industries benefit from existing tax policies. These provisions of the tax code, which many identify as tax subsidies, reduce the tax liability of the industries, and/or result in tax treatment that differs from that applied to other industries. As a result, these tax provisions encourage related activities to a greater extent than under a more neutral tax system, possibly altering the decisions made by affected firms with respect to investment, output, and pricing. If these provisions are repealed, it is likely that the economic behavior of the industries might be altered to an extent related to the size of the tax changes.

Locals Should Level Playing Field For Solar / Sacramento Bee, May 16

Contractors and others in the business of installing solar panels are complaining about exorbitant permit fees and inconsistent regulations from one city or county to the next. The [League of California Cities] can take a cue from the California County Planning Directors Association, which is starting work on a model ordinance for regulating solar arrays that are bigger than for just a single home or business, but are not on the scale of the massive plants proposed for the Mojave Desert and elsewhere. An email survey found that there is a wide range of standards - or no standards at all - in the 58 counties for such projects.

Calif. Governor to Sign Nation’s Most Aggressive Renewable Energy Rules / Associated Press, April 12

Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed into law a mandate that California get 33% of its electricity from renewable sources by the year 2020, predicting the change will help jump-start the state’s economy.

House Speaker John Boehner Fundraises in Silicon Valley / SJMercuryNews, May 18

House Speaker John Boehner, the nation's highest-ranking Republican, on Tuesday capped a two-day swing through the heavily Democratic Bay Area with a Menlo Park fundraiser hosted by high-tech executives. Carl Guardino, head of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, quoted Boehner as saying he was "for all of the above as a bridge to get us to the new energy future." And he called for a comprehensive corporate tax overhaul, a top issue in the valley.

** Republican Presidential Candidates on Climate & Clean Energy **

Jon Hunstman (Fmr. Governor of Utah & Obama Ambassador to China)

In a May 16 Time magazine interview, Huntsman ripped a western cap-and-trade compact he helped create as governor, but he agreed that there is near-scientific consensus on the connection between climate change and human greenhouse gas emissions. “All I know is 90 percent of the scientists say climate change is occurring. If 90 percent of the oncological community said something was causing cancer we’d listen to them … though we can debate what that means for the energy and transportation sectors.” More: “Cap-and-trade ideas aren’t working; it hasn’t worked, and our economy’s in a different place than five years ago … [P]utting additional burdens on the pillars of growth right now is counter-productive.”

Newt Gingrich (Fmr. Speaker of the House)

Gingrich has in the past said that the nation must do something to address climate change and has resisted calls to pull back on that. “We do agree our country must take action to address climate change,” he said in a TV ad with Nancy Pelosi in 2008 that was sponsored by Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection.

Tim Pawlenty (Fmr. Governor of Minnesota)

Having once taken climate change seriously as governor, including support for cap-and-trade, Pawlenty has since apologized. “Everybody in the race, at least the big names in the race, embraced climate change or cap-and-trade at one point or another, every one of us … It’s a bad idea … I was wrong. It was a mistake. And I’m sorry.”

Mitt Romney (Fmr. Governor of Massachusetts)

In a 2011 book positioning his run for the presidency, Romney wrote, “I believe that climate change is occurring — the reduction in the size of global ice caps is hard to ignore. I also believe that human activity is a contributing factor. … Scientists are nearly unanimous in laying the blame for rising temperatures on greenhouse gas emissions.”

Business, Science, & Investment

Renewable Energy Could Meet 80% Of Global Energy Supply Needs / Solar Industry Mag, May 10

Close to 80% of the world's energy supply could be met by solar power and other forms of renewable energy by mid-century if deployment is backed by the right enabling public policies, according to a new report from researchers working with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Scientists’ Report Stresses Urgency of Limiting Greenhouse Gas Emissions / New York Times, May 12

“The nation’s scientific establishment issued a stark warning to the American public on Thursday: Not only is global warming real, but the effects are already becoming serious and the need has become “pressing” for a strong national policy to limit emissions of heat-trapping gases,” reports Leslie Kaufman. “The report, by the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, did not endorse any specific legislative approach, but it did say that attaching some kind of price to emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, would ideally be an essential component of any plan.”

US-China Quarterly Market Review / Acore

The US-China Quarterly Market Review regularly examines the most significant developments in renewable energy markets, finance, and policy in the U.S. and China. The Review is a product of ACORE’s US-China Program (USCP) and the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association (CREIA), with expert contributions from ACORE members.

SolarTech to Unveil "Great California Solar Challenge" / San Jose Mercury News, March 29

SolarTech, an initiative of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, is working to resolve a host of technical and market barriers, from permitting requirements to time spent processing paperwork, in hopes of rapidly expanding the adoption of solar energy for residential and commercial systems. The idea behind the Solar Challenge is to get local governments, utilities and the solar industry collaborating on ways to reduce both the cost and the time that it takes to get projects completed.

PG&E Abandons Wave Power / KQED’s Climate Watch, May 17

"There's definitely still a future for wave energy," PG&E renewable energy spokesman Denny Boyles told KQED. "Our hope is that one day it will become a more viable source." PG&E had secured development permits for three areas along the California coast but with the technology for converting wave action into electric power still in its nascent stage, the company never got as far as getting any hardware into the water.

# # #

Clean Tech Business Policy Update (March 2)

by Fatima Khan — last modified March 02, 2011 01:21 PM

Filed Under:

Featured

CALENDAR

SolarTech’s 3^rd Annual Solar Summit

March 29-30 in Silicon Valley

www.solartech.org

- - -

Solar industry writes to Boehner about GOP's proposed cuts to DOE's loan guarantee programs.: "In its current form H.R. 1 would likely kill all clean energy projects with pending DOE loan guarantee applications, causing the loss of tens of thousands of jobs and many other benefits," Rhone Resch, Solar Energy Industry Association / Read the entire letter here.

- - -

News Summary

Government & Politics

Ex-Shell CEO Says Big Oil Can Live Without Subsidies, National Journal
Northeast’s RGGI Reports $630M in GHG Auctions for Deficits & Renwables, RGGI Report
Telling the Story: Schwarznegger Says It’s Not About Climate Change, CNET
Telling the Story: Focus on the Market & the Consumer, GreentechMedia
Reduce Redtape for Solar to Win the Future (Danny Kennedy), San Francisco Chronicle
Congress: Senate Energy Chair Jeff Bingaman to Retire, Politico
California: Now is the Time to Invest in Ending State's Oil Addiction, San Jose Mercury News
California: State Alone in Carbon Battle? Far From It, Redding (CA) Record & Searchlight
Election2012: Enviro Issues Critical to Democrats' Bid to Retake House, Greenwire
USA Inc.: What if the Federal Gov’t Were Run Like a Corporation?, Kleiner Perkins

Business, Science, & Investment

Top Clean Tech Companies Worldwide, The Guardian
New Green-Tech Investment Reports Underscore Risk of Ignoring Climate Change, ZDNet
More Companies Push Sustainability, but Usually Not for Climate Reasons, NY Times
Investments Worth Trillions at Risk From Climate Change, Reuters
New Energy Efficiency Portal by California Energy Commn, www.EnergyUpgradeCA.org

Articles

Government & Politics

Ex-Shell CEO Says Big Oil Can Live Without Subsidies / National Journal, February 11

Before [the House subcommittee hearing on how Egypt’s situation would affect oil prices, former Shell CEO] told Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., in a private conversation that big oil companies don’t need government help. Markey mentioned the comments when introducing legislation eliminating $5 billion worth of subsidies to the major oil and gas companies. “He told me that privately [Thursday] but that he would say that in public if asked to do so,” Markey said after the news conference.

Northeast’s RGGI Reports $630M in GHG Auctions for Deficits & Renwables, RGGI Report, March 1

Ten Northeastern states using cap and trade to control greenhouse gases from power plants have channeled about $630 million. More than half of that money has gone toward energy efficiency programs, while energy bill payment assistance got $88 million, renewables snagged $69 million and a variety of other GHG reduction programs netted about $6 million. RGGI revenue has become a point of contention with conservative groups led by the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity. They’ve been petitioning the states to drop out of RGGI altogether, saying the states are addicted to bad policy because of the money. They’ve been especially harsh on the three states that use RGGI revenue to help deal with budget deficits. According to the latest RGGI Inc. report, New York ($90 million), New Jersey ($65 million) and New Hampshire ($3.1 million) used big parts of their pot to help get out of the red.

Telling the Story: Schwarznegger Headlines APRA-E Conference / CNET, March 1

Keynoting the APRA-E conference, Schwarzenegger lamented the national discussion and political discourse on clean energy, saying too much of it is stuck in the debate over the science of global warming. Instead, people should focus on immediate benefits from investing in green technologies, including improved health, economic growth, consumer savings from efficiency, and reduced dependence on foreign oil. Instead of crafting "forward-looking policies" around energy, politicians are debating the science of global warming. "There is a disconnect between what is happening and what is being debated," he said.

Telling the Story: Focus on the Market & the Consumer, GreentechMedia, February 24

David Crane, CEO of NRG Energy is bullish on taking the focus off of government and putting it on to the rest of us. “We have to get out of this mindset that what’s sustainable is limiting -- that it’s not good or that it costs more,” he said. It's hard to fight with the idea of a smarter planet if it saves money and reduces waste. There’s also the ‘cool’ factor of great consumer products and empowering people to make a choice. “We need to keep one eye on Washington,” he said, “but both eyes need to be on the American consumer.”

California: Stanford Prof & Silicon Valley VC: Now is Time to Invest in Ending California's Oil Addiction (Opinion) / San Jose Merc-News, February 16

We depend on oil for 93 percent of our transportation needs in California. This is hardly the "diversified portfolio" approach that we, as an investor and an economist, would recommend as a risk management strategy. The first step is to commit to enforceable petroleum reduction and alternative fuels usage targets, and to re-examine all relevant laws, regulations, taxes and other policies with this goal in mind. We should ensure that the state's technology and infrastructure investments contribute to our energy security goals rather than reinforcing the status quo. We should stay the course on vehicle and fuel standards that will reduce oil dependence. We should implement pricing policies that encourage consumers to reduce petroleum consumption.

California: State Alone in Carbon Battle? Far From It

Redding (CA) Record & Searchlight, February 15

California is among at least 24 (maybe 25) states taking similar but not identical actions against climate change because the federal government will not. Altogether, the American states involved account for well over half the nation's populace, most of its industrial production and just under half its geographic territory.

Danny Kennedy: Reduce Redtape for Solar to Win the Future (Opinion)

S.F. Chronicle, February 15

Imagine you sell toasters. Each community where you sell your toasters has differently shaped electrical outlets. Now, imagine your toaster has to be able to plug into 21,867 differently shaped outlets. This haphazard approach would make it inefficient to manufacture and sell toasters. But this is exactly the problem solar installers face with local permitting, according to Silicon Valley’s SolarTech.

Election2012: Enviro Issues Critical to Democrats' Bid to Retake House / Greenwire, Feb.17

The chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee says his party has sprung out of its "defensive crouch" and is ready to retake the House in 2012 with environmental issues playing a major role. "Particularly with the 9 million independent voters who we have to bring back, protecting their drinking water and clean air is a priority," said Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) in an interview.

Study: USA Inc., Can America Function Like a Fiscally Responsible Company?

TechCrunch and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Feb. 28

"We expect perfection from companies in Silicon Valley. The general consensus is that Yahoo is one of the worst run tech companies in the world, never mind it’s still profitable, cash-rich, and one of the largest media assets in the world. We get outraged and hit the BUBBLE! panic button when valuations of startups like Facebook, Zynga and Twitter get in the double digit billions, never mind their growth rates, user engagement and (in the case of Zynga an Facebook) actual revenues. So how can we be so apathetic when we see true abysmal fiscal neglect, especially when it’s that of a pseudo-company in which we all essentially own shares?

"That pseudo-company is the United States government and in a thorough report < http://www.kpcb.com/usainc >, Kleiner Perkins partner Mary Meeker has taken all emotions, politics, spin and manipulation out of the issues, to present a steely-eyed view of just how hosed our financial situation is. Spoiler alert: It’s not pretty. America is gripped by a new red menace and this time, it’s not the commies– it’s a sea of red ink. If politicians reported to voters the way management reports to shareholders, no one would finish out their terms."

Business, Science, & Investment

Top Clean Tech Companies Worldwide / The Guardian, February’11

This year, we asked: which 100 of today's private cleantech companies are the most likely to make the most significant market impact over the next 5-10 years? Hundreds of worldwide cleantech experts – including companies themselves – nominated the list analysing market data, taking votes of confidence in a company's ability to achieve high growth and high-market impact from market transactions such as investment rounds, and major customer and partnership announcements.

Study: Green-Tech Investments Top $2 Trillion Globally / ZDNet, February 24

“A new report from Ethical Markets Media suggests that private green-focused investments now top more than $2 trillion globally,” reports Heather Clancy. “There definitely is a much more heightened scrutiny by investors of all sorts into the sustainability impact of certain companies … [I]nvestors are much more interested in issues of the environmental or corporate social responsibility than in the past. Not necessarily because they are activists but moreso because they see a demonstrable link between corporate sustainability and business value.”

Study: More Corps Push Sustainability, but Usually Not for Climate / NYTimes, February 11

When climate bills were being proposed on Capitol Hill, companies were starting to anticipate and invest actively in clean-tech companies and strategies to reduce their emissions. Now that cap and trade is essentially dead in this country, investments have essentially pulled back. Some companies will stick to short-term, measurable investments like energy efficiency, but another group of companies is going beyond that.

Study: Investments Worth Trillions at Risk From Climate Change / Reuters, February 15

Climate change could put trillions of investment dollars at risk over the next 20 years, a global study released on Wednesday said, calling for pension funds and other investors to overhaul how they allocate funds.

Resource: New Energy Efficiency Portal for Property Owners / California Energy Commission

The California Energy Commission joined regional efforts to increase energy efficiency and encourage clean jobs with the statewide launch of Energy Upgrade California, the new energy efficiency program. Part of this comprehensive program is the integrated Web Portal, http://www.EnergyUpgradeCA.org, which provides easy to use tools and resources to property owners to help them improve their energy and water efficiency, save money and increase building comfort.

