What Kerry-Lieberman Doesn't Do
If the renewable energy industry was looking for a national mandate to spur green energy growth in the American Power Act, it must be sorely disappointed. The bill introduced by senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) on Wednesday, the American Power Act, sidesteps one of clean energy's legislative priorities.
Most of the attention will be paid to the bill's carbon reduction clauses, aid for nuclear power and because of recent headlines, offshore drilling. But a national renewable energy standard, sometimes called a renewable electricity standard (RES), promoted throughout the past decade by wind, solar, geothermal and other organizations as a main driver for green energy growth, doesn't get a mention in the new proposal.
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), which sees the mandate as a critical policy driver, released a rather mild statement from its CEO Denise Bode. "We look forward to seeing provisions on renewable energy like a strong Renewable Electricity Standard as well as energy efficiency to create new clean energy jobs and avoid carbon in the near term in any package considered by the Senate," she said.
Likewise, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), another RES proponent, is already looking ahead. "As the draft bill moves forward," UCS said, "it is critical that it include a strong standard that would spur development of clean renewable electricity sources, generate new jobs and reduce consumers' energy bills."
Clean energy manufacturing, a sector that has gotten a lot of attention during the recession, is emphasized in the American Power Act. The bill includes an expansion of advanced manufacturing tax credits, already a popular program.
"We welcome the elements of the proposal which encourage further development of domestic renewable energy manufacturing and implementation while emphasizing the need to find a legislative solution to reduce carbon emissions, rather than forcing the EPA to regulate," said Stephanie Burns, Dow Corning president and CEO.
The RES could be added during deliberations, or the bill could be combined with the Senate energy bill that included a mild one and passed a committee last year.
It's a curious omission, as many renewable energy advocates suggest a price on carbon can't, by itself, spur the demand for clean energy and create green jobs. But if the senators have a goal to "transform the American economy," as they said, then I'm left wondering how that happens by leaving one of the key elements out of the bill.
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