Watching Our Water Ways

Late yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed historic legislation addressing climate change for the first time since the risks of greenhouse gases were identified.

Immediately, my e-mail begin to fill up with comments — mostly from supporters of the legislation but a few from those questioning the process and the downside of so-called cap-and-trade policies.

The LA Times published a straightforward explanation of the key points of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. The Q & A talks about how “cap and trade” would work and the goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and more than 80 percent below 2005 levels by 2050.

A more complete description and financial analysis is available from the Congressional Budget Office (PDF 140 kb). The CBO estimates that the average person will see their energy costs rise about $175 a year, a figure that is disputed by conservative opponents.

For years, U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island, has been promoting many of the provisions found in this bill, which now goes to the Senate. For that reason, the Kitsap Sun featured Inslee in an interview that ran today. Also today, the Sun ran my story about the “Cash for Clunkers” provision of the bill that was pulled out earlier and pushed ahead for implementation next month.

Following approval of the American Clean Energy and Security bill, Inslee made this statement:

“Since coming to Congress, I have worked to harness America’s innovative genius to create new, clean energy jobs in our state, break our country’s dependence on foreign oil and make this country the world leader in clean energy technologies.

“This bill is a huge victory for Washington state. In the Northwest, neither the melting Cascade snowpack, nor acidifying ocean waters, nor beetle-ravaged North Cascades forests could have waited much longer for us to act. The price of inaction is too high. Thankfully, today, America has begun a New Apollo Project to move the country toward a clean energy future and away from outdated fossil fuels.”

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire was quick to offer praise:

“This legislation will serve generations to come by promoting clean sources of energy and reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil. It tells the rest of the world that the United States is willing to lead the transition to clean energy and in responding to the global threat of climate change.”

Naturally, with a vote so close (219-212), we need to listen to critics as well. U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Pasco:

“Congressional Democrats just dealt a devastating blow to America’s already fragile economy. History will show that in the middle of a serious recession, Speaker Pelosi’s number one priority was to pass legislation that taxes Americans and ships their jobs overseas to India and China. If this bill becomes law, jobs will be lost, electricity bills will sky rocket, gas prices will spike, and businesses will close.

“The National Energy Tax bill will now move to the Senate – and I hope my colleagues in the other Chamber will stop this job-killing legislation.”

Please read on for further comments

For the other side, Larry Schweiger, President and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation:

“House passage of a cap on global warming pollution makes this the most important conservation vote in a generation. The House showed great resolve to undo a flawed energy policy and move America toward a fundamentally different energy future.”

Kevin Knobloch, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists:

“We’re thrilled that Congress has finally caught up with science and the American people in recognizing the need to switch on clean energy. Our future is now looking more like the Jetsons and less like the Flintstones.

“This vote was a major hurdle, and we’ve cleared it. President Obama can walk into the G8 summit of world leaders in Italy next week with his head held high. Now we have momentum to move and improve legislation in the Senate and put it on President Obama’s desk so he can go to December’s international summit in Copenhagen with the full backing of the Congress and the American people.”

Not all environmentalists supported the bill that passed the house. Carroll Muffett, deputy campaigns director for Greenpeace USA:

“The passage of the inadequate ACES bill through the House today is a victory for coal industry lobbyists, oil industry lobbyists, agriculture industry lobbyists, steel and cement industry lobbyists, among many others. But it is a tremendous loss for the American people or for the world in our common fight to avert climate catastrophe.

“To avoid the worst effects of global warming, we must reduce emissions by 25 to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, and the short term target of this bill is a paltry 4 percent. The massive offsets in this bill means that we can continue at our current emissions level for years, and huge giveaways mean a new generation of nuclear and coal plants.”

The liberal U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) voted against the bill and explained his rationale to the Cleveland Leader:

“The reason is simple. It won’t address the problem. In fact, it might make the problem worse.

“It sets targets that are too weak, especially in the short term, and sets about meeting those targets through Enron-style accounting methods. It gives new life to one of the primary sources of the problem that should be on its way out — coal — by giving it record subsidies. And it is rounded out with massive corporate giveaways at taxpayer expense. There is $60 billion for a single technology which may or may not work, but which enables coal power plants to keep warming the planet at least another 20 years.”