# # #

Clean Tech Business Policy Update (January 28)

by Fatima Khan — last modified January 28, 2011 02:31 AM

Filed Under:

News Summary

New Congress & the State of the Union

Obama— U.S. Must Compete, Wall Street Journal
Clean Tech Reactions Met With Questions About Meeting the Goals, LA Times
Clean Energy Standard Has Republican Roots, But That Might Not Guarantee Republican Congressional Support, The Hill

Government & Politics

Administration Seeking Momentum for Clean Energy Standard, New York Times
Obama's State of the Union: Mum on Climate, Loud on a Clean Economy Future, Reuters
White House Energy Czar Carol Browner to Leave, Wall Street Journal
Get the Energy Sector off the Dole, Washington Monthly
GOP Staff, Energy Lobby in Closed-Door Talks, Politico

Science, Jobs, & Investment

Electricity Storage: Holy Grail of the Renewables Industry, Financial Times
Green Jobs Growing Faster than Total California Employment, Reuters
Growth of Green Jobs Offers a Ray of Hope, Sacramento Bee
Clean Tech Arrives in Fremont, With Limited Payoff So Far, Wall Street Journal

The State of the Union & The New Congress

STATE of the UNION: The theme of President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address Tuesday night was "winning the future." It also could have been labeled, "winning the center." With its talk of investing in education, basic research and new technologies, the address marked a conscious effort to end the phase of his presidency focused on getting the country out of its economic mess, and to move on to a search for what is beyond the mess. He asked the nation to meet the challenges of a global economy, framing what he called a competitiveness agenda. He laid down a series of goals: By 2035, he said 80% of America's electricity should come from clean energy sources. Obama— U.S. Must Compete / Wall Street Journal, January 27

STATE of the INDUSTRY: A day after getting a surprisingly extensive shout-out in the State of the Union address — Obama sees clean tech as the country's best chance to seize its "Sputnik moment" — industry officials were less than enthused and questioned whether the ambitious targets were even attainable. "It's a lofty goal, but it's like the race to the moon in that it's generally achievable," said John Cheney, chief executive of solar project developer Silverado Power. "The issue is whether we have the political will and ability to pull together and actually do it." Denise Bode, president of the American Wind Energy Assn., said it isn't fast enough. "We don't need to wait nearly three decades." And other clean-tech industry executives are grumbling that Obama has grouped "clean coal" and nuclear power along with solar panels, wind turbines and biofuels as green power sources. And then there is the big money question. Before aiming for such a high clean-energy threshold, companies first need to feel more secure about financing, executives said. Clean Tech Reactions Met With Questions About Meeting the Goals / LA Times, January 26

STATE of PLAY: “Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) plans to work on energy this year are coming slightly into focus,” reports Ben Gemen and Andrew Restuccia. “Graham said Thursday that he intends to float a “clean energy standard” – the same concept that President Obama promoted in the State of the Union speech – while also pushing for expanded U.S. oil-and-gas development.” Clean Energy Standard Has Republican Roots, But That Might Not Guarantee Republican Congressional Support / The Hill, January 26

MORE NEWS

Government & Politics

Administration Seeking Momentum for Clean Energy Standard / New York Times, January 27

President Obama and key members of the administration fanned the nation this week to promote his plans to expand clean energy initiatives, moving quickly to build momentum behind a key agenda item pitched to a national audience on Tuesday.

Obama's Speech: Mum on Climate, Loud on a Clean Economy Future / Reuters, January 27

Obama adopted a more centrist tone during his State of the Union, avoiding any mention of climate change but embracing the promise of clean technology.

White House Energy 'Czar' Carol Browner to Exit / Wall Street Journal, January 25

Carol Browner is leaving her position as White House "energy czar," and a staff shake-up is likely to eliminate her post altogether, according to Democrats familiar with events.

The czar position, and Ms. Browner herself, have been lightning rods for critics of the president's environmental-policy agenda and a reassurance to its supporters, who liked having a top official in the White House devoted to their priorities.

Get the Energy Sector off the Dole / Washington Monthly, January 2011

Today, the president might seem to stand a better chance of refreezing the melting Arctic ice caps. After all, he’s up against a House Republican majority rife with members who openly deny that humans contribute to global warming, as well as members of his own party who are beholden to domestic fossil fuel industries. In November, West Virginia’s new Democratic senator, Joe Manchin, boasted to his constituents that he had secured Harry Reid’s assurance “that cap and trade is dead.”

GOP Staff, Energy Lobby in Closed-Door Talks / Politico, January 20

Top staff members for key House and Senate Republicans met in a closed-door session Tuesday with energy industry interests to work on strategy to handcuff the Obama administration’s climate change agenda.

Business, Science, & Investment

Electricity Storage: Holy Grail of the Renewables Industry / Financial Times, January 14

“Vast amounts of energy – and money – are wasted in electricity grids the world over as suppliers struggle to keep the lights on while coping with the vagaries of demand,” REPORTS Fiona Harvey. “If energy could be easily stored, this waste would stop and renewable energy sources such as wind power – that are intermittent by nature – would find a surer place in the electricity mix.”

Green Jobs Growing Faster than Total California Employment / Reuters, January 21

From January 2008 to 2009, the most recent observable year, jobs in the green sector grew more than three times faster (3 percent) than total employment in California (1 percent). And the rate of growth of green jobs has been similar to that of software jobs since 2005, according to new statistics released by Next 10.

Growth of Green Jobs Offers a Ray of Hope / Sacramento Bee, January 21

Amid the gloom of the state's sputtering economy, it is hard to find many rays of sunshine. One bright light is the continuing growth of California's green economy, detailed in a report this week from the San Francisco-based group, Next 10. The green economy encompasses a range of activities – clean energy generation, energy efficiency, recycling, business services, green building research and manufacturing, to name a few. While just a small part of the state's overall employment base, green tech jobs have grown 56 percent since 1995. By contrast, biotech jobs have grown just 7 percent and total employment has grown just 18 percent.

Clean Tech Arrives in Fremont, With Limited Payoff So Far / Wall Street Journal, January 20

Overall, there were 20 clean-tech firms in Fremont in 2010, up from 12 in 2008 and six in 2006, according to Fremont's economic-development department. The city occupies a sweet spot for clean-tech companies because of its relatively low rents and abundance of buildings that combine offices, manufacturing and research-and-development, thanks to the city's manufacturing and high-tech legacy. That mix is rare in the costly Bay Area, where many clean-tech firms like to set up shop because of the proximity to engineering talent and venture-capital funds. One drawback is Fremont's location outside the heart of Silicon Valley.

Clean Tech Business Policy Update (January 14)

by Fatima Khan — last modified January 14, 2011 09:00 AM

Filed Under:

News Summary

Government & Politics

E.P.A. Limit on Gases to Pose Risk to Obama and Congress, New York Times
The Oil Industry’s DC Wish List for 2011, Politico
California's Cap-and-Trade Rules Finalized, Araceli Ruano, Center for American Progress
How Congress Can Stop the EPA's Power Grab, Wall Street Journal
Congressman Ed Markey Issues Report on His Now Defunct Energy Independence & Global Warming Committee, Committee Report
The 10 Senators to Watch on Energy Issues, Politico
Massachusetts Joins California and New Mexico in GHG Cuts, Reuters

Science, Jobs, & Investment

Figures on Global Climate Show 2010 Tied 2005 for Hottest Year on Record, NY Times
Noam Chomsky Discusses Hostility to Climate Change and the Renewables Economy, Clean Energy Authority

A Scientist, His Work and a Climate Reckoning, New York Times
Solar Plant to Generate Electricity Rain or Shine, Wall Street Journal
California Leads Way on Global Warming, San Francisco Chronicle

---

Articles

Government & Politics

E.P.A. Limit on Gases to Pose Risk to Obama and Congress / New York Times, December 30

“With the federal government set to regulate climate-altering gases from factories and power plants for the first time, the Obama administration and the new Congress are headed for a clash that carries substantial risks for both sides,” reports John Broder. “While only the first phase of regulation takes effect on Sunday, the administration is on notice that if it moves too far and too fast in trying to curtail the ubiquitous gases that are heating the planet it risks a Congressional backlash that could set back the effort for years.”

The Oil Industry’s DC Wish List for 2011 / Time, January 5

American Petroleum Institute president Jack Gerard made the case for increased oil drilling off the coasts of the U.S. “[Policymakers] face two choices: One leads us forward and promotes jobs, investments, revenue and growth… or one that takes us backward, threatening the progress we've made and closing the door on future opportunities. They’ve even put up posters in the Washington D.C. Metro in the stations closest to Capitol Hill. More broadly, the agenda can be summed up in one word: deregulation. Republican Fred Upton, the new chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, was in the front row of the audience for Gerard's speech.

California's Cap-and-Trade Rules Finalized / Araceli Ruano, Ctr for Am Progress, Dec. 20

Following California voters dramatic rejection of Prop23 (61%-38%), a ballot initiative to overturn the State’s climate and clean energy laws, California regulators voted 9-1 to approve the regulatory framework of the cap and trade system to implement the state’s landmark 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32). Araceli Ruano of the Center for American Progress offers a great overview:

* Implementation begins in January 2012.
* For 2012-14, emission permits are going to be free.
* Major sources of GHG will reduce their outputs, including many utilities and industries already making those changes.
* California’s out of state power sources will have to make changes to their generation, or begin selling their power elsewhere.
* Subsidies given to fossil fuels, at least on the state level, are likely to begin disappearing.
* DC's partisan divide (& a massive misinformation campaign) notwithstanding, the cap and trade market mechanism is a Republican construct conceived in the Reagan White House to ease out lead pollution in an industry-friendly way. It was first written into law by President George H.W. Bush to reduce air pollutants in the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments. His son later used it in his own air pollution bill, and it was accepted by both presidential candidates (+ Biden & Palin) during the 2008 election. The whole idea is to use the power of the market to reduce the harm is without resorting to government mandates.

How Congress Can Stop the EPA's Power Grab / Wall Street Journal, December 28

“On Jan. 2, the Environmental Protection Agency will officially begin regulating the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. This move represents an unconstitutional power grab that will kill millions of jobs—unless Congress steps in,” report Fred Upton and Tim Phillips. “This mess began in April 2007, with the Supreme Court's decision in Massachusetts v. EPA. The court instructed the agency to determine whether greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide pose (or potentially pose) a danger to human health and safety under the Clean Air Act.”

Congressman Ed Markey Issues Report on His Now Defunct Energy Independence & Global Warming Committee / Committee Report

Ed Markey's Select Committee on Energy Independence & Global Warming in the House issued its final report yesterday. "Someday, our children and grandchildren will look back on the record of the Select Committee. That record will reflect a respectful and rigorous debate and an unprecedented understanding of the challenges before us. Whether or not they will see that this generation has taken the bold action required by these challenges remains to be seen."

The 10 Senators to Watch on Energy Issues / Politico, December 30

With Republicans controlling the House and ramping up oversight and investigations of the Obama administration, focus at least initially in the next Congress will be on the Senate to lay a potential pathway for legislative compromise on energy and environmental policy.

Business, Science, & Investment

Figures on Global Climate Show 2010 Tied 2005 as the Hottest Year on Record / New York Times, January 12

“New government figures for the global climate show that 2010 was the wettest year in the historical record, and it tied 2005 as the hottest year since record-keeping began in 1880,” reports Justin Gillis. “The new figures confirm that 2010 will go down as one of the more remarkable years in the annals of climatology.”

Noam Chomsky Discusses Hostility to Climate Change and the Renewables Economy / Clean Energy Authority, January 13

Change rarely comes easily, and according to Dr. Noam Chomsky, professor emeritus of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the changes required to stop and reverse climate change will be a daunting challenge.

Massachusetts Joins California and New Mexico in GHG Cuts / Reuters, January 3

On the last day of 2010, Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles set the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit for 2020. Given a range of 10 to 25 percent below 1990 levels, Bowles has now selected the maximum authorized by the Act.

California Leads Way on Global Warming / San Francisco Chronicle, December 20

Washington failed miserably to take action on climate change this year. The nation's best hope is California, which made a historic leap forward last week when its Air Resources Board approved a broad-based cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gases.

A Scientist, His Work and a Climate Reckoning / New York Times, December 22

Challengers have mounted a vigorous assault on the science of climate change. Polls indicate that the public has grown more doubtful about that science. Some of the Republicans who will take control of the House of Representatives in January have promised to subject climate researchers to a season of new scrutiny. But “nature doesn’t care how hard we tried,” Jeffrey D. Sachs, the Columbia University economist, said at a recent seminar. “Nature cares how high the parts per million mount. This is running away.” Perhaps the biggest reason the world learned of the risk of global warming was the unusual personality of a single American scientist, Charles David Keeling, who first measured the alarming rise of CO2 in the atmosphere. Even as challengers try to pick apart every other aspect of climate science, his half-century record of carbon dioxide measurements stands unchallenged. “He was a registered Republican,” his widow recently said. “He just didn’t think of it as a political issue at all,” but he would be "dismayed" now.

Solar Plant to Generate Electricity Rain or Shine / Wall Street Journal, December 31

Something new is headed for the Southwest desert: solar power plants that can make electricity whether or not the sun is shining. Abengoa Solar Inc. expects to start construction in mid-2011 on a plant in Arizona that will store sun-generated heat to provide six extra hours a day of electric-generating capacity. The heat creates steam that is used to turn power turbines.

Clean Tech Business Policy Update (December 3)

by Fatima Khan — last modified December 03, 2010 06:50 PM

Filed Under:

News Summary

Government & Politics

Washington: On the Road, Obama Eagerly Promotes Electric Cars, Associated Press
Washington: US Loses Leverage in Climate Talks, AFP
Washington: Bipartisan Plan, Partisan Response, Politico
Washington: Departing Republican Attacks Climate-Change Deniers in Own Party, Guardian
California: Clean Energy Moves Forward, And CA Leads the Way, Capitol Weekly
California: New Gov. Jerry Brown to Fill Openings on PUC, CEC, Capitol Weekly
California: Prop23 Survives Election, But Already Being Watered Down, News Review

California: What Does Prop 26 Fees Passage Mean for Climate Change? Washington Post
Europe: Loans Make Up Half of New EU Climate Aid for 2010, Reuters
China Promises Climate Carbon Reductions, UPI

Science, Jobs, & Investment

A Solar Installation Spree as the Deadline for Federal Grants Approaches, New York Times
Moving Beyond the Tired 'Economy vs. Environment' Debate, Reuters
California Pension Fund Plans to Invest $500 Million in `Green' Portfolio, Bloomberg

Articles

Government & Politics

On the Road, Obama Eagerly Promotes Electric Cars / Associated Press, November 20

President Obama took a break from NATO meetings in Portugal and spent time on what's become one of his favorite activities - promoting electric cars. After attending a meeting Saturday on Afghanistan, Obama checked out an Opel Ampera on display at the summit site. The electric vehicle is made by General Motors at a plant in Detroit and will start going on sale in Europe next year. Obama slid into the driver's seat and turned the car on. He noted how quiet it was and told reporters that the electric car 'is the future.

US Loses Leverage in Climate Talks / AFP, November 29

“A year after President Barack Obama worked personally to salvage the Copenhagen climate summit, a political shift leaves the United States with far less leverage while China moves ahead,” reports Shaun Tandon. “Obama's Democratic Party suffered a stinging election defeat on November 2 to the Republican Party, which has vowed to oppose a nationwide plan to restrict carbon emissions blamed for global warming.”

Bipartisan plan, partisan response / Politico, November 10

Two veterans of a bygone age of bipartisanship tried to break the budget gridlock in Washington Wednesday – and got just the furious, largely partisan reactions they expected.

Departing Republican Attacks Climate-Change Deniers in Own Party / Guardian, November 19

While half of the incoming GOP House members flatly deny that the planet is warming, outgoing South Carolina Congressman Bob Inglis tells colleagues they continue to ignore global warming at their own peril. Inglis, in a congressional hearing, spared no scorn for climate change deniers, suggesting that they continue to ignore global warming at their own peril. "I would also suggest to my free enterprise colleagues – especially conservatives here—whether you think it's all a bunch of hooey, what we've talked about in this committee, the Chinese don't," the South Carolina Republican said in his opening remarks. "And they plan on eating our lunch in this next century."

Clean Energy Moves Forward—And CA Leads the Way (Arnold Schwarzenegger) / Capitol Weekly, November 18

“Here in California, we broke ground not only on the world’s largest solar project, but also on the world’s largest wind project, which will produce enough energy to power 740,000 homes,” writes Schwarzenegger. “Because of our environmental laws, California is 40 percent more energy-efficient than the rest of our nation, and one-third of the world’s clean-tech venture capital flows to California. We lead the nation in clean energy patents and clean energy businesses now, and we are very excited for the future.”

