WASHINGTON (Reuters) - There is enough support in Congress to pass legislation requiring utilities to generate a portion of their electricity supplies from wind, solar and other renewable energy sources, the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee said on Tuesday.
The committee held a hearing on draft legislation that would set a national renewable electricity standard, which would help meet President Barack Obama's goal to double renewable energy production over the next three years.
Under the bill, the amount of the U.S. electricity supply coming from renewable energy sources would gradually increase to 4 percent in 2011-12, 8 percent in 2013-15, 12 percent in 2016-18, 16 percent in 2019-20 and 20 percent in 2021-39.
"I think that the votes are present in the Senate to pass a renewable electricity standard. I think that they are present in the House," Sen. Jeff Bingaman, the energy committee's chairman, said. "I think that we need to get on with figuring out what we can pass and move forward."
Qualifying renewable energy sources under the bill would be wind, solar, ocean currents and waves, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas and incremental hydropower.
Creating a renewable electricity standard would reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuel sources that run power plants and cut those facilities' emissions of greenhouse gases linked to global warming and other pollutants, Bingaman said.
"This standard would also spur the development of a national green energy economy, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, many in rural areas," he said.
However, power companies and regulators in southern states, where coal is popular for electricity generation, generally oppose a federal renewable standard. They argue not all states have abundant renewable energy resources like wind.
David Wright, commissioner of the South Carolina Public Service Commission, said a federal renewable standard "fails to recognize that there are significant differences among the states in terms of available and cost-effective renewable energy resources, and that having such a standard in energy legislation will ultimately increase consumers' electricity bills."
Source - Reuters
Showing posts with label President Barack Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label President Barack Obama. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Monday, 26 January 2009
Barack Obama 'to reverse Bush policies on climate change'
President poised to let states issue tougher rules on emissions and order car makers to boost fuel efficiency.
President Barack Obama is expected to issue new environmental regulations today, reversing the Bush administration's climate change policies by allowing several states to set tougher car emission and fuel efficiency standards.
Granting California and 13 other states the right to regulate emissions is a sharp departure from President George W Bush's line on the environment and has been opposed by car makers.
According to The New York Times, Mr Obama will order the US Environmental Protection Agency to begin work immediately on granting the so-called California waiver, which allows the state - long in the vanguard on environmental matters - to set its own standards for car emissions.
In his White House announcement, Mr Obama is also expected to direct federal agencies to make all government buildings more energy efficient. The new administration hopes to achieve energy savings of up to $2 billion (£1.5 billion) per year, as well as a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases blamed for global warming.
The presidential orders will require vehicle manufacturers to speed efforts to make and sell cars and trucks that get higher mileage than the national standard, congressional officials said.
"If we don't put a price on carbon," said Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer of California, the chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, "we'll never get these clean energy sources online."
Mr Obama also will direct the Department of Transportation to begin drafting automobile fuel-economy regulations to comply with a law enacted in December 2007. President Bush delayed implementing the law and left office saying there was not sufficient time to write the rules.
Source - Thetimes
President Barack Obama is expected to issue new environmental regulations today, reversing the Bush administration's climate change policies by allowing several states to set tougher car emission and fuel efficiency standards.
Granting California and 13 other states the right to regulate emissions is a sharp departure from President George W Bush's line on the environment and has been opposed by car makers.
According to The New York Times, Mr Obama will order the US Environmental Protection Agency to begin work immediately on granting the so-called California waiver, which allows the state - long in the vanguard on environmental matters - to set its own standards for car emissions.
In his White House announcement, Mr Obama is also expected to direct federal agencies to make all government buildings more energy efficient. The new administration hopes to achieve energy savings of up to $2 billion (£1.5 billion) per year, as well as a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases blamed for global warming.
The presidential orders will require vehicle manufacturers to speed efforts to make and sell cars and trucks that get higher mileage than the national standard, congressional officials said.
"If we don't put a price on carbon," said Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer of California, the chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, "we'll never get these clean energy sources online."
Mr Obama also will direct the Department of Transportation to begin drafting automobile fuel-economy regulations to comply with a law enacted in December 2007. President Bush delayed implementing the law and left office saying there was not sufficient time to write the rules.
Source - Thetimes
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