Climate Capsule Week of May 25
Monday, May 25, 2009(National Wildlife Federation)
|
Highlight of
the Week
Taking the first step toward meeting President Obama's call for comprehensive energy and climate legislation this year, the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week approved the American Clean Energy and Security Act by a 33 to 25 bipartisan vote. The legislation will establish a
new energy policy in the "Committee passage of
comprehensive energy legislation is a vote
heard around the world.
It marks a historic turning point in
climate
politics that secures Chairmen Waxman and Markey have proven that what was impossible in years past has massive momentum today. A stronger bill would create even more clean energy jobs for Americans faster and do more to address the impacts of global warming. Diverse constituents from across this country's rom hunters and anglers to people of faith have called on Congress to tackle the climate crisis that threatens our natural resources and health. Contact: Tony Iallonaro at 202-797-6612 or iallonardot@nwf.org. White House
Plans To Boost Car Fuel Efficiency
Standards President Obama was recently joined by
Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA)
and Jennifer Granholm (D-MI) to announce plans
to issue the most stringent fuel
economy standards for automobiles ever enacted
in the If approved, the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards would require all cars and light trucks in the model years 2012-2016, to meet average fuel economy standards of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. "We will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the vehicles sold in the next five years. Just to give you a sense of magnitude, that's more oil than we imported last year from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Libya, and Nigeria combined. This is the projected equivalent of taking 58 million cars off the road for an entire year," President Obama said from the White House Rose Garden. |
Quote: "We
are now one step closer to delivering on the
promise of a new clean energy
economy that will make President
Obama, in a statement applauding
the House Energy And Commerce
Committee's historic passage of the
American Clean Energy and Security
Act.
Study: Climate And
Energy Legislation Could Generate
$750 Billion for
Consumers A new analysis of the American Clean Energy and Security Act finds that consumers would receive around $750 billion in direct and indirect handouts and subsidies through 2030 to offset the higher energy costs. The Waxman-Markey climagte bill, which passed last week in the Energy and Commerce Committee, creates pollution permits, or allowances, for carbon-intensive industries like power producers or oil refineries. The number of these permits gradually goes down each year, providing a cap on greenhouse gas emissions. Since the permits can be traded, they also set a price on carbon-dioxide emissions and encourage polluters to switch to cleaner fuels. The bill directs that nearly half of these permits would be used to subsidize energy consumers, either directly or through payments to electrical utilities. In addition, the bill provides $227 billion to low-income households, $90.6 billion to local gas companies, and nearly $20 billion to protect against increases in rising heating oil costs. Point Carbon, a market analysis firm, has estimated that the total value of the allowances given out by the government would amount to $1.5 trillion between 2012 and 2030, assuming that carbon prices rise from $13 a ton in 2013 to $22 a ton. Happening This
Week Wednesday, May 27:
EIA
to Release International Energy Forecasts, 9:30
a.m., Center for Strategic and
International Studies, B-1 Thursday, May 28:
2-3:30 p.m. State
Energy and Climate Actions' Lessons for Federal
Policy, in 2168 |