With Openings on PUC, CEC, Brown May Sharply Shape Policy / Capitol Weekly, November 11

Brown, a Democrat, has an unprecedented chance to appoint the majorities on both the state Public Utilities Commission and the California Energy Commission, two of the state’s most important regulatory bodies.

California’s Landmark Climate-Change Law Survived the Election, But it’s Already Being Watered Down / News Review, November 11

Days before the polls opened, the California Air Resources Board announced it was ready to make some major concessions to oil companies, electric utilities and other polluters—and proposed to give away hundreds of millions of dollars worth of carbon allowances to businesses as part of a “cap and trade” rule to be formally adopted in December.

What does Proposition 26 mean for climate change? / Washington Post, November 10

Proposition 23, which would have effectively repealed AB 32, lost substantially last week. But Proposition 26, which would require a two-thirds vote for the state legislature or local governments to impose new regulatory fees, passed. Given that imposing pollution fees will likely be necessary for AB 32 to work, some environmentalists were worried that Prop 26 could derail the bill indirectly.

Loans make up half of new EU climate aid for 2010 / Reuters, December 1

The United Nations said a flow of new funds, promised at a summit in Copenhagen last year, could be a "golden key" to unlock progress at the Nov. 29 to Dec. 10 talks in the Caribbean resort of Cancun, Mexico, on measures to slow global warming.

China promises climate carbon reductions / UPI, November 19

Under an announced five-year proposal, China will work to boost energy efficiency, promote low-carbon technology and establish carbon trade markets, the country's state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

Business, Science, & Investment

A Solar Installation Spree as the Deadline for Federal Grants Approaches / New York Times, November 30

Incentives for owners to install solar panels on their warehouses, or even on excess land, have been growing in recent years, with one of the most important being a federal tax credit for 30 percent of the solar project’s cost. That credit was converted to a Treasury grant program in February 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Instead of having to wait to take the credit against taxes owed, owners receive a check within 60 days of the project’s completion.

Moving Beyond the Tired 'Economy vs. Environment' Debate / Reuters, November 29

It's true that emerging economies are willing to tolerate higher levels of pollution in exchange for higher rates of economic growth, as all the advanced economies once did. All the same, given their populations and the pace of their development, their leaders know there is no way they can mimic the history of Europe and America without turning their nations into unlivable wastelands. They realize they will have to leap-frog technology—just as they did with cell phones over land lines—with respect to energy and other natural resource industries.

California Pension Fund Plans to Invest $500 Million in `Green' Portfolio / Bloomberg, November 10

California Public Employees Retirement System, the largest public pension in the U.S., plans to invest $500 million in companies working on curbing greenhouse-gas emissions and improving the environment.

Clean Tech Policy Update - April 9, 2010

by Donnie Fowler — last modified April 29, 2010 12:35 PM

Filed Under:

Featured

News Summary

Government & Politics

News Analysis: Too Soon for Another Partisan Battle? LA Times
News Risk Is Clear in Offshore Drilling; Payoff Isn’t, NY Times
Carbon Permits Said to Be in Excess in Europe, NY Times
California’s Climate Law Under Attack in Ballot Initiative, Public Radio International
Who’s Up for Building Bridges? New York Times

Science, Jobs, & Investment

Clean Technology Investments Bounce Back, New York Times
Green Gone Wrong: Can Capitalism Save the Planet? New York Times
Remember the historical role of federal investment in Silicon Valley, San Jose Mercury News
Building a Green Economy, NY Times Magazine

Articles

Government & Politics

News Analysis: Too Soon for Another Partisan Battle? / LA Times, April 4

President Obama's victory on healthcare gave him some much-needed political momentum. But he seems disinclined to ride that into another all-in battle this year on his keystone domestic agenda items of climate change and immigration. Instead, the White House is planning to focus on narrower efforts to pump up the economy, rewrite financial regulation, amend campaign finance laws to limit corporate donations and impose new fees on banks to repay federal bailout funds. Nonetheless, the President "has implemented a lot of Republican ideas and goals into broad energy policy," said Joshua Freed, clean-energy policy director for the centrist Democratic think tank Third Way. "It's even bigger than saying, 'I want this in the bill.' It's acting."

News Risk Is Clear in Offshore Drilling; Payoff Isn’t / NY Times, April 4

In proposing a major expansion of offshore oil and gas development, President Obama set out to fashion a carefully balanced plan that would attract bipartisan support for climate and energy legislation while increasing production of domestic oil. It is not clear that the plan announced Wednesday will do either.

Carbon Permits Said to Be in Excess in Europe / NY Times, March 31

As the global economy faltered last year and factories idled, industries in the European Union benefited from one of the most lucrative outcomes of the recession: a huge excess of permits to emit carbon dioxide.

California’s Climate Law Under Attack in Ballot Initiative / Public Radio International, April 5

Arnold Schwarzenegger: “In California, we are proceeding on renewable energy requirements, and a cap and trade system for greenhouse gases, and limiting greenhouse gas emissions from cars. Nearly 60 percent of all venture capital in America flows through California, and this is creating the critical mass of money and intellect to develop new, green technologies." Governor Schwarzenegger has leaned heavily on businesses not to fund a measure that could tarnish his environmental legacy. So the effort has collected most of its money outside the state, about a million dollars so far, mostly from oil companies, including Valero, which owns two refineries here.

Who’s Up for Building Bridges? / New York Times, April 6

So, government matters. It needs to be incentivizing businesses to build their next factory in this country — at a time when every other nation is throwing incentives their way; it needs to be recruiting highly skilled immigrants; it needs to be setting the highest national education standards and funding basic research; it needs to be laying down the right energy regulations that will stimulate more clean-tech companies.

Business, Science, & Investment

Clean Technology Investments Bounce Back / New York Times, April 2

Global investments were up 29 percent from the fourth quarter of 2009 and 83 percent from the same quarter a year ago, according to a new report.

Green Gone Wrong: Can Capitalism Save the Planet? / New York Times, April 2

In a new book, Heather Rogers warns of the dangers of buying into green euphoria and says green capitalism is undermining ecological progress.

Remember the historical role of federal investment in Silicon Valley / San Jose Mercury News, February 20

Silicon Valley has the potential to be a leader in the emerging field of clean energy. We have a growing solar industry as well as opportunities to grow the tools for promoting energy generation and efficiency, including energy storage and smart-grid technologies. We also have the potential to become a leader in green transportation, including battery and hybrid technologies.

Building a Green Economy / NY Times Magazine, April 11

Like the debate over climate change itself, the debate over climate economics looks very different from the inside than it often does in popular media. The casual reader might have the impression that there are real doubts about whether emissions can be reduced without inflicting severe damage on the economy. In fact, once you filter out the noise generated by special-interest groups, you discover that there is widespread agreement among environmental economists that a market-based program to deal with the threat of climate change — one that limits carbon emissions by putting a price on them — can achieve large results at modest, though not trivial, cost. There is, however, much less agreement on how fast we should move, whether major conservation efforts should start almost immediately or be gradually increased over the course of many decades.

SUMMARY of CONGRESSIONAL CLIMATE & ENERGY LEGISLATION

Updated March 15, 2010

“The cap-and-trade bills in the House and Senate are dead.” Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) stated the reality that Congress now faces as it negotiates a comprehensive climate and energy package that might get voted on before this November’s congressional elections. One alternative to cap-and-trade has been a cap-and-dividend bill sponsored by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) and Susan Collins (R-Maine). The leading solution, though, appears to be coming from a bipartisan group of senators led by John Kerry (D-Massachusetts), Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut), and Graham that would put a price on carbon emissions that targets only the electric utility, transportation, and industrial sectors of the economy.

The Senate is where the current debate lies because the House of Representatives already passed its bill in June 2009 (the “ACES Act” or the “Markey-Waxman” bill). The Kerry-Graham-Lieberman climate bill will join an energy bill written by Sen. Jeff Bingaman last Fall as the main vehicle for a new national policy. The House of Representatives must then decide what to do about its own bill and the Senate’s before President Obama signs anything into law. "It will be a very different mix of a bill from where we were at the end of the House effort," Kerry said. "It will be simpler, and hopefully, capable of attracting support."

Updated March 15, 2010	House Climate & Energy Bill (Waxman-Markey)	Senate Energy Bill(Bingaman)	Senate Climate Proposal: (Kerry-Graham-Lieberman)	Senate Climate Proposal: (Cantwell-Collins)
Cap & Trade	YES	-	NO	NO
Carbon Cap Focused on Electric Utilities, Transportation, & Industry	-	-	YES	-
Cap & Dividend after Auction*	No	-	No	YES
R&D Funding	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Transmission & Smart Grid Addressed	Yes	Yes	Unknown	No
“Green Bank” Financing Office	Yes	Yes	-	No
Renewable Elect. Standard (RES)	20 % by 2020	15% by 2021	-	No
Greenhouse Gas Reduction	17% by 2020	-	17% by 2020	20% by 2020
Carbon Offset Program	Yes	-	Unknown	No
Carbon Capture & Sequestration	Yes	-	Yes	No
Consumer/Business Job Protections & Cost Supports	Yes	-	Unknown	Yes
Nuclear Power Addressed	-	-	Yes	No
Offshore Drilling Expanded	-	Yes	Yes	No
Feds Share Oil & Gas $ With States	-	No	Unknown	No
Agricultural Emissions Exempted	-	-	Unknown	Yes
Intell. Property Protections for U.S.			Unknown	No
* *The* *Cantwell-Collins Senate climate bill* offers a cap-and-dividend plan, with the 75% of the dividend from gov’t auctions of “carbon shares” going to consumers & 25% to a “clean energy reinvestment fund.” The cap only applies to entities that produce or import products like oil & coal for sale in the U.S. economy.
© Donnie Fowler & Dogpatch Strategies, 2008

I. HOUSE CLIMATE & ENERGY BILL (“ACES Act” / “Waxman-Markey bill”)

Key Date: Passed June 2009 by House (219 to 212)

Authors: Rep. Henry Waxman, Chairman of House Energy & Commerce Cmte; Rep. Ed Markey, Chairman of Cmte on Energy Independence & Global Warming

More Info: www.pewclimate.org/acesa

Cap-and-Trade
Greenhouse Gas Reductions. 17 % reduction from 2005 levels by 2020 & 83 % by 2050
US Renewable Energy Electricity Standard (RES) of 20% by 2020. Qualifying sources: energy efficiency, wind, solar, ocean, geothermal, biomass, biogas and biofuels derived exclusively from eligible biomass, landfill gas, hydrokinetic, waste-to-energy, wastewater-treatment gas, coal-mine methane, and new hydro at post-1992 dams
R&D of $190 billion to energy efficiency, renewables, carbon capture & storage, electric vehicles
Transmission Grid Supports.
Energy Efficiency for Buildings, Lights, Appliances.
Green Bank Financing Office.
Carbon Offsets Program.
Coal Plant Pollution & CCS Standards.
Protections & Cost Supports for New Technology Development, Consumers, & Some Industries.

II. SENATE CLIMATE BILL ( “Kerry-Graham-Lieberman”)

Key Dates: Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman are working on bipartisan compromise legislation for March 2010; March meeting occurred with Republican & Democratic senators with President Obama

Authors: Sen. John Kerry (Democrat), Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Sen. Lindsey Graham (Republican), & Sen. Joe Lieberman (Independent)

Cap-and-Trade Replaced with Carbon Caps on Specific Parts of the Economy – Electric Utilities, Transportation, and Industry.
Greenhouse Gas Reductions. 17% reduction from 2005 levels by 2020 & 80% over “long term”
Carbon Capture & Sequestration Standards & Research Funding
Domestic Oil & Gas Production Expanded, Including New Offshore Drilling
Nuclear Power: Incentives for nuclear power plants & low-emissions transportation

III. SENATE ENERGY BILL (“American Clean Energy Leadership Act” / “Bingaman bill”)

Key Date: legislation passed by Energy Committee June 2009; additional amendments and new pieces of legislation are being debated in the Energy Committee in 2010

Author: Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Chairman of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee

US Renewable Energy Electricity Standard (RES) of 15% by 2021. Qualifying sources: energy efficiency, wind, solar, ocean, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, incremental hydro, hydrokinetic, waste-to-energy, and new hydro at existing dams.
Transmission “Interstate Highway System” & Grid Security. Creates new planning system based on local, state and regional input with states taking initial lead. New security powers to Dept or Energy & FERC.
Green Bank Financing Office
CCS R&D Funding. $6.6 billion for 10 “early mover” large-scale CCS projects
Offshore Drilling in Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Opens 3.8 billion barrels of new oil resources & 21.5 trillion cubic feet of new natural gas resources.

Clean Tech Policy Update - March 17, 2010

by Donnie Fowler — last modified March 17, 2010 12:00 AM

Filed Under:

Featured

News

Government & Politics

Texas Oil Mum About Financing a Halt to California’s AB32 Climate Law / ClimateWire, March 3

The money behind a November 2010 statewide ballot referendum to suspend California's landmark climate law is coming from a pair of oil refiners based in San Antonio, Texas, according to several well-placed sources in Sacramento. These sources said two refiners based in San Antonio -- Valero Energy Corp. and Tesoro Corp. -- are the largest funders so far behind a proposed ballot initiative that would bring a temporary halt to A.B. 32, the law that cuts greenhouse gases and reduces air pollution across California.

Study: Health Costs of California Air Pollution / Rand Corporation, March 2 & NY Times, March 12

California's dirty air caused more than $193 million in hospital-based medical care from 2005 to 2007 as people sought help for problems such as asthma and pneumonia that are triggered by elevated pollution levels, according to a new RAND Corporation study. It is the first to quantify the cost of hospital-based medical care to various payers caused by the failure to meet federal clean air standards across the state. More people in California live in areas that do not meet federal clean air standards than in any other state.

Senate & House Committees Study Home Efficiency, Appliance Standards, Etc. / NY Times, March 8

Democrats will turn the focus to energy efficiency standards and incentive programs this week with hearings in the Senate and House energy panels. Topics: home efficiency tax incentives, “home star” rebates, “building star” rebates for commercials buildings, manufactured home rebates, smart grid, and appliance efficiency standards.

Senate Energy Cmte. Studies Smart Grid Technology Delay / NY Times, March 2

"Clearly, everyone agrees we should do more," Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) said in an interview. Bingaman said there is likely to be a smart grid component in upcoming energy legislation that he hopes to introduce and mark up in the next four to five weeks. A smart grid, in many ways is like an Internet for electricity, a network of devices that are monitored and managed with real-time communications and computer intelligence.

Home Efficiency Programs Poised for Congressional Ramp Up, NYTimes, March 11

A program to encourage homeowners to add solar panels and make their houses more energy efficient through higher property taxes aims to scale up.

Opinion: Getting Obama Right (David Brooks) / NY Times, March 14

Liberals are wrong to call Obama weak and indecisive. He’s just not always pursuing their aims. Conservatives are wrong to call him a big-government liberal. That’s just not a fair reading of his agenda ... In a sensible country, people would see Obama as a president trying to define a modern brand of moderate progressivism. In a sensible country, Obama would be able to clearly define this project without fear of offending the people he needs to get legislation passed. But we don’t live in that country. We live in a country in which many people live in information cocoons in which they only talk to members of their own party and read blogs of their own sect. They come away with perceptions fundamentally at odds with reality, fundamentally misunderstanding the man in the Oval Office.

