Archive for October, 2009
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Partnership
Partnership Update - October 27
The climate change debate in Washington, DC is intensifying. Since reconvening after the August recess, the Senate has been mired in discussions about both health care and financial reform. However, even though the Senate is focused on those very important issues, climate change is still on the radar screen.
S. 1733, known as the Boxer-Kerry Clean Energy and American Power Act, has now been introduced. There are also signs that the EPA will begin regulating greenhouse gases through its own process. Last week, the EPA issued a proposed rule to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generators and industrial plants. That came on the heels of final approval of a rule on economy-wide reporting of greenhouse gas emissions that is effective January 1, 2010.
Clearly, there is still a sense of pressure among many in Washington, DC to move forward with sweeping climate change legislation and/or regulation. The question becomes when. We know that the EPA is active. On the legislative front, the Congressional calendar is extremely busy. Several committees other than Sen. Boxer’s Environment and Public Works Committee will be weighing in on the climate debate in the Senate, but how long that will take is another unknown factor. Senators Boxer and Kerry have now released the details of their legislation and the EPA has provided an economic analysis of the bill. Senator Boxer is holding three days of hearings (October 27th, 28th, and 29th) and has tentatively scheduled a mark-up of the legislation in mid-November. All things being equal, that timeframe is tenuous at best.
Additionally, there is a lot of activity behind the scenes, with the political aspects of this issue being negotiated at every turn. Once a final bill emerges out of Committee and is set for floor debate, there will need to be 60 votes in favor of the bill. Many specific details of climate legislation that are important to certain legislators in their home areas are becoming part of the closed-door discussions. Regional issues and economic impact are key issues to be addressed.
The Boxer-Kerry Senate bill continues to cause members of the Partnership for Fair & Affordable Energy concern. The bill does not provide for the kind of ratepayer protection that is needed in Indiana, or the Midwest for that matter. It still benefits the East and West Coasts, at our expense. In these continued tough economic times, please make your voice count! Talk to Senators Lugar and Bayh and let them know that we need to have a fair and affordable approach to climate change legislation.
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Partnership
Partnership Update - October 2
On September 30, 2009, the Senate unveiled its version of a draft climate change bill. In recent months, Congress has turned its attention to the pressing issues of health care and financial reform, pushing climate change legislation out of the spotlight. Many believe that despite the unveiling of this draft, the Senate won’t get back to climate change before the end of the year, while others speculate that it might be a simpler topic to bring to a vote, thus moving it ahead of health care and financial reform. The bottom line is this: we don’t really know when Congress will prepare for a vote on this very important piece of legislation. It could come as soon as this fall, or it could slip into 2010, or even 2011.
Members of the Partnership for Fair and Affordable Energy agree that we must all work together to address environmental concerns and move climate change legislation forward. At the same time, we believe it can be accomplished without placing an undue financial burden on citizens who live in coal-rich states.
Senators Lugar and Bayh recognize the devastating effects that the House version of the climate change bill would have on the citizens of Indiana, a state that depends on coal for 95% of its electricity. During difficult economic times such as these, consumers are ill-prepared to take on the financial burden of a carbon-reduction policy. But a cap and trade bill can be written so as not to overly penalize coal-rich states. We applaud our Senators, and ask them to continue working with their colleagues to craft a fair and affordable carbon bill.
In December, the world’s climate experts will meet in Copenhagen to discuss the global nature of this issue. It’s important to remember reducing carbon has to be a worldwide, and economy-wide, effort. Americans can take drastic steps to reduce our carbon footprint, but if other countries, especially those with emerging industrial bases, don’t do the same, our improvements will be nullified. This is a global issue, not simply an American issue.
No matter the timeline, we need to make our voices count. Talk to your friends and neighbors about this issue, and keep checking back to www.fairpowernow.org for the most current information.
