Significant develops have taken place on the state level in the last week to improve the overall outlook of the nation’s growing green economy.
In Pennsylvannia, the State House voted to borrow $850 to encourage the use of cleaner energy sources, as proposed in Governor Ed Rendell’s energy strategy. The bill would expand solar manufacturing, advanced coal technologies, electricity conservation and related research. The House Senate has already passed a similar bill with a significantly lower dollar figure.
Elsewhere in the state, Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (a.k.a. PennFuture) announced the formation of the Great Green Jobs Campaign, the first goal of which is to push state legislators to pass a series of bills (like the aforementioned) that PennFuture believes will spur the growth of green jobs in the state.
Likewise, in Rhode island, a coalition, made up of labor unions, environmental advocates and antipoverty groups, are promoting similar legislation in their state. This group, called the Green Jobs Alliance, said it supports legislation to attract renewable-energy technology manufacturers and to provide incentives–including net metering and tax credits–to develop renewable-electricity installations across the state.
Rhode Island state Senator Joshua Miller (D-Cranston) said, "As we face an economic downturn, green jobs present one of the best ways to secure our economic future. If we advance this agenda now, we’ll be at the fore of the new energy economy. If we don’t act quickly, other states surely will."
Meanwhile, Florida, which already has a net metering law, has decided to expand eligibility under its regulations. Florida’s Public Service Commission unanimously ratified a rule that will allow residents and businesses with renewable energy systems up to 2 megawatts to sell unused energy back to the electric grid. The previous limit was 10 kilowatts.
And finally, California has moved one step closer to enacting its own carbon cap-and-trade system. The California Energy Commission adopted a report recommending a combination of market and program approaches to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state’s electricity and natural gas sectors.
Prepared jointly by the Energy Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the report is the first of two phases required by California law to address emissions goals set in AB 32.
Among the recommendations made in the report, the Energy Commission said it believes that if a cap-and-trade program is implemented by the California Air Resources Board, the electricity sector can provide reductions in greenhouse gases beyond the mandatory programs and at a lower cost with increased flexibility and innovation.
"We can now move into the next phase of our joint proceeding, working with our stakeholders, to develop recommendations for the design of an emissions allocation system," said Jackalyne Pfannenstiel, Chairman of the Energy Commission
Loading...