Science, Business, & Investment

Made in the U.S.A.: Efficiency Materials, NY Times, March 12

While solar and wind manufacturers struggle to fend off Chinese competition, energy efficiency equipment seems to have no such problem. According to a recent study commissioned by efficiency advocates like San Francisco’s Efficiency First, equipment like caulking and insulation — basic tools for retrofitting the country’s homes and businesses — is almost entirely made in the United States.

Solar Industry Learns Lessons in Spanish Sun, NYTimes, March 11

A national commitment to solar power transformed one community but big subsidies led to unsustainable growth.

“SolarHub” Website Aggregates Solar Installation Info / SolarTech & SolarPro, Feb 24

SolarHub (www.solarhub.com) provides a one-stop shop, aggregating detailed product specifications and allowing users to search listed products by a variety of attributes specific to each product type.

SUMMARY of CONGRESSIONAL CLIMATE & ENERGY LEGISLATION

Updated March 15, 2010

“The cap-and-trade bills in the House and Senate are dead.” Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) stated the reality that Congress now faces as it negotiates a comprehensive climate and energy package that might get voted on before this November’s congressional elections. One alternative to cap-and-trade has been a cap-and-dividend bill sponsored by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) and Susan Collins (R-Maine). The leading solution, though, appears to be coming from a bipartisan group of senators led by John Kerry (D-Massachusetts), Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut), and Graham that would put a price on carbon emissions that targets only the electric utility, transportation, and industrial sectors of the economy.

The Senate is where the current debate lies because the House of Representatives already passed its bill in June 2009 (the “ACES Act” or the “Markey-Waxman” bill). The Kerry-Graham-Lieberman climate bill will join an energy bill written by Sen. Jeff Bingaman last Fall as the main vehicle for a new national policy. The House of Representatives must then decide what to do about its own bill and the Senate’s before President Obama signs anything into law. "It will be a very different mix of a bill from where we were at the end of the House effort," Kerry said. "It will be simpler, and hopefully, capable of attracting support."

Updated March 15, 2010	House Climate & Energy Bill (Waxman-Markey)	Senate Energy Bill (Bingaman)	Senate Climate Proposal: (Kerry-Graham-Lieberman)	Senate Climate Proposal: (Cantwell-Collins)
Cap & Trade	YES	-	NO	NO
Carbon Cap Focused on Electric Utilities, Transportation, & Industry	-	-	YES	-
Cap & Dividend after Auction*	No	-	No	YES
R&D Funding	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Transmission & Smart Grid Addressed	Yes	Yes	Unknown	No
“Green Bank” Financing Office	Yes	Yes	-	No
Renewable Elect. Standard (RES)	20 % by 2020	15% by 2021	-	No
Greenhouse Gas Reduction	17% by 2020	-	17% by 2020	20% by 2020
Carbon Offset Program	Yes	-	Unknown	No
Carbon Capture & Sequestration	Yes	-	Yes	No
Consumer/Business Job Protections & Cost Supports	Yes	-	Unknown	Yes
Nuclear Power Addressed	-	-	Yes	No
Offshore Drilling Expanded	-	Yes	Yes	No
Feds Share Oil & Gas $ With States	-	No	Unknown	No
Agricultural Emissions Exempted	-	-	Unknown	Yes
Intell. Property Protections for U.S.			Unknown	No
* The Cantwell-Collins Senate climate bill offers a cap-and-dividendplan, with the 75% of the dividend from gov’t auctions of “carbon shares” going to consumers & 25% to a “clean energy reinvestment fund.” The cap only applies to entities that produce or import products like oil & coal for sale in the U.S. economy.
© Donnie Fowler & Dogpatch Strategies, 2008

I. HOUSE CLIMATE & ENERGY BILL (“ACES Act” / “Waxman-Markey bill”)

Key Date: Passed June 2009 by House (219 to 212)

Authors: Rep. Henry Waxman, Chairman of House Energy & Commerce Cmte; Rep. Ed Markey, Chairman of Cmte on Energy Independence & Global Warming

More Info: www.pewclimate.org/acesa

Cap-and-Trade
Greenhouse Gas Reductions. 17 % reduction from 2005 levels by 2020 & 83 % by 2050
US Renewable Energy Electricity Standard (RES) of 20% by 2020. Qualifying sources: energy efficiency, wind, solar, ocean, geothermal, biomass, biogas and biofuels derived exclusively from eligible biomass, landfill gas, hydrokinetic, waste-to-energy, wastewater-treatment gas, coal-mine methane, and new hydro at post-1992 dams
R&D of $190 billion to energy efficiency, renewables, carbon capture & storage, electric vehicles
Transmission Grid Supports.
Energy Efficiency for Buildings, Lights, Appliances.
Green Bank Financing Office.
Carbon Offsets Program.
Coal Plant Pollution & CCS Standards.
Protections & Cost Supports for New Technology Development, Consumers, & Some Industries.

II. SENATE CLIMATE BILL ( “Kerry-Graham-Lieberman”)

Key Dates: Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman are working on bipartisan compromise legislation for March 2010; March meeting occurred with Republican & Democratic senators with President Obama

Authors: Sen. John Kerry (Democrat), Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Sen. Lindsey Graham (Republican), & Sen. Joe Lieberman (Independent)

Cap-and-Trade Replaced with Carbon Caps on Specific Parts of the Economy – Electic Utilities, Transportation, and Industry.
Greenhouse Gas Reductions. 17% reduction from 2005 levels by 2020 & 80% over “long term”
Carbon Capture & Sequestration Standards & Research Funding
Domestic Oil & Gas Production Expanded, Including New Offshore Drilling
Nuclear Power: Incentives for nuclear power plants & low-emissions transportation

III. SENATE ENERGY BILL (“American Clean Energy Leadership Act” / “Bingaman bill”)

Key Date: legislation passed by Energy Committee June 2009; additional amendments and new pieces of legislation are being debated in the Energy Committee in 2010

Author: Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Chairman of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee

US Renewable Energy Electricity Standard (RES) of 15% by 2021. Qualifying sources: energy efficiency, wind, solar, ocean, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, incremental hydro, hydrokinetic, waste-to-energy, and new hydro at existing dams.
Transmission “Interstate Highway System” & Grid Security. Creates new planning system based on local, state and regional input with states taking initial lead. New security powers to Dept or Energy & FERC.
Green Bank Financing Office
CCS R&D Funding. $6.6 billion for 10 “early mover” large-scale CCS projects
Offshore Drilling in Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Opens 3.8 billion barrels of new oil resources & 21.5 trillion cubic feet of new natural gas resources.

Clean Tech Policy Update - March 8, 2010

by Donnie Fowler — last modified March 08, 2010 01:00 AM

Filed Under:

Featured

CLEAN TECH POLICY NEWS

Top Stories

Sen. Reid Demands Climate Bill ASAP (Washington Post)
Ballot Intiative to Stop AB32, California’s Renewable Energy Law? (L.A. Times)
Thomas Friedman: How the Republicans Go Green (NY Times)

Government & Politics

Al Gore: We Can’t Wish Away Climate Change (NY Times)
Energy Secretary Chu Vexed by Spending Backlog (Wall Street Journal)
$130 Million Federal Building Energy Efficiency Effort (DoE Press Release)
EPA Delays Start of New Rules on Emissions to 2011 (Wall Street Journal)

Science, Jobs, & Investment

The Long Road to an Alternative Energy Future (Wall Street Journal)
The Fuel Cell: Bloom Energy Raises the Curtain (San Jose Mercury News & NY Times)
Wal-Mart Announces Green Mandate to Suppliers (NY Times)
Battle Lines Harden Over New Transmission Policy for Renewables (NY Times)
Energy Efficiency to Shine in 2010 (San Jose Mercury News)
The Arguments For & Against Global Warming (Wall Street Journal)
Study: Global Warming is Not Slowing (NY Times)
Study: US Economic Growth & Job Creation from Climate Bill (UC-Berkeley)
Study: Legislation’s Benefits Outweigh Costs (Wall Street Journal)
Green Jobs Paying $30 an Hour (Yahoo!)

Government & Politics

Al Gore: We Can’t Wish Away Climate Change

NY Times, Feb 28, 2010

We would still need to deal with the national security risks of our growing dependence on a global oil market dominated by dwindling reserves in the most unstable region of the world, and the economic risks of sending hundreds of billions of dollars a year overseas in return for that oil. And we would still trail China in the race to develop smart grids, fast trains, solar power, wind, geothermal and other renewable sources of energy — the most important sources of new jobs in the 21st century.

Obama Speech to Business Roundtable of CEOs Offers Some Clues on Energy Bill

NY Times, Feb 25, 2010

Obama, his top aides and the bipartisan trio piecing together an energy and climate package, Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn), are in search of the right mix of "sweeteners" to help corners of the energy industry that matter to Republicans and fence-sitting Democrats reluctant to sign on to a high-priced climate bill that could land them in hot water in their home states. Among the White House policy goals are ones that would satisfy emissions-cutting goals, control costs and ensure that a lower-carbon mix of U.S. energy sources can meet future energy demand.

Energy Secretary Chu Vexed by Spending Backlog

Wall Street Journal, Feb 5, 2010

Chu expressed frustration before a Senate Committee that only $2.1 billion of the roughly $37 billion in stimulus money Congress gave his agency last year has been spent, but said the agency could manage a new round of funding for clean-energy projects as part of an expected jobs bill.

China Expanding Lead in Global Race to Make Clean Energy & Create Clean Jobs

NY Times, Jan 31, 2010, US Dept of Energy, Feb 17, 2010, and Gerson Lehman Group, Feb 9, 2010

China vaulted past competitors in Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United States last year to become the world’s largest maker of wind turbines. China has also leapfrogged the West in the last two years to emerge as the world’s largest manufacturer of solar panels. And the country is pushing equally hard to build nuclear reactors and the most efficient types of coal power plants. Bloomberg New Energy Finance notes that China spent $21.8 billion on new wind centers, a 27% increase over 2008, and nearly doubled its spending on solar projects, reaching $1.9 billion in 2009. The Chinese government will invest more money in the development of smart grid technology than the United States in 2010. China will spend more than $7.3 billion in the form of stimulus loans, grants and tax incentives this year, compared to $7.1 million by the U.S. These efforts to dominate renewable energy technologies raise the prospect that the West may someday trade its dependence on oil from the Mideast for a reliance on solar panels, wind turbines and other gear manufactured in China … Renewable energy industries in the P.R.C. are adding jobs rapidly, reaching 1.12 million in 2008 and climbing by 100,000 a year.

Science, Business, & Investment

The Long Road to an Alternative Energy Future

Wall Street Journal, Feb 22, 2010

New energy technologies are coming that will shrink our use of fossil fuels and cut emissions of greenhouse gases. Just don't expect them anytime soon.

The Fuel Cell: Bloom Energy Raises the Curtain

San Jose Mercury News, Feb 22 / NY Times, Feb 24 / “60 Minutes” on Feb 21

Bloom spent nearly a decade developing its fuel-cell technology while saying nary a word. Over the past year and a half, it has quietly sold and installed 100-kilowatt Bloom boxes at Google, Bank of America, Wal-Mart and other big companies … Fuel cells have been something of a holy grail as they can operate at extremely high temperatures to maximize efficiency and can use a variety of fuels, like natural gas and biogas. Since the heat allows the fuel to be directly transformed into electricity through an electrochemical process, the expensive precious metals and rare-earth elements used in other fuel cells to act as catalysts could theoretically be eliminated.

Wal-Mart Announces Green Mandate to Suppliers

NY Times, Feb 25, 2010

Wal-Mart has announced an initiative that aims to achieve major reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions from its supply chain. It said it would lean on its suppliers to rethink the sources, manufacturing processes, packaging and transportation of their goods.

Battle Lines Harden Over New Transmission Policy for Renewables

NY Times, Feb 25, 2010

A group of Pacific Northwest and California power companies has joined utilities from the Southeast and other regions to oppose widespread cost-sharing for transmission expansion to carry wind and solar power to distant markets. They call for developers and customers of new renewable power to pay for transmission connecting their projects to customers.

Point / Counter-Point: The Arguments For & Against Global Warming

Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2009

That consensus, simply put, states that the planet is warming, and that most of the temperature rise is very likely due to an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by human activity. In a recent survey of more than 3,000 Earth scientists, 82% agreed that human activity is a "significant contributing factor" in changing global temperatures. Specialists were in greater agreement: 75 of the 77 climate scientists who actively publish in the field—about 97%—agreed. So, what do the skeptics say? In a nutshell, they argue that the warming in the past century has been modest and that human activities' contribution to the warming has been minimal; there is no crisis. The article addresses these points:

* The Earth isn’t warming at crisis levels.

* Surface temperature & satellite temperature readings are unreliable, inconsistent.

* The Earth’s temperatures constantly change over history.

* Global warming is not man-made and scientists disagree.

* Sea level rises not linked to carbon dioxide levels.

* Polar ice isn’t disappearing.

SUMMARY: CONGRESSIONAL CLIMATE & ENERGY LEGISLATION

Updated January 11, 2010

The energy and climate change fight is currently focused on the U.S. Senate because the House of Representatives already passed legislation in June 2009 (the “ACES Act” or the “Markey-Waxman” bill). Two primary pieces of legislation are being debated in the Senate: the Bingaman energy bill and the bipartisan Kerry-Graham-Lieberman climate bill.

There are several factors at play in 2010 that will affect what any new climate & energy laws look like (and might even determine whether Congress passes any laws at all).

First, the 2010 congressional elections are making things difficult because many Democrats facing close re-election fights are worried about supporting controversial legislation, and President Obama has used a lot of political capital to try to pass health care legislation, thus leaving less for upcoming climate and financial regulation fights (as well as the higher priority economic & financial regulation agenda)
Second, the intense partisanship that has developed in Congress over the last sixteen years means that most Republicans will fight to deny the Democrats and the President any victory. It will thus be very hard to find Republicans to replace wavering Democrats.
Third, it is unclear yet that the business community that does support climate & energy legislation, especially the clean tech industry, can compete equally with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the coal & oil companies when making the economic, jobs, energy prices, and national security arguments. Environmentalists are unable to win this debate on their own.

The Senate climate bill is where the real difficulty lies; its cap-and-trade element being the most controversial with members of both political parties. Nonetheless, there is an opportunity for earning some Republican support that will be needed to offset some wavering Democrats because of its sponsorship by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. There is another bipartisan climate bill sponsored by Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Maria Cantwell of Washington. It offers a cap-and-dividend solution instead of cap-and-trade.

Advocates for Senate climate legislation, including the White House, are pushing back against calls to abandon a mandatory cap on U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in favor of a stand-alone energy bill. Division among Democrats on whether a new climate law is possible this year goes all the way to the top. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) recently told The Associated Press that passage of the legislation was unlikely. Other Democrats who suggest that energy-only legislation has a better chance of passing in an election year include Agriculture Chairwoman Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Policy Chairman Byron Dorgan of North Dakota.

Congress needs to hear from clean tech business leaders frequently on the economic growth, job creation, and international competitiveness issues. Otherwise, say members of Congress, the debate will be lost or the final laws so weak that they do not spark the clean energy economy. Click here for congressional contact information and look further in this document for message points that support clean tech’s agenda.

