House Dems reveal new climate plan
Representative wants bill passed out of House Energy and Commerce Committee by deadline
Jim Tankersley
Issue date: 4/2/09 Section: Nation and World
WASHINGTON - House Democratic leaders unveiled a sweeping plan to fight climate change and boost renewable energy on Tuesday, including mandates for renewable electricity nationwide and a market-based system for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
It's a starting point in what promises to be a long and winding congressional debate over energy and climate policy this year. And it leaves some critical questions unanswered: most notably, how to allocate emissions permits and what to do with any revenue from selling those permits.
The plan, posted on the House Energy and Commerce Committee Web site, is a "discussion draft" authored by Reps. Henry Waxman, (D-Calif.), the committee chairman, and Edward Markey, (D-Mass.), who chairs the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming.
Among the provisions: A nationwide mandate for renewable energy - such as wind, solar and biomass in electric power generation, starting at 6 percent in 2012 and rising to 25 percent by 2025.
A "cap-and-trade" program to restrict greenhouse gas emissions by requiring utilities and other emitters to hold "allowances" for the carbon dioxide they send into the atmosphere. The level of allowances would shrink annually to reduce carbon emissions to 3 percent below 2005 levels by 2012, to 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and to 83 percent below 2005 levels by 2050.
A mechanism for emitters to buy "offsets" - a sort of emissions credit that comes from spending money to reduce emissions outside the scope of the cap-and-trade system.
A national standard, akin to California's, limiting carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles and a new low-carbon fuel standard to further support bio-fuels and low-emission alternatives to gasoline.
Support for carbon-capture and storage technology, which, if perfected, would remove the carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants and store them underground, essentially allowing coal burning, a major carbon-emitter, to maintain its place in American power generation.
It's a starting point in what promises to be a long and winding congressional debate over energy and climate policy this year. And it leaves some critical questions unanswered: most notably, how to allocate emissions permits and what to do with any revenue from selling those permits.
The plan, posted on the House Energy and Commerce Committee Web site, is a "discussion draft" authored by Reps. Henry Waxman, (D-Calif.), the committee chairman, and Edward Markey, (D-Mass.), who chairs the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming.
Among the provisions: A nationwide mandate for renewable energy - such as wind, solar and biomass in electric power generation, starting at 6 percent in 2012 and rising to 25 percent by 2025.
A "cap-and-trade" program to restrict greenhouse gas emissions by requiring utilities and other emitters to hold "allowances" for the carbon dioxide they send into the atmosphere. The level of allowances would shrink annually to reduce carbon emissions to 3 percent below 2005 levels by 2012, to 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and to 83 percent below 2005 levels by 2050.
A mechanism for emitters to buy "offsets" - a sort of emissions credit that comes from spending money to reduce emissions outside the scope of the cap-and-trade system.
A national standard, akin to California's, limiting carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles and a new low-carbon fuel standard to further support bio-fuels and low-emission alternatives to gasoline.
Support for carbon-capture and storage technology, which, if perfected, would remove the carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants and store them underground, essentially allowing coal burning, a major carbon-emitter, to maintain its place in American power generation.
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