U.S. Senator Pete Domenici says he views a 15% Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) as an unfair burden to consumers.
When the Senate takes up energy, probably next week, he and other Senators are planning to offer an alternative Clean Energy Portfolio Standard (CEPS), which he says would create a fair playing field for all low-emission energy resources.
His CEPS would broaden the definition of renewables to include nuclear, hydropower and clean coal. It includes provisions to help states use less electricity to meet target goals, such as energy efficiency measures.
Domenici says the RPS requirement that States that can’t produce the required amount of renewable energy would purchase credits, would be onerous to consumers, since the cost would likely be passed onto them.
“I believe that we should find ways for all 50 states to produce clean energy, which is what a Clean Energy Portfolio Standard would do. States have unique resources and the federal government must recognize that and legislate accordingly. A Clean Energy Portfolio Standard, instead of a one-size fits all federal RPS mandate, would provide states with much needed flexibility in meeting their electricity needs, and would help our nation move toward cleaner energy,” he said.
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Senator Charles Schumer said he will introduce a measure to require cities and states to increase energy efficiency in new buildings by 30% in the next five years and 50% before 2022.
The measure, which will be introduced next week as an amendment to the Senate energy bill, cities and states would face penalties if they don’t adopt a standard nationwide code or their own such codes.
He says the amendment would bring the country in line with progressive standards in California and New York City, which require green-building practices as part of their code.
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Top executives from Detroit’s Big Three automakers are meeting with key lawmakers to attempt to weaken Senate fuel economy legislation that sets a 35 mile-per-gallon fleetwide average target in 2020.
They are promoting an alternative proposal that is filled with loopholes and could lead to an increase in fuel use, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. Their visit comes a week after the industry launched a million-dollar misinformation campaign attacking fuel economy increases.
The alternative bill, drafted by Michigan Sen. Carl Levin (D), would set weak goals with a longer timeframe - an approximately 32.5 mpg fleetwide average in 2025 (specifically, a 36-mpg average for cars in 2022 and a 30-mpg average for trucks in 2025). In addition, his bill would allow automakers to replace requirements with promises. At best, such a law would produce only one third the oil savings of stronger legislation. At worst, it would lead to an increase in fuel use if automakers fully exploit the loopholes.
A strengthened bill would guarantee a 35-mpg fleetwide average in 2020. It would save drivers nearly $50 billion in fuel costs and cut more than 215 million metric tons of global warming pollution in that year alone. The automakers contend that this proposal is unworkable, just as they claimed that adding seatbelts, airbags and catalytic converters would bankrupt the industry.
“The automakers have a long history of whining that they can’t improve their products,” Friedman said. “But the National Academy of Sciences concluded that conventional technology can boost the fuel economy of all vehicles, from two-seaters to four-by-fours. They can produce 34-mpg SUVs, 37-mpg minivans and 41-mpg family cars. UCS studies concluded that the auto companies can do even better.”
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