Updated Jan 11, 2009	House Climate & Energy Bill (Waxman-Markey)	Senate Energy Bill (Bingaman)	Senate Climate Bill Proposal (Kerry-Graham-Lieberman)
R&D Funding	Yes	Yes	Probably
Transmission & Smart Grid Addressed	Yes	Yes	Unknown
“Green Bank” Financing Office	Yes	Yes	-
Renewable Elect. Standard (RES)	20 % by 2020	15% by 2021	-
Greenhouse Gas Reduction	17% by 2020	-	17% by 2020
Cap & Trade	Yes	-	Yes
Carbon Offset Program	Yes	-	Yes
Carbon Capture & Sequestration	Yes	-	Yes
Consumer/Business Job Protections & Cost Supports	Yes	-	Yes
Nuclear Power Addressed	-	-	Yes
Offshore Drilling Expanded	-	Yes	Yes
Feds Share Oil & Gas $ With States	-	Bingaman Opposes	Yes
Agricultural Emissions Exempted	-	-	Yes
Intell. Property Protections for U.S.			Yes
* NOTE: The Cantwell-Collins Senate climate bill is also in play, offering cap-and-dividend instead of cap-and-trade, with the 75% of the dividend from gov’t auctions of “carbon shares” going to consumers & 25% to a “clean energy reinvestment fund.”

I. HOUSE CLIMATE & ENERGY BILL (“ACES Act” / “Waxman-Markey bill”)

Key Date: Passed June 2009 by House (219 to 212)

Authors: Rep. Henry Waxman, Chairman of House Energy & Commerce Cmte; Rep. Ed Markey, Chairman of Cmte on Energy Independence & Global Warming

More Info: www.pewclimate.org/acesa

Cap-and-Trade
Greenhouse Gas Reductions. 17 % reduction from 2005 levels by 2020 & 83 % by 2050
US Renewable Energy Electricity Standard (RES) of 20% by 2020. Qualifying sources: energy efficiency, wind, solar, ocean, geothermal, biomass, biogas and biofuels derived exclusively from eligible biomass, landfill gas, hydrokinetic, waste-to-energy, wastewater-treatment gas, coal-mine methane, and new hydro at post-1992 dams
R&D of $190 billion to energy efficiency, renewables, carbon capture & storage, electric vehicles
Transmission Grid Supports.
Energy Efficiency for Buildings, Lights, Appliances.
Green Bank Financing Office.
Carbon Offsets Program.
Coal Plant Pollution & CCS Standards.
Protections & Cost Supports for New Technology Development, Consumers, & Some Industries.

II. SENATE CLIMATE BILL (“Kerry-Boxer” replaced by “Kerry-Graham-Lieberman”)

Key Dates: Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman outlined legislation December 2009 that replaces Kerry-Boxer legislation of September 2009

Authors: Sen. John Kerry (Democrat), Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Sen. Lindsey Graham (Republican), & Sen. Joe Lieberman (Independent)

Cap-and-Trade
Greenhouse Gas Reductions. 17% reduction from 2005 levels by 2020 & 80% over “long term”
Carbon Offsets Program
CCS Standards
Nuclear & Transportation. Incentives for nuclear power plants & low-emissions transportation
Protections & Cost Supports for New Technology Development, Consumers, & Some Industries.
Key Unanswered Question: how the permits to emit carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases would be distributed to utilities, manufacturers, agribusiness and other interests

III. SENATE ENERGY BILL (“American Clean Energy Leadership Act” / “Bingaman bill”)

Key Date: legislation passed by Energy Committee June 2009

Author: Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Chairman of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee

US Renewable Energy Electricity Standard (RES) of 15% by 2021. Qualifying sources: energy efficiency, wind, solar, ocean, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, incremental hydro, hydrokinetic, waste-to-energy, and new hydro at existing dams.
Transmission “Interstate Highway System” & Grid Security. Creates new planning system based on local, state and regional input with states taking initial lead. New security powers to Dept or Energy & FERC.
Green Bank Financing Office
CCS R&D Funding. $6.6 billion for 10 “early mover” large-scale CCS projects
Offshore Drilling in Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Opens 3.8 billion barrels of new oil resources & 21.5 trillion cubic feet of new natural gas resources.

Clean Tech Policy Update - February 17, 2010

by Donnie Fowler — last modified February 17, 2010 01:00 AM

Filed Under:

Featured

CLEAN TECH POLICY NEWS

Top Stories

Energy Secretary Chu Vexed by Spending Backlog (Wall Street Journal)
Defense Dept: Climate Change a Threat to Global Security & Stability
Environmentalists Cooling on Obama (NYTimes)
China Expanding Lead to Make Clean Energy & Create Clean Jobs(NY Times)

Government & Politics

Obama Announces Nuclear Loan Guarantees (NY Times)
$130 Million Federal Building Energy Efficiency Effort (DoE Press Release
Obama Announces Biofuels & CCS Advances (The White House)
Federal Climate Service Created to Provide Data (NY Times)
Sacramento Receives Huge Response to its Renewable Energy Feed-in-Tariff
Josh Becker: A Potential Greentech Voice in the California Legislature (Green Tech Media)

Science, Business, & Investment

Is Geoengineering Inevitable? (GreenBiz)
Energy Efficiency to Shine in 2010 (San Jose Mercury News)
Matt Golden: Recurve Home Efficiency Founder (San Jose Mercury News)
The Arguments For & Against Global Warming (Wall Street Journal)
A Plan B for Congressional Climate & Energy Legislation? (Houston Chronicle)
Study: Global Warming is Not Slowing (NY Times)
Study: US Economic Growth & Job Creation from Climate Bill (UC-Berkeley)
Study: Legislation’s Benefits Outweigh Costs (Wall Street Journal)
Green Jobs Paying $30 an Hour (Yahoo!)

Government & Politics

President Obama Announces Nuclear Loan Guarantees

NY Times, Feb 16, 2010

President Obama underscored his embrace of nuclear power as a clean energy source, announcing that the Energy Department had approved $8.3 billion in loan guarantees for the construction of two nuclear reactors in Georgia. Says a White House official: ”By announcing plans today to break ground on the first new nuclear reactors in nearly three decades, the President is making good on his offer to meet Republicans halfway. Republicans who advocate for nuclear power have to recognize that we will not achieve a big boost in nuclear capacity unless we also create a system of incentives to make clean energy profitable. As long as producing carbon pollution carries no costs, plants that burn fossil fuel will be more cost effective than nuclear plants. The President will continue to work with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to pass comprehensive legislation that drives the transition to a clean energy economy and creates millions of American jobs.”

$130 Million Federal Building Energy Efficiency Effort

Dept of Energy Press Release, Feb 12, 2010

On February 12, seven Obama Administration agencies announced up to $129.7 million over five years to create new building efficiency technologies and work with local partners through an Energy Regional Innovation Cluster (E-RIC) based at a university, DOE national laboratory, nonprofit organization, or private firm. Nearly 40% percent of U.S. energy consumption and carbon emissions come from buildings.

President Obama Announces Biofuels & Carbon Capture & Storage Advances

The White House, Feb 3, 2010

At a meeting with a bipartisan group of governors from around the country, the President announced actions to accelerate the development of biofuels and clean coal technologies.

Federal Climate Service Created to Provide Data

NY Times, Feb 9, 2010 / http://www.climate.gov

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will create a new climate change office to gather and provide data to governments, industry and academia as part of a broad federal effort to prepare for long-term changes to the planet, officials said Monday. The new unit, to be known as the NOAA Climate Service, will assemble the roughly 550 scientists and analysts already working on the issue at the agency into a cohesive group under a single leader.

Josh Becker: A Potential Greentech Voice in the California Legislature

Green Tech Media, Jan 29, 2010 / www.joshbecker2010.org

It means putting his VC career on hold, but could also mean improved energy policy in California.

Sacramento Receives Huge Response to its Renewable Energy Feed-in-Tariff

A California utility's feed-in tariff (FIT) program for renewable or combined heat and power generating facilities met with an overwhelming response last month. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) reported on January 19 that applications for the new FIT, which were all for solar photovoltaic power, exceeded its 100-megawatt allotment.

Science, Business, & Investment

Is Geoengineering Inevitable?

GreenBiz, Feb 10, 2010

If it becomes evident that the earth can't avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change, it is not merely possible that governments will turn to geoengineering. Some people believe that it is all but certain.

Geoengineering is the deliberate large-scale manipulation of the planet to counter global warming. It can take a number of forms. Long a taboo subject, it is being talked about openly these days by scientists, environmentalists and policy thinkers. A congressional subcommittee held its second hearing on geoengineering two weeks ago.

Energy Efficiency to Shine in 2010

San Jose Mercury News, Jan 24, 2010

Solar and wind power may get the headlines and attention, but green-tech experts say 2010 will be dominated by energy efficiency, the mundane but critical process of cutting the amount of gas and electricity that homes and offices use. Why? 43% of U.S. carbon emissions come from buildings while 32% comes from transportation and 25% from industrial sources. Kevin Surace, CEO of Serious Materials says, "When you really break it down, every dollar spent on energy efficiency pays back the investment four or five times. It saves people money and creates jobs. And it has bipartisan support."

Recurve Home Efficiency Founder Matt Golden (Profile)

San Jose Mercury News, Feb 5, 2010

With energy efficiency generating a big buzz these days, Matt Golden, founder of Recurve, is arguing that a 25% reduction in residential energy use through efficiency will create 1.25 million jobs in every state and is the same as taking ½ of passenger cars off the road. He’s one of the key players behind Home Star, a national plan that would give homeowners incentives to make energy-efficient improvements to their houses. Congress is expected to include Home Star as part of a broader jobs bill in the coming weeks.

Point / Counter-Point: The Arguments For & Against Global Warming

Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2009

That consensus, simply put, states that the planet is warming, and that most of the temperature rise is very likely due to an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by human activity. In a recent survey of more than 3,000 Earth scientists, 82% agreed that human activity is a "significant contributing factor" in changing global temperatures. Specialists were in greater agreement: 75 of the 77 climate scientists who actively publish in the field—about 97%—agreed. So, what do the skeptics say? In a nutshell, they argue that the warming in the past century has been modest and that human activities' contribution to the warming has been minimal; there is no crisis. The article addresses these points:

* The Earth isn’t warming at crisis levels.

* Surface temperature & satellite temperature readings are unreliable, inconsistent.

* The Earth’s temperatures constantly change over history.

* Global warming is not man-made and scientists disagree.

* Sea level rises not linked to carbon dioxide levels.

* Polar ice isn’t disappearing.

SUMMARY: CONGRESSIONAL CLIMATE & ENERGY LEGISLATION

Updated January 11, 2010

The energy and climate change fight is currently focused on the U.S. Senate because the House of Representatives already passed legislation in June 2009 (the “ACES Act” or the “Markey-Waxman” bill). Two primary pieces of legislation are being debated in the Senate: the Bingaman energy bill and the bipartisan Kerry-Graham-Lieberman climate bill.

There are several factors at play in 2010 that will affect what any new climate & energy laws look like (and might even determine whether Congress passes any laws at all).

First, the 2010 congressional elections are making things difficult because many Democrats facing close re-election fights are worried about supporting controversial legislation, and President Obama has used a lot of political capital to try to pass health care legislation, thus leaving less for upcoming climate and financial regulation fights (as well as the higher priority economic & financial regulation agenda)
Second, the intense partisanship that has developed in Congress over the last sixteen years means that most Republicans will fight to deny the Democrats and the President any victory. It will thus be very hard to find Republicans to replace wavering Democrats.
Third, it is unclear yet that the business community that does support climate & energy legislation, especially the clean tech industry, can compete equally with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the coal & oil companies when making the economic, jobs, energy prices, and national security arguments. Environmentalists are unable to win this debate on their own.

The Senate climate bill is where the real difficulty lies; its cap-and-trade element being the most controversial with members of both political parties. Nonetheless, there is an opportunity for earning some Republican support that will be needed to offset some wavering Democrats because of its sponsorship by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. (There is another bipartisan climate bill sponsored by Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Maria Cantwell of Washington. It offers a cap-and-dividend solution instead of cap-and-trade.)

Advocates for Senate climate legislation, including the White House, are pushing back against calls to abandon a mandatory cap on U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in favor of a stand-alone energy bill. Division among Democrats on whether a new climate law is possible this year goes all the way to the top. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) recently told The Associated Press that passage of the legislation was unlikely. Other Democrats who suggest that energy-only legislation has a better chance of passing in an election year include Agriculture Chairwoman Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Policy Chairman Byron Dorgan of North Dakota.

But Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) spoke to the undercurrent of pessimism in early January, “These are the dumb D.C. rumors that too often mark this city and are rendered meaningless on a daily basis. We can cross the finish line this year.” Sen. Graham said at the same time, “I am convinced that reason, logic and good business sense and good environmental policy will trump the status quo.” And President Obama's top energy adviser, Carol Browner, insisted on January 11th that the Administration's goal remains a "comprehensive bill" that touches on all corners of the energy and climate debate, including the controversial cap-and-trade program.

Congress needs to hear from clean tech business leaders frequently on the economic growth, job creation, and international competitiveness issues. Otherwise, say members of Congress, the debate will be lost or the final laws so weak that they do not spark the clean energy economy. Click here for congressional contact information and look further in this document for message points that support clean tech’s agenda.

Updated Jan 11, 2009	House Climate & Energy Bill (Waxman-Markey)	Senate Energy Bill (Bingaman)	Senate Climate Bill Proposal (Kerry-Graham-Lieberman)
R&D Funding	Yes	Yes	Probably
Transmission & Smart Grid Addressed	Yes	Yes	Unknown
“Green Bank” Financing Office	Yes	Yes	-
Renewable Elect. Standard (RES)	20 % by 2020	15% by 2021	-
Greenhouse Gas Reduction	17% by 2020	-	17% by 2020
Cap & Trade	Yes	-	Yes
Carbon Offset Program	Yes	-	Yes
Carbon Capture & Sequestration	Yes	-	Yes
Consumer/Business Job Protections & Cost Supports	Yes	-	Yes
Nuclear Power Addressed	-	-	Yes
Offshore Drilling Expanded	-	Yes	Yes
Feds Share Oil & Gas $ With States	-	Bingaman Opposes	Yes
Agricultural Emissions Exempted	-	-	Yes
Intell. Property Protections for U.S.			Yes
* NOTE: The Cantwell-Collins Senate climate bill is also in play, offering cap-and-dividend instead of cap-and-trade, with the 75% of the dividend from gov’t auctions of “carbon shares” going to consumers & 25% to a “clean energy reinvestment fund.”

I. HOUSE CLIMATE & ENERGY BILL (“ACES Act” / “Waxman-Markey bill”)

Key Date: Passed June 2009 by House (219 to 212)

Authors: Rep. Henry Waxman, Chairman of House Energy & Commerce Cmte; Rep. Ed Markey, Chairman of Cmte on Energy Independence & Global Warming

More Info: www.pewclimate.org/acesa

Cap-and-Trade
Greenhouse Gas Reductions. 17 % reduction from 2005 levels by 2020 & 83 % by 2050
US Renewable Energy Electricity Standard (RES) of 20% by 2020. Qualifying sources: energy efficiency, wind, solar, ocean, geothermal, biomass, biogas and biofuels derived exclusively from eligible biomass, landfill gas, hydrokinetic, waste-to-energy, wastewater-treatment gas, coal-mine methane, and new hydro at post-1992 dams
R&D of $190 billion to energy efficiency, renewables, carbon capture & storage, electric vehicles
Transmission Grid Supports.
Energy Efficiency for Buildings, Lights, Appliances.
Green Bank Financing Office.
Carbon Offsets Program.
Coal Plant Pollution & CCS Standards.
Protections & Cost Supports for New Technology Development, Consumers, & Some Industries.