Alan Durning of the Seattle-based Sightline Institute wrote a piece called “14 Things I Love — and 6 I Hate — About Waxman-Markey.” Sightline also published something called “Cap and Trade 101.”

Another opponent is Myron Ebell, director of energy and global warming policy for the Competitive Enterprise Institute:

“House Democratic leaders have managed to squeeze a 1510-page energy-rationing bill through the House on a 219 to 212 vote by filling it full of payoffs to special interests, not releasing the full text until 3 a.m. the night before the vote, and restricting debate to three hours. The process should be an embarrassment to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Beverly Hills), but once people find out what’s in it, the bill will become an embarrassment to everyone who voted for it.”

Offering congratulations on the bill was Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund:

“The American Clean Energy and Security Act is the most important environmental and energy legislation in our nation’s history…

“The bill that emerged from the House has the fundamental structure we need to significantly reduce carbon pollution while growing the economy. It puts strong cap on emissions and reorients our energy market to make low-carbon power the goal. It ensures that utility rates will stay affordable and a competitive playing field for U.S. companies.”

Susan Bass, senior vice president for programs and operations for Earth Day Network:

“The climate bill passed by the House is an historic and reasonable measure that will move the U.S. closer toward a new green economic future. The bill goes a long way toward creating an economic model based on renewable energy that will reduce greenhouse gases

“We hope that the Senate will provide a stronger bill by increasing the amount of reductions of carbon emissions, providing for auction of 100 percent of carbon permits, providing more money for green job training and displaced workers, and requiring a higher renewable energy standard.”

The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) praised the provisions for renewable forest biomass and carbon offsets. David P. Tenny, President and CEO of NAFO:

“NAFO appreciates the improvements to the bill that will enable our forests to make a significant contribution to producing clean, domestic renewable energy and providing environmentally sound, cost effective offsets to greenhouse gas emissions. We applaud Chairman Peterson and the other members of Congress who understand the fundamental role of forests in renewable energy and climate policy and who insisted on crafting legislation that captures the full benefits our forests can and should provide.”

The National Farmers Union also seemed to appreciate some of the offset provisions. President Roger Johnson:

“This legislation recognizes the unique role America’s family farmers and ranchers can play when it comes to combating global climate change. The agricultural offset program, overseen by USDA, will help mitigate the increased input costs of a cap and trade program, while the early actors provision recognizes those producers who have already adopted environmentally-friendly practices.

“Failing to pass climate change legislation is not an option. The EPA is poised to act, with the agency’s proposed endangerment finding paving the way for a regulatory approach to addressing greenhouse gases. If this were to occur, the positive provisions within climate change legislation would be lost.”

Phil Angelides, chairman of the Apollo Alliance:

“The American Clean Energy And Security Act is a giant leap forward to establish energy security, reduce harmful carbon emissions and create millions of green jobs that will put our citizens back to work and get our economy back on track.

“In particular, the bill’s inclusion of investments to help U.S. manufacturers retool plants and retrain workers to produce the systems and components of the clean energy economy is a major victory that will keep millions of new, green jobs here at home and help revive America’s long suffering manufacturing sector…

“For decades, our national leaders have shied away from the challenge of making the urgently necessary transition from fossil fuel dependence to a new energy era. Deepening dependence on oil, coal, and gas has critically undermined our national security, drained our economy, and brought us to the edge of climate disruption. The time for anything but the boldest national commitment to climate solutions has expired.

“Not a moment too soon, Congress is edging up to that commitment now. Today’s vote is a clear sign that our national leaders are moving from denial to action.”

KC Golden, policy director for the Seattle-based Climate Solutions:

“By passing ACES today, the House has started the engines. Can our leaders accelerate fast enough and avoid the potholes — the special interest politics, the scare tactics, the fear of change — between here and the serious national solutions we need?”

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Tags: American Clean Energy and Security Act, Cap and trade, Gov. Chris Gregoire, U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 27th, 2009 at 11:19 pm and is filed under Climate change, Oceans. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.