Cross posted at Earth Friendly Shopping
A Renewable Energy Standard - a law requiring that utilities use an increasing proportion of renewable energy has long been a goal of environmentalists. With an administration that actually shows concern about the environement, and a stronger Democratic majority in congress, the chances of such a bill are better, but it is certainly not a slam dunk.
Looking at the house
The House easily passed an RES in 2007, which would have required 15 percent of electricity in the U.S. to come from renewables by 2020. It’s likely to act soon on a new, tougher version — probably the RES bill from Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Todd Platts (R-Pa.), which calls for 25 percent renewables by 2025
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Markey sums it up
"With our economy in crisis, renewable energy can create hundreds of thousands of new green jobs, revitalize declining manufacturing sectors, and decrease global warming pollution," said Markey, who chairs the Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming and the energy and environment subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
The Senate however, is a different story. As with so many other issues, we need 60 votes in the Senate to make any progress. The good news is that Reid is behind the bill. for whatever that means
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.)plans to steer a major energy bill through the committee in roughly the next month.
The bad news is that getting to the needed 60 could be problematic. The first problem for Bingaman is getting it through his committee.
If Bingaman goes through the committee — where Democrats hold a 13-10 majority — the Democratic swing votes are believed to be Sens. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Evan Bayh of Indiana and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. Bingaman would need to carry two of these three, or at least win over one if he also has backing from some GOP members.
Bayh has not committed his vote either way. "I am all for helping promote the use of renewable energy. Whether this is the appropriate mechanism or not remains to be seen," he said. Asked whether he would vote for Bingaman’s proposal specifically, he replied: "I have not endorsed it yet. That is not a yes or a no. It remains to be seen."
Bingaman has floated a bill that requires power providers to obtain 16 percent of their supply from renewables by 2019, and 20 percent in 2021 and for almost two decades thereafter. The plan allows 25 percent of the target to be met with utility demand reduction programs.
If he can’t get it through the committee, there is another option. It could be introduced as an amendment to another bill already on the floor. Either way, it needs to get to 60 votes, and that’s not going to be easy.
Democrats have 59 votes in the Senate (if Al Franken ever gets seated ...). The bill would need 60 votes to get cloture and surmount a filibuster threat. Republicans like Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, and Chuck Grassley of Iowa could swing in favor of the bill. But Democrats like Evan Bayh of Indiana, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas have expressed misgivings about an RES. These senators are the ones to watch.
Unfortunately, it appears that to get the bill through, it may have to be watered down. Energy savings could be included, and Landrieu is going to push hard for nuclear. Still, we are closer, and should push