II. SENATE CLIMATE BILL (“Kerry-Boxer” replaced by “Kerry-Graham-Lieberman”)

Key Dates: Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman outlined legislation December 2009 that replaces Kerry-Boxer legislation of September 2009

Authors: Sen. John Kerry (Democrat), Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Sen. Lindsey Graham (Republican), & Sen. Joe Lieberman (Independent)

Cap-and-Trade
Greenhouse Gas Reductions. 17% reduction from 2005 levels by 2020 & 80% over “long term”
Carbon Offsets Program
CCS Standards
Nuclear & Transportation. Incentives for nuclear power plants & low-emissions transportation
Protections & Cost Supports for New Technology Development, Consumers, & Some Industries.
Key Unanswered Question: how the permits to emit carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases would be distributed to utilities, manufacturers, agribusiness and other interests

III. SENATE ENERGY BILL (“American Clean Energy Leadership Act” / “Bingaman bill”)

Key Date: legislation passed by Energy Committee June 2009

Author: Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Chairman of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee

US Renewable Energy Electricity Standard (RES) of 15% by 2021. Qualifying sources: energy efficiency, wind, solar, ocean, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, incremental hydro, hydrokinetic, waste-to-energy, and new hydro at existing dams.
Transmission “Interstate Highway System” & Grid Security. Creates new planning system based on local, state and regional input with states taking initial lead. New security powers to Dept or Energy & FERC.
Green Bank Financing Office
CCS R&D Funding. $6.6 billion for 10 “early mover” large-scale CCS projects
Offshore Drilling in Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Opens 3.8 billion barrels of new oil resources & 21.5 trillion cubic feet of new natural gas resources.

STATE BY STATE JOB GROWTH

Clean Energy & Climate Policies Lead to Economic Growth in the United States

New analysis shows that adopting comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation could create up to 1.9 million jobs

The State Fact Sheets were co-released by E2, Ceres, and The Clean Economy Network and also some state business groups. Feel free to distribute.

http://www.e2.org/jsp/controller?docName=jobs

New economic analysis shows that clean energy and climate policies would create jobs, increase consumers’ income, and strengthen the U.S. economy as a whole. Based on collaborate research by the University of Illinois, Yale University and the University of California, the new study clearly demonstrates that comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation, such as the American Clean Energy and Security Act and the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, would limit pollution and create incentives to drive large-scale investments in clean energy and energy efficiency.

The analysis indicates that, on a national level, such legislation would up to 1.9 million new jobs, increase annual household income by up to $1,175 per year, and boost GDP by up to $111 billion – with all of those benefits measured relative to a scenario without such legislation. In addition, all the states would see economic gains are over and above the growth that they would see in the absence of such a bill.

Environmental Entrepreneurs, along with the national investor coalition Ceres and the Clean Economy Network, have sponsored the publication of the following 50 state fact sheets that clearly illustrate the study’s findings about how each state will be impacted if we pass strong clean energy and climate policies to secure a safer and cleaner future for our country. Click on the links below to see those state fact sheets.

See more information on the national results

Read the Executive Summary for the analysis

Individual state fact sheets
Alabama	Hawaii	Massachusetts	New Mexico	South Dakota
Alaska	Idaho	Michigan	New York	Tennessee
Arizona	Illinois	Minnesota	North Carolina	Texas
Arkansas	Indiana	Mississippi	North Dakota	Utah
California	Iowa	Missouri	Ohio	Vermont
Colorado	Kansas	Montana	Oklahoma	Virginia
Connecticut	Kentucky	Nebraska	Oregon	Washington
Delaware	Louisiana	Nevada	Pennsylvania	West Virginia
Florida	Maine	New Hampshire	Rhode Island	Wisconsin
Georgia	Maryland	New Jersey	South Carolina	Wyoming

CLEAN TECH MESSAGING

Senators and Congressmen must hear from clean tech business leaders early and often or opponents will dominate and poison the public debate by arguing that the US economy will suffer, that jobs will be lost, that the technologies you are developing will not work, and even that global warming is still up for debate (if not a complete hoax). Your silence and the silence of other clean tech leaders will make passage of a truly effective law very difficult or even impossible. Call, write, email, and visit. Help Congress help you.

Click here for an easy way to contact Congress with this basic message:

Effect on American Consumers

* One Postage Stamp Per Day. The proposed legislation will cost Americans only $160 per year in increased energy prices -- one postage stamp per day -- while poor Americans actually save money. source: non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

* Americans Actually Will Save Money When Adding Energy Efficiency. Energy efficiency savings could result in $250 per year for American consumers, making the energy and climate price tag for Americans effectively zero.
* Inaction Means Reduced Global & US GDP.

20% global GDP reduction per year
1-2% US GDP reduction per year

* New, American Jobs Will Be Created. An estimated 1.7 new American jobs will be created with this legislation. source: PERI/CAP (UMass. Political Economy & Research Institute / Center for American Progress)

State by State Economic Benefits

Research is available that outlines economic and job benefits for each state. Senators and Congressmen care how this will affect their constituents, so the data is a good resource. Click here or go to

< www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/06/pdf/peri_report.pdf > and look in Appendix 2.

Clean Tech Policy Update - February 1, 2010

by Donnie Fowler — last modified February 01, 2010 01:00 AM

Filed Under:

Featured

RECENT CLEAN ENERGY NEWS ARTICLES

A Plan B for Congressional Climate & Energy Legislation? (Houston Chronicle)
Obama Eases Nuclear Reactor Construction, Triples Loan Guarantees (Wall Street Journal)
Study: Global Carbon Market Could Grow 33% in 2010 (NY Times)
Study: Global Warming is Not Slowing (NY Times)
Study: US Economic Growth & Job Creation from Climate Bill (UC-Berkeley)
Study: Legislation’s Benefits Outweigh Costs (Wall Street Journal)
Green Jobs Paying $30 an Hour (Yahoo!)
The Top 10 U.S. States for Cleantech in 2009 (Clean Tech Group)
The Top 10 Cleantech Countries of 2009 (Clean Tech Group)

China Leading Global Race to Make Clean Energy

NY Times, Jan 31, 2010

China vaulted past competitors in Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United States last year to become the world’s largest maker of wind turbines. China has also leapfrogged the West in the last two years to emerge as the world’s largest manufacturer of solar panels. And the country is pushing equally hard to build nuclear reactors and the most efficient types of coal power plants. These efforts to dominate renewable energy technologies raise the prospect that the West may someday trade its dependence on oil from the Mideast for a reliance on solar panels, wind turbines and other gear manufactured in China … Renewable energy industries in the P.R.C. are adding jobs rapidly, reaching 1.12 million in 2008 and climbing by 100,000 a year.

Congress & The Obama Administration

After the Massachusetts Senate Election & Obama’s State of the Union Speech: U.S. Senate Leader Reid Says Climate Change Still a Priority, But Plan B Getting Planned

Reid Press Release, Jan 20, 2010 / Houston Chronicle, Jan 25, 2010

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told his fellow lawmakers on January 20, after the Republicans won a special Senate election to replace Ted Kennedy, that comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation remains firmly on the Senate agenda: "We will continue to create new jobs, including good-paying clean- energy jobs that can never be outsourced. We will tackle our daunting energy and climate challenges, and by doing so will strengthen our national security, our environment and our economy." But there is a possible Plan B: tacking “clean energy” measures onto a job-creation package and following that up with an “energy-only” bill that doesn't contain a specific plan for combating climate change. That focused energy measure would expand drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, modernize the nation's aging electrical transmission system and mandate that electric utilities generate more of their electricity from wind, solar and other renewable sources. Another option for the Senate is to take up the energy bill that won bipartisan approval from the Energy and Natural Resources Committee last June.

Obama’s State of the Union & 2011 Budget Proposal Keep Clean Tech a High Priority

Wall Street Journal, Jan 28, 2010 / NY Times, Jan 31, 2010

In his January 26 State of the Union speech, President Obama called for a “comprehensive energy and climate bill,” repositioning it as a national competitiveness issue. And his $3.8 trillion budget for 2011 that will be presented to Congress on February 1 increase financing for civilian research programs by more than 6 percent. Many programs at the Energy Department are in line for increases.

Green Groups Pine for Bill, White House Does Not Want to Separate Energy & Climate Legislation, Election Year Politics Infecting the Policy Discussions

Politico, January 15, 2010 & NYTimes, January 12, 2009

Moderates don’t like cap and trade. Republicans question climate change. Even some supporters now publicly doubt that the bill will get done in 2010. Environment groups and their business allies realize that they are now fighting for the very core of the bill: a cap on greenhouse gas pollution. The strategy is to gain support from key groups of Democrats by cutting deals to address the concerns of agricultural and manufacturing states and perhaps some support from a few Republicans recruited by South Carolina’s Graham.

Obama Act to Ease Way to Construct Nuclear Reactors

NY Times, Jan 29, 2010 / Wall Street Journal, Jan 29, 2010

The Obama administration moved vigorously on two fronts January 29 to promote nuclear power, proposing a tripling of federal loan guarantees for new projects (to as much as $54 billion) and appointing a high-level commission to study what to do with nuclear waste. It’s a move aimed at winning Republican lawmakers' support for its log-jammed energy policy.

Investment

S.E.C. Adds Climate Risk to Public Company Disclosure List

NY Times, Jan 27, 2010 / Wall Street Journal, Jan 27, 2010

The Securities and Exchange Commission said on Wednesday for the first time that public companies should warn investors of any serious risks that global warming might pose to their businesses; it has never specifically cited climate change as bringing potentially significant business risks or rewards … The commission said that companies could be helped or hurt by climate-related lawsuits, business opportunities or legislation and should promptly disclose such potential impacts. Mary L. Schapiro, the S.E.C. chairwoman said that the commission was not creating new legal requirements for companies, nor did it intend to endorse any particular scientific or policy view of global warming.

Private Equity is Bullish on Clean Energy

Wall Street Journal, Jan 28, 2010

The clean energy sector could become “the mother of all verticals” for private investors predicted said Hovey Kemp, a private equity lawyer at the law firm Goodwin Procter, said at the Dow Jones Private Equity Analyst Outlook 2010 meeting in New York. Private equity and venture capital firms, which collectively invested $6 billion into the clean energy sector in 2009 (with the federal government adding more than $13 billion).

Venture Capitol: The U.S. Dept of Energy is the New VC Force

Wall Street Journal, December 15, 2009

The DOE hopes to lend or give out more than $40 billion to businesses working on "clean technology." In the first nine months of 2009, the DOE doled out $13 billion in loans and grants to such firms. By contrast, venture-capital firms -- which have long been the chief funders of fledgling tech firms, taking equity stakes in the start-ups that will pay off if they go public -- poured just $2.68 billion into the sector in that time … Private investors [are] waiting to see which projects the government blesses. Success in winning federal funds can attract a flood of private capital, companies say, while conversely, bad luck in Washington can sour their chances with private investors. The result is an intertwining of public and private-sector interests in an arena where politics is never far from the surface.

Other Stories

Business Groups Call for Action on Emissions

Wall Street Journal, Jan 27, 2010

More than 80 leading businesses, labor unions, faith, national security and environmental organizations launched a national print ad campaign last week calling for swift action by Congress to pass legislation that limits emissions.

Green Civil War: Projects vs. Preservation

NY Times, Jan 12, 2010

A NY Times blog discussion on the debate between land use and building of renewable energy projects.

Opinion: Clean Tech R&D, Not Mandated Carbon Cuts

Bjorn Lomborg, Wall Street Journal, Jan 28, 2010

“An expert panel including three Nobel Laureate economists concluded that devoting just 0.2% of global GDP—roughly $100 billion a year—to green-energy R&D could produce the kind of breakthroughs needed to fuel a carbon-free future. Not only would this be a much less expensive fix than trying to cut carbon emissions, it would also reduce global warming far more quickly.”

Point / Counter-Point: The Arguments For & Against Global Warming

Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2009

That consensus, simply put, states that the planet is warming, and that most of the temperature rise is very likely due to an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by human activity. In a recent survey of more than 3,000 Earth scientists, 82% agreed that human activity is a "significant contributing factor" in changing global temperatures. Specialists were in greater agreement: 75 of the 77 climate scientists who actively publish in the field—about 97%—agreed. So, what do the skeptics say? In a nutshell, they argue that the warming in the past century has been modest and that human activities' contribution to the warming has been minimal; there is no crisis. The article addresses these points:

* The Earth isn’t warming at crisis levels.

* Surface temperature & satellite temperature readings are unreliable, inconsistent.

* The Earth’s temperatures constantly change over history.

* Global warming is not man-made and scientists disagree.

* Sea level rises not linked to carbon dioxide levels.

* Polar ice isn’t disappearing.

Worldwide Subsidies for Clean Energy & Fossil Fuels

Wall Street Journal, January 15, 2010

Virtually all energy is subsidized. Fossil fuels, which provide about 80% of total global energy, have enjoyed favorable tax breaks and other incentives for decades. The International Energy Agency estimates that fossil-fuel subsidies in developing countries -- government money to reduce the price of energy -- totaled $310 billion in 2007, the most recent year for which the IEA has statistics. Last fall, the Group of 20 leading economies called for phasing out fossil-fuel subsidies world-wide.

Yet for every unit of energy renewable energy produces, it is often subsidized more heavily than fossil fuel. Government spending and price supports accounted for about one-third of the roughly $145 billion invested world-wide in clean energy in 2009, New Energy Finance estimates. Though renewable energy gets fewer subsidy dollars than the IEA says fossil fuels receive, the price supports are covering a larger portion of renewable energy firms' costs.

The End of Magical Climate Thinking

Foreign Policy, Ted Nordhaus & Michael Shellenberger, Jan. 13, 2010

The 2009 federal stimulus included billions for energy R&D, infrastructure, and efficiency, and overturned the conventional wisdom that the United States would never again make big federal investments in technology as it had during the Cold War. But no sooner had the president's stimulus program demonstrated that a new way forward on climate change and energy might be possible, then the new administration relinquished its climate change and energy policy to the partisans of the past …

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said in February 2009 that Nobel-caliber breakthroughs are required in chemistry, physics, and biology to make more efficient batteries, solar panels, and biofuels that can compete with fossil fuels in price, and that nuclear power is needed to displace coal. Unfortunately, his view hasn't shaped the actions of the administration or Democrats in Congress … [W]ith greens and establishment Democrats fully lost in the magical idea that we can achieve massive emissions reductions through conservation, efficiency, and existing renewable technologies, there was scarcely any constituency inside the Beltway for the kind of big energy-technology program that Chu had hoped to launch.

Incumbent energy interests were happy to indulge the magical thinking … [The Waxman-Markey House bill passed in June 2009] would give R&D $1.1 billion a year, less than a third of current levels, and would give coal and utility companies $32 billion … [It] would not require emissions reductions below business-as-usual levels … [but resulted in a law] negotiated by the Environmental Defense Fund and Natural Resources Defense Council with energy companies that used a magic accounting trick that was visible in plain sight: counting [unreliable] carbon offsets as real reductions of U.S. emissions … Democrats and Republicans had, in the course of a few short months, effectively switched policy positions on energy, with Democrats voting to hand trillions in new subsidies to coal-burning utilities and power plants while gutting Clean Air Act restrictions on the construction of coal-fired power plants, and Republicans, long-standing coal boosters, voting against a pro-coal bill …

Incumbent energy interests had, in short, hijacked magical climate thinking for their own uses. They took cap-and-trade legislation and turned it into an opportunity for them to raise energy prices on consumers, invest a fraction of the higher revenues in clean energy, remove existing regulatory obstacles to the construction of coal plants, and lock in their competitive advantage while crowding out energy newcomers, including clean energy firms, for decades to come…

We simply do not have low-carbon technologies today that can at large scale replace fossil fuels at a cost that any political economy in the world is willing to impose upon itself. There will be no political solution to climate change, no binding international agreement to substantially reduce emissions, and no effective domestic carbon cap until low-carbon technologies are much cheaper than they are today. Unfortunately, pointing out this now fairly evident reality is viewed by most greens as an act of bad faith .. [T]he technologies we need will not materialize in response to carbon prices or emissions caps. Nor will they arrive, as many conservatives would have it, by getting the government out of the way and simply allowing a new generation of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates to tinker away in their garages.

