energy policy

This week we ’ll take a look at three different and equally likely forms of GHG legislation to help your company better understand its possible exposure and risk mitigation strategies. (1) Performance Standards, (2) Carbon Tax, and (3) Cap and Trade.

At a Tuesday White House press conference that focused mostly on the current economic downturn, President Bush indicated that he has no intention of calling on Americans to conserve gasoline.

The President explained the justification for his position by saying, “It’s a little presumptuous on my part to dictate how consumers live their own lives.” But past examples show that President Bush has had no problem dictating how “consumers live their own lives,” at least when it syncs with his own political agenda.

In a largely symbolic move, President George W. Bush ordered to lift the Executive Order banning the drilling of offshore oil wells in the U.S.. However, the move will have no effect on the current regulations on offshore drilling because there are two prohibitions on offshore drilling, one imposed by Congress and another by executive order signed by Bush the elder in 1990.

A turbodiesel plugin-hybrid concpt car from VW, the Golf Twin Drive has electric and diesel power, travels up to 30 miles on electric power, uses regenerative breaking to recharge the battery, and uses no power when stopped. The bad news? There are no plans to develop this car for the US market, though a fleet will be ready forthe German government in 2010. Let's try to get these cars to the US and elsewhere!

Senator Jeff Bingaman [(D) New Mexico]  discusses climate change and clean energy, and sets forth an ambitious national agenda to address the challenge.

 "If our goal is to achieve deep, long-term reductions in fuel use and emissions we should do all these things--increase the ERFC, improve today's engines, increase the market penetration rate of advanced propulsion technologies and find ways to reduce the rate of growth in demand. With that combination we can get very deep cuts by 2035," Bandivadekar said. "To make those things happen, we need strong, long-term policies and we need to adopt them now because the longer we wait the higher the starting point is and the more difficult the task."

A discussion of the New York Times article about the world-wide food vs. fuel crisis that is haunting Western politicians and their favorite biofuels policies. Alternatives to biofuels are discussed, and support is given to biodiesel made from waste (not food products), as long as liquid fuels are needed.

"Costa Rica is a country rich with renewable energy. In fact, it gets about 99% of all its electrical energy from clean sources, and it’s aiming to be the first country to become carbon neutral (more about that below). Some of Costa Rica’s energy sources include geothermal energy, the burning of sugarcane waste and other biomass, solar and wind energy. However, the largest source of energy is hydroelectricity — its hydroelectric dams provide more than 82% of the country’s electricity."

Despite the fact that the technology for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) does not exist yet, Wyoming has gone ahead and passed a bill that smooths the way for CCS and clean coal in their state.

Clinton accuses Obama of being all talk and no walk, by suggesting that he voted for the 2005 Cheney-crafted Energy Policy Act. A bill that Clinton claims is lining the pockets of big oil as the cost of gas nears $4 per gallon.

Since the energy crisis of the late 1970s, the federal government has employed various policy mechanisms to support renewable energy development. Driving through the neighborhoods that were developed in the late 70s and early 80s, it’s not hard to notice all of the old rooftop solar water heating arrays that were installed because people were taking advantage of a tax credit made available by the Carter administration.

While the eyes of renewable energy policy wonks have been looking to California, Michigan and Minnesota for a successful German-style renewable energy feed-in tariff, this Illinois bill has taken people by surprise. Feed-in tariffs are the fastest and cheapest way to develop renewable energy.

Terry Tamminen, Energy and Environment Author and Consultant, Former Advisor to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, presents this score card on the presidential candidates on the issue of climate change.

Written by well respected engineers and published by IEEE. The overarching finding of the study is that a zero-CO2 US economy can be achieved within the next thirty to fifty years without the use of nuclear power and without acquiring carbon credits from other countries. It definitely a worthwhile read.