Solving global warming's technology challenges will require not a single Apollo program or Manhattan Project, but many … The hard work of mobilizing the resources and institutions necessary to engineer our way to a low-carbon economy will look profoundly different from both the histrionics at Copenhagen and the slick sales pitch offered by carbon traders in Washington.

SUMMARY: CONGRESSIONAL CLIMATE & ENERGY LEGISLATION

Updated January 11, 2010

The energy and climate change fight is currently focused on the U.S. Senate because the House of Representatives already passed legislation in June 2009 (the “ACES Act” or the “Markey-Waxman” bill). Two primary pieces of legislation are being debated in the Senate: the Bingaman energy bill and the bipartisan Kerry-Graham-Lieberman climate bill.

There are several factors at play in 2010 that will affect what any new climate & energy laws look like (and might even determine whether Congress passes any laws at all).

First, the 2010 congressional elections are making things difficult because many Democrats facing close re-election fights are worried about supporting controversial legislation, and President Obama has used a lot of political capital to try to pass health care legislation, thus leaving less for upcoming climate and financial regulation fights (as well as the higher priority economic & financial regulation agenda)
Second, the intense partisanship that has developed in Congress over the last sixteen years means that most Republicans will fight to deny the Democrats and the President any victory. It will thus be very hard to find Republicans to replace wavering Democrats.
Third, it is unclear yet that the business community that does support climate & energy legislation, especially the clean tech industry, can compete equally with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the coal & oil companies when making the economic, jobs, energy prices, and national security arguments. Environmentalists are unable to win this debate on their own.

The Senate climate bill is where the real difficulty lies; its cap-and-trade element being the most controversial with members of both political parties. Nonetheless, there is an opportunity for earning some Republican support that will be needed to offset some wavering Democrats because of its sponsorship by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. (There is another bipartisan climate bill sponsored by Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Maria Cantwell of Washington. It offers a cap-and-dividend solution instead of cap-and-trade.)

Advocates for Senate climate legislation, including the White House, are pushing back against calls to abandon a mandatory cap on U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in favor of a stand-alone energy bill. Division among Democrats on whether a new climate law is possible this year goes all the way to the top. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) recently told The Associated Press that passage of the legislation was unlikely. Other Democrats who suggest that energy-only legislation has a better chance of passing in an election year include Agriculture Chairwoman Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Policy Chairman Byron Dorgan of North Dakota.

But Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) spoke to the undercurrent of pessimism in early January, “These are the dumb D.C. rumors that too often mark this city and are rendered meaningless on a daily basis. We can cross the finish line this year.” Sen. Graham said at the same time, “I am convinced that reason, logic and good business sense and good environmental policy will trump the status quo.” And President Obama's top energy adviser, Carol Browner, insisted on January 11th that the Administration's goal remains a "comprehensive bill" that touches on all corners of the energy and climate debate, including the controversial cap-and-trade program.

Congress needs to hear from clean tech business leaders frequently on the economic growth, job creation, and international competitiveness issues. Otherwise, say members of Congress, the debate will be lost or the final laws so weak that they do not spark the clean energy economy. Click here for congressional contact information and look further in this document for message points that support clean tech’s agenda.

Updated Jan 11, 2009	House Climate & Energy Bill (Waxman-Markey)	Senate Energy Bill (Bingaman)	Senate Climate Bill Proposal (Kerry-Graham-Lieberman)
R&D Funding	Yes	Yes	Probably
Transmission & Smart Grid Addressed	Yes	Yes	Unknown
“Green Bank” Financing Office	Yes	Yes	-
Renewable Elect. Standard (RES)	20 % by 2020	15% by 2021	-
Greenhouse Gas Reduction	17% by 2020	-	17% by 2020
Cap & Trade	Yes	-	Yes
Carbon Offset Program	Yes	-	Yes
Carbon Capture & Sequestration	Yes	-	Yes
Consumer/Business Job Protections & Cost Supports	Yes	-	Yes
Nuclear Power Addressed	-	-	Yes
Offshore Drilling Expanded	-	Yes	Yes
Feds Share Oil & Gas $ With States	-	Bingaman Opposes	Yes
Agricultural Emissions Exempted	-	-	Yes
Intell. Property Protections for U.S.			Yes
* NOTE: The Cantwell-Collins Senate climate bill is also in play, offering cap-and-dividend instead of cap-and-trade, with the 75% of the dividend from gov’t auctions of “carbon shares” going to consumers & 25% to a “clean energy reinvestment fund.”

I. HOUSE CLIMATE & ENERGY BILL (“ACES Act” / “Waxman-Markey bill”)

Key Date: Passed June 2009 by House (219 to 212)

Authors: Rep. Henry Waxman, Chairman of House Energy & Commerce Cmte; Rep. Ed Markey, Chairman of Cmte on Energy Independence & Global Warming

More Info: www.pewclimate.org/acesa

Cap-and-Trade
Greenhouse Gas Reductions. 17 % reduction from 2005 levels by 2020 & 83 % by 2050
US Renewable Energy Electricity Standard (RES) of 20% by 2020. Qualifying sources: energy efficiency, wind, solar, ocean, geothermal, biomass, biogas and biofuels derived exclusively from eligible biomass, landfill gas, hydrokinetic, waste-to-energy, wastewater-treatment gas, coal-mine methane, and new hydro at post-1992 dams
R&D of $190 billion to energy efficiency, renewables, carbon capture & storage, electric vehicles
Transmission Grid Supports.
Energy Efficiency for Buildings, Lights, Appliances.
Green Bank Financing Office.
Carbon Offsets Program.
Coal Plant Pollution & CCS Standards.
Protections & Cost Supports for New Technology Development, Consumers, & Some Industries.

II. SENATE CLIMATE BILL (“Kerry-Boxer” replaced by “Kerry-Graham-Lieberman”)

Key Dates: Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman outlined legislation December 2009 that replaces Kerry-Boxer legislation of September 2009

Authors: Sen. John Kerry (Democrat), Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Sen. Lindsey Graham (Republican), & Sen. Joe Lieberman (Independent)

Cap-and-Trade
Greenhouse Gas Reductions. 17% reduction from 2005 levels by 2020 & 80% over “long term”
Carbon Offsets Program
CCS Standards
Nuclear & Transportation. Incentives for nuclear power plants & low-emissions transportation
Protections & Cost Supports for New Technology Development, Consumers, & Some Industries.
Key Unanswered Question: how the permits to emit carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases would be distributed to utilities, manufacturers, agribusiness and other interests

III. SENATE ENERGY BILL (“American Clean Energy Leadership Act” / “Bingaman bill”)

Key Date: legislation passed by Energy Committee June 2009

Author: Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Chairman of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee

US Renewable Energy Electricity Standard (RES) of 15% by 2021. Qualifying sources: energy efficiency, wind, solar, ocean, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, incremental hydro, hydrokinetic, waste-to-energy, and new hydro at existing dams.
Transmission “Interstate Highway System” & Grid Security. Creates new planning system based on local, state and regional input with states taking initial lead. New security powers to Dept or Energy & FERC.
Green Bank Financing Office
CCS R&D Funding. $6.6 billion for 10 “early mover” large-scale CCS projects
Offshore Drilling in Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Opens 3.8 billion barrels of new oil resources & 21.5 trillion cubic feet of new natural gas resources.

STATE BY STATE JOB GROWTH

Clean Energy & Climate Policies Lead to Economic Growth in the United States

New analysis shows that adopting comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation could create up to 1.9 million jobs

The State Fact Sheets were co-released by E2, Ceres, and The Clean Economy Network and also some state business groups. Feel free to distribute.

http://www.e2.org/jsp/controller?docName=jobs

New economic analysis shows that clean energy and climate policies would create jobs, increase consumers’ income, and strengthen the U.S. economy as a whole. Based on collaborate research by the University of Illinois, Yale University and the University of California, the new study clearly demonstrates that comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation, such as the American Clean Energy and Security Act and the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, would limit pollution and create incentives to drive large-scale investments in clean energy and energy efficiency.

The analysis indicates that, on a national level, such legislation would up to 1.9 million new jobs, increase annual household income by up to $1,175 per year, and boost GDP by up to $111 billion – with all of those benefits measured relative to a scenario without such legislation. In addition, all the states would see economic gains are over and above the growth that they would see in the absence of such a bill.

Environmental Entrepreneurs, along with the national investor coalition Ceres and the Clean Economy Network, have sponsored the publication of the following 50 state fact sheets that clearly illustrate the study’s findings about how each state will be impacted if we pass strong clean energy and climate policies to secure a safer and cleaner future for our country. Click on the links below to see those state fact sheets.

See more information on the national results

Read the Executive Summary for the analysis

Individual state fact sheets
Alabama	Hawaii	Massachusetts	New Mexico	South Dakota
Alaska	Idaho	Michigan	New York	Tennessee
Arizona	Illinois	Minnesota	North Carolina	Texas
Arkansas	Indiana	Mississippi	North Dakota	Utah
California	Iowa	Missouri	Ohio	Vermont
Colorado	Kansas	Montana	Oklahoma	Virginia
Connecticut	Kentucky	Nebraska	Oregon	Washington
Delaware	Louisiana	Nevada	Pennsylvania	West Virginia
Florida	Maine	New Hampshire	Rhode Island	Wisconsin
Georgia	Maryland	New Jersey	South Carolina	Wyoming

CLEAN TECH MESSAGING

Senators and Congressmen must hear from clean tech business leaders early and often or opponents will dominate and poison the public debate by arguing that the US economy will suffer, that jobs will be lost, that the technologies you are developing will not work, and even that global warming is still up for debate (if not a complete hoax). Your silence and the silence of other clean tech leaders will make passage of a truly effective law very difficult or even impossible. Call, write, email, and visit. Help Congress help you.

Click here for an easy way to contact Congress with this basic message:

Effect on American Consumers

* One Postage Stamp Per Day. The proposed legislation will cost Americans only $160 per year in increased energy prices -- one postage stamp per day -- while poor Americans actually save money. source: non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

* Americans Actually Will Save Money When Adding Energy Efficiency. Energy efficiency savings could result in $250 per year for American consumers, making the energy and climate price tag for Americans effectively zero.
* Inaction Means Reduced Global & US GDP.

20% global GDP reduction per year
1-2% US GDP reduction per year

* New, American Jobs Will Be Created. An estimated 1.7 new American jobs will be created with this legislation. source: PERI/CAP (UMass. Political Economy & Research Institute / Center for American Progress)

State by State Economic Benefits

Research is available that outlines economic and job benefits for each state. Senators and Congressmen care how this will affect their constituents, so the data is a good resource. Click here or go to

< www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/06/pdf/peri_report.pdf > and look in Appendix 2.

Clean Tech Policy Update - January 15, 2010

by Donnie Fowler — last modified January 15, 2010 01:00 AM

Filed Under:

Featured

RECENT CLEAN ENERGY NEWS ARTICLES

US Patent Office Fast Tracks Clean Tech Patents (Wall Street Journal)
US Dept of Agriculture Marks $90million for Climate Research (NY Times)
Study: Global Warming is Not Slowing (NY Times)
Study: US Economic Growth & Job Creation from Climate Bill (UC-Berkeley)
Study: Legislation’s Benefits Outweigh Costs (Wall Street Journal)
Green Jobs Paying $30 an Hour (Yahoo!)

Copenhagen Developments

NY Times Summary: Representatives of 193 nations are about to conclude climate talks in Copenhagen. A new report has found that an overall warming trend is continuing. Another study suggests that the steps needed to slow that climb, or reverse it, will cost trillions of dollars. The U.S. has said it will cut emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 and has promised to help raise $100 billion to help poor countries make the transition to fewer emissions. China has said it would cut its "carbon intensity," or the amount of emissions in relation to production, by 40 to 45 percent, but has made it clear that a greater percent is not negotiable. The European Union said December 17th that it will not raise its 20 percent cuts to 30 percent, as it has offered, unless it sees more ambitious actions from other countries, especially China. (AP)

Obama Heads to Copenhagen, Even Non-Binding Deal In Question

AP, Dec 18, 2009

Obama will be on hand for the final day of the two-week, 193-nation U.N. climate conference. But U.S.-China acrimony, a bitter divide between rich and poor nations and dissatisfaction with the U.S. emissions-reduction pledge clouded prospects for any agreement. Schedules for foreign trips and international leader gatherings are usually set in advance in excruciating detail. Agreements are almost always inked ahead of time, with all but the signatures filled in. Not so for this trip … Thursday's offer from the U.S. to help raise $100 billion a year starting in 2020 to get poorer nations started on converting to clean energy and recovering from climate damage offered some hope. China responded by going some way to meet a firm U.S. demand that Beijing and other developing economies make cuts in emissions growth that are open to international verification. There has been much hope in Copenhagen that Obama would arrive with a new proposal and salvage the talks. That's not likely … Any agreement is expected, at best, to envision emissions-cutting targets for rich nations and billions in help for poor countries, but to fall well short of the goal of a legally binding pact … "Coming back with an empty agreement would be far worse than coming back empty-handed," said Robert Gibbs, Mr. Obama's press secretary.

Obama Sets a Target, China Announces Its Own, and The US & India Sign an MOU

The White House announced on November 25 that President Obama is offering a U.S. target for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the range of 17% below 2005 levels by 2020. The proposed target agrees with the limit set by climate legislation that has passed the U.S. House of Representatives, but the U.S. Senate is currently considering a bill that cuts GHG emissions to 20% below 2005 levels by 2020. The White House noted that the final U.S. emissions target will ultimately fall in line with the climate legislation, once that legislation passes both houses of Congress and is approved by the President. The U.S. Department of State has also established the "COP-15" Web site and a Facebook page to mark the event. The U.N. climate change conference is officially known as the 15th annual session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP-15 for short. See the White House press release and the State Department's press release, COP-15 Web site, and COP-15 Facebook Page.

China Cuts Rate of Growth. The day after the White House announced the U.S. GHG targets, China announced that it will reduce the intensity of its carbon dioxide emissions by 40%-45% by 2020. Carbon dioxide emissions intensity is defined as the amount of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP). China expects its GDP to at least double by 2020, which could potentially result in a doubling of carbon dioxide emissions, but the new target should hold the increase in carbon dioxide emissions to 20% or less. The carbon intensity target will be a binding goal that China will incorporate into its medium- and long-term development plans. China also announced plans to invest in the research, development, and commercialization of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, as well as other low-carbon energy technologies. The country plans to draw on non-fossil-fuel energy sources for 15% of its energy needs by 2020 and will encourage low-carbon lifestyles and consumption. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will attend the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen. See the announcement on the Chinese Government's official Web portal.

United States and India to Cooperate on Clean Energy Technologies. President Barack Obama and India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on November 24 for their nations to work together to speed up the development and deployment of clean energy technology. Under the new MOU, the two nations will launch a Clean Energy and Climate Change Initiative, with the goal of improving technologies to make clean energy more affordable and efficient. The initiative will include cooperation in wind and solar energy, second-generation biofuels, and energy efficiency, as well as unconventional sources of natural gas and clean coal technologies, including carbon capture and storage. See the White House press release and the Green Partnership Fact Sheet (PDF 81 KB).

Congress & The Obama Administration

Senators Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman Unveil New Climate Bill

Wall Street Journal & Letter to President Obama, Dec. 10, 2009

A new bipartisan climate bill combines caps on greenhouse-gas levels with new offshore oil-and-gas exploration and nuclear power plant incentives. Offered by Sens. John Kerry (D., Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), and Joe Lieberman (I., Conn.), President Obama called it a "positive development,” but it's still unclear whether the proposal will win over Democrats from heartland states and Republicans opposed to adopting caps on U.S. carbon emissions. Meanwhile, another bill offering a “cap and dividend” solution instead of cap and trade is being pushed by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Susan Collins (R-ME).

EPA Paves Way for Carbon Regulation.

NY Times, Dec 7, 2009

The EPA announced Monday that it has formally determined that greenhouse gases pose a danger to human health and the environment. The so-called endangerment finding permits the Obama Administration to regulate emissions through agency rule-making procedures if Congress fails to enact climate legislation.

Obama Promotes Home Energy Efficiency Program

AP, Dec 15, 2009

Hoping to jump-start his plans for job growth, President Barack Obama is pushing Congress to pass incentives for homeowners who retrofit their homes to make them more energy-efficient. Last week, he advanced a new spending plan that would provide tax breaks for energy-efficient retrofits in homes and, thereby, put some people back to work. This would be separate from the climate and energy bill expected to be debated next year.

How the Recover Act Supports a Clean Energy Economy

ABC News, Dec 15, 2009

The White House has released a memo that VP Biden presented to the president outlining ways that $80 billion in direct funding from the Administration’s $787 billion Recovery Act funding is making progress for toward a cleaner, more energy efficient economy. The report details ways that stimulus funds have been used toward advances in renewable energy, energy grid modernization, home energy efficiency projects and green automobiles:

• Renewable Energy: The U.S. is on-track to double renewable energy generation, including solar, wind and geothermal, and double renewable manufacturing capacity in just three years because of Recovery Act investments.

• Vehicles and Fuels of the Future: Over the next six years, three new electric vehicles plants—the first ever in the U.S.—and 30 new battery plants will be fully operational because of the Administration’s $16 billion investment in plug-in hybrids, all-electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to power them, as well as new clean fuels. When President Obama took office there were just 2 advanced battery and electric drive component factories in the U.S.

• Grid Modernization: Twenty-six million smart meters will be installed in U.S. homes by 2013 – more than triple the number currently in service – as a result of the Administration’s $4 billion Recovery Act investment in a smart energy grid and the one-to-one match in private sector funding. This technology allows consumers to monitor and regulate their own energy usage and costs.

• Energy Efficiency: Because the Administration is making the largest single investment in home energy efficiency in U.S history through the Recovery Act and other initiatives, nearly one million home energy efficiency retrofits will have happened by 2012.

• Carbon Capture: Because of Recovery Act funding and existing loan guarantee authority, there will be 5 commercial scale power plants operating with large carbon capture sequestration facilities by 2015. When President Obama took office, there were zero.

• Science and Innovation: Through the Recovery Act, the Administration is investing $400 million in some of the most advanced research in wind, solar, and geothermal technologies through the ARPA-E program to make these clean sources of energy more affordable and easier to store and transport. A year ago, this critical program was unfunded.

Speaker Pelosi Story on Getting House Climate Legislation Passed Last June

Time Magazine, Dec 16, 2009 (Runner Up for “Person of the Year”)

Nancy Pelosi and her army of whips had counted the votes and counted them again. [I]n the middle of a recession, the Waxman-Markey climate & energy law that Republicans were calling a job killer seemed too much to ask of her stressed-out caucus last summer, especially after Democrats had already put their necks on the line to bail out Wall Street and the auto industry and to pass a $787 billion economic-stimulus package, and when they were looking ahead to a massive overhaul of the health care system. But Pelosi was undaunted.

To win Rust Belt lawmakers, Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman had whittled down the bill's targets for reducing global warming and switching to renewable fuels. But that was just the beginning of the dealmaking. He and Pelosi doled out billions of dollars in pollution allowances to utilities, industry and agriculture. One freshman Congressman from Florida demanded — and got — a promise of a $50 million hurricane-research center in his district. For others, there was money to train low-income workers for green jobs and to make public housing more energy-efficient. Though some in the White House had misgivings about the wisdom of pushing ahead, Obama worked the phones and even pulled wavering lawmakers aside during a June 25 luau-themed picnic on the South Lawn.

The suspense went nearly down to the wire, but when the gavel fell at 7:17 p.m. on June 26, Pelosi had won by one vote. She recalled that moment in a recent interview, barely able to get out the words as she battled a sore throat and nursed a cup of hot water, lemon and honey through a straw. "I never thought for one minute that we wouldn't win," she said in a raspy whisper. "Never." It can be foolish — maybe even dangerous — to underestimate Nancy Pelosi.

Opinion Pieces

Will Big Business Save the Earth?

Jared Diamond (Author of Guns, Germs, & Steel), NY Times, Dec 5, 2009

There is a widespread view, particularly among environmentalists and liberals, that big businesses are environmentally destructive, greedy, evil and driven by short-term profits. I have more nuanced feelings. The embrace of environmental concerns by chief executives has accelerated recently for several reasons. Lower consumption of environmental resources saves money in the short run. Maintaining sustainable resource levels and not polluting saves money in the long run. So why do policy changes face resistance from some businesses and many politicians?

Going Cheney on Climate

Thomas Friedman, NY Times, Dec 8, 2009

I’m for doing the Cheney-thing on climate — preparing for 1 percent. In the face of concerns that a Pakistani scientist was offering nuclear-weapons expertise to Al Qaeda, reportedly declared: “If there’s a 1% chance that Pakistani scientists are helping Al Qaeda build or develop a nuclear weapon, we have to treat it as... a certainty in terms of our response.” Cheney contended that the U.S. had to confront a very new type of threat: a “low-probability, high-impact event.” Many of the same people who defend Mr. Cheney’s One Percent Doctrine on nukes tell us not to worry at all about catastrophic global warming,
where the odds are, in fact, a lot higher than 1 percent.

SUMMARY: CONGRESSIONAL CLIMATE & ENERGY LEGISLATION

December 10, 2009

The energy and climate change fight is currently occurring in the U.S. Senate because the House of Representatives passed legislation in June 2009 (the “ACES Act” or the “Markey-Waxman” bill). Two primary pieces of legislation are currently being debated in the Senate: the Bingaman energy bill and the bipartisan Kerry-Graham-Lieberman climate bill that has effectively replaced an earlier Kerry-Boxer bill. The climate bill, sponsored by Democrat John Kerry, Republican Lindsey Graham, and Independent Joe Lieberman, has opened the real possibility of finding enough Republicans and moderate Democrats to move things along in the first half of 2010. Nonetheless, as many as five Senate committees will hold hearings before a final vote by the entire Senate.

As the Copenhagen conference concludes this week, the public debate in the U.S. has been increasingly loud because all sides want to define the issues long before the legislation moves to first place on the Washington agenda. Congress needs to hear from clean tech business leaders frequently on the economic growth, job creation, and international competitiveness issues. Otherwise, say members of Congress, the debate will be lost or the final laws so weak that they do not spark the clean energy economy. Click here for congressional contact information and look further in this document for message points that support clean tech’s agenda.

Updated Dec 10, 2009	House Climate & Energy Bill (Waxman-Markey)	Senate Energy Bill (Bingaman)	Senate Climate Bill Proposal (Kerry-Graham-Lieberman)
R&D Funding	Yes	Yes	Probably
Transmission & Smart Grid Addressed	Yes	Yes	Unknown
“Green Bank” Financing Office	Yes	Yes	-
Renewable Elect. Standard (RES)	20 % by 2020	15% by 2021	-
Greenhouse Gas Reduction	17% by 2020	-	17% by 2020
Cap & Trade	Yes	-	Yes
Carbon Offset Program	Yes	-	Yes
Carbon Capture & Sequestration	Yes	-	Yes
Consumer/Business Job Protections & Cost Supports	Yes	-	Yes
Nuclear Power Addressed	-	-	Yes
Offshore Drilling Expanded	-	Yes	Yes
Feds Share Oil & Gas $ With States	-	Bingaman Opposes	Yes
Agricultural Emissions Exempted	-	-	Yes
Intell. Property Protections for U.S.			Yes

I. HOUSE CLIMATE & ENERGY BILL (“ACES Act” / “Waxman-Markey bill”)

Key Date: Passed June 2009 by House (219 to 212)

Authors: Rep. Henry Waxman, Chairman of House Energy & Commerce Cmte; Rep. Ed Markey, Chairman of Cmte on Energy Independence & Global Warming

More Info: www.pewclimate.org/acesa

Cap-and-Trade
Greenhouse Gas Reductions. 17 % reduction from 2005 levels by 2020 & 83 % by 2050
US Renewable Energy Electricity Standard (RES) of 20% by 2020. Qualifying sources: energy efficiency, wind, solar, ocean, geothermal, biomass, biogas and biofuels derived exclusively from eligible biomass, landfill gas, hydrokinetic, waste-to-energy, wastewater-treatment gas, coal-mine methane, and new hydro at post-1992 dams
R&D of $190 billion to energy efficiency, renewables, carbon capture & storage, electric vehicles
Transmission Grid Supports.
Energy Efficiency for Buildings, Lights, Appliances.
Green Bank Financing Office.
Carbon Offsets Program.
Coal Plant Pollution & CCS Standards.
Protections & Cost Supports for New Technology Development, Consumers, & Some Industries.

II. SENATE CLIMATE BILL (“Kerry-Boxer” replaced by “Kerry-Graham-Lieberman”)

Key Dates: Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman outlined legislation December 2009 that replaces Kerry-Boxer legislation of September 2009

Authors: Sen. John Kerry (Democrat), Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Sen. Lindsey Graham (Republican), & Sen. Joe Lieberman (Independent)

Cap-and-Trade
Greenhouse Gas Reductions. 17% reduction from 2005 levels by 2020 & 80% over “long term”
Carbon Offsets Program
CCS Standards
Nuclear & Transportation. Incentives for nuclear power plants & low-emissions transportation
Protections & Cost Supports for New Technology Development, Consumers, & Some Industries.
Key Unanswered Question: how the permits to emit carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases would be distributed to utilities, manufacturers, agribusiness and other interests

III. SENATE ENERGY BILL (“American Clean Energy Leadership Act” / “Bingaman bill”)

Key Date: legislation passed by Energy Committee June 2009

Author: Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Chairman of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee

US Renewable Energy Electricity Standard (RES) of 15% by 2021. Qualifying sources: energy efficiency, wind, solar, ocean, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, incremental hydro, hydrokinetic, waste-to-energy, and new hydro at existing dams.
Transmission “Interstate Highway System” & Grid Security. Creates new planning system based on local, state and regional input with states taking initial lead. New security powers to Dept or Energy & FERC.
Green Bank Financing Office
CCS R&D Funding. $6.6 billion for 10 “early mover” large-scale CCS projects
Offshore Drilling in Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Opens 3.8 billion barrels of new oil resources & 21.5 trillion cubic feet of new natural gas resources.

STATE BY STATE JOB GROWTH

Clean Energy & Climate Policies Lead to Economic Growth in the United States

New analysis shows that adopting comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation could create up to 1.9 million jobs

The State Fact Sheets were co-released by E2, Ceres, and The Clean Economy Network

and also some state business groups. Feel free to distribute.

http://www.e2.org/jsp/controller?docName=jobs

New economic analysis shows that clean energy and climate policies would create jobs, increase consumers’ income, and strengthen the U.S. economy as a whole. Based on collaborate research by the University of Illinois, Yale University and the University of California, the new study clearly demonstrates that comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation, such as the American Clean Energy and Security Act and the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, would limit pollution and create incentives to drive large-scale investments in clean energy and energy efficiency.

The analysis indicates that, on a national level, such legislation would up to 1.9 million new jobs, increase annual household income by up to $1,175 per year, and boost GDP by up to $111 billion – with all of those benefits measured relative to a scenario without such legislation. In addition, all the states would see economic gains are over and above the growth that they would see in the absence of such a bill.

Environmental Entrepreneurs, along with the national investor coalition Ceres and the Clean Economy Network, have sponsored the publication of the following 50 state fact sheets that clearly illustrate the study’s findings about how each state will be impacted if we pass strong clean energy and climate policies to secure a safer and cleaner future for our country. Click on the links below to see those state fact sheets.

See more information on the national results

Read the Executive Summary for the analysis

Individual state fact sheets
Alabama	Hawaii	Massachusetts	New Mexico	South Dakota
Alaska	Idaho	Michigan	New York	Tennessee
Arizona	Illinois	Minnesota	North Carolina	Texas
Arkansas	Indiana	Mississippi	North Dakota	Utah
California	Iowa	Missouri	Ohio	Vermont
Colorado	Kansas	Montana	Oklahoma	Virginia
Connecticut	Kentucky	Nebraska	Oregon	Washington
Delaware	Louisiana	Nevada	Pennsylvania	West Virginia
Florida	Maine	New Hampshire	Rhode Island	Wisconsin
Georgia	Maryland	New Jersey	South Carolina	Wyoming

CLEAN TECH MESSAGING

Senators and Congressmen must hear from clean tech business leaders early and often or opponents will dominate and poison the public debate by arguing that the US economy will suffer, that jobs will be lost, that the technologies you are developing will not work, and even that global warming is still up for debate (if not a complete hoax). Your silence and the silence of other clean tech leaders will make passage of a truly effective law very difficult or even impossible. Call, write, email, and visit. Help Congress help you.

Click here for an easy way to contact Congress with this basic message:

Effect on American Consumers

* One Postage Stamp Per Day. The proposed legislation will cost Americans only $160 per year in increased energy prices -- one postage stamp per day -- while poor Americans actually save money. source: non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

* Americans Actually Will Save Money When Adding Energy Efficiency. Energy efficiency savings could result in $250 per year for American consumers, making the energy and climate price tag for Americans effectively zero.
* Inaction Means Reduced Global & US GDP.

20% global GDP reduction per year
1-2% US GDP reduction per year

* New, American Jobs Will Be Created. An estimated 1.7 new American jobs will be created with this legislation. source: PERI/CAP (UMass. Political Economy & Research Institute / Center for American Progress)

State by State Economic Benefits

Research is available that outlines economic and job benefits for each state. Senators and Congressmen care how this will affect their constituents, so the data is a good resource. Click here or go to

< www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/06/pdf/peri_report.pdf > and look in Appendix 2.

Clean Tech Policy Update - December 18, 2009

by Donnie Fowler — last modified December 18, 2009 01:00 AM

Filed Under:

Featured

RECENT CLEAN ENERGY NEWS ARTICLES

US Patent Office Fast Tracks Clean Tech Patents (Wall Street Journal)
US Dept of Agriculture Marks $90million for Climate Research (NY Times)
Study: Global Warming is Not Slowing (NY Times)
Study: US Economic Growth & Job Creation from Climate Bill (UC-Berkeley)
Study: Legislation’s Benefits Outweigh Costs (Wall Street Journal)
Green Jobs Paying $30 an Hour (Yahoo!)

Copenhagen Developments