Email

Print

June 30, 2010

Obama holds ‘constructive’ Climate Bill talks with Senators

As Senators discussed a possible Climate and Energy Bill, GE Energy brought one of its huge wind turbine blades to Washington DC to press the message that America needs comprehensive clean energy legislation

President Obama met with a bipartisan group of Senators yesterday morning, as efforts continued to bring a comprehensive Climate and Energy Bill to the US Senate this summer.

The meeting, which lasted more than 90 minutes, saw the President warning that the action being taken by the government at the moment will not be enough to change the way the US produces and consumes energy.

In particular, President Obama stressed the need to make cleaner energy a profitable enterprise by putting a price on pollution.

When companies pollute, he said they should pay for the environmental impact for which they are responsible.

Cap-and-trade

The White House is supporting proposals for some form of cap-and-trade system that would set limits on the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by companies each year, but allow those that do not cut their pollution to purchase surplus allowances from those that do.

A similar system is already in operation in Europe, and the approach has been used in the US for sulfur dioxide pollution within industry.

A statement from the White House described the meeting as a “constructive exchange”, although it acknowledged that some of the Senators did not agree with the President on the best way to reduce American dependence on oil and cut pollution.

White House officials stated: “There was agreement on the sense of urgency required to move forward with legislation and the President is confident that we will be able to get something done this year.”

Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, who attended the meeting, said there had been “broad agreement” on the need to transform the US energy system. “The stakes couldn’t be higher – done right, a clean energy bill will be a jobs bill. It will prevent us from replacing our dependence on foreign oil with a dependence on Chinese-made clean energy components,” Sen. Brown said.

Renewables Standard

There are currently a number of options on the table for a Climate and Energy Bill, from a full cap-and-trade carbon pricing model to a Renewable Electricity Standard requiring power companies in all states to secure a growing proportion of their supplies from renewable energy projects.

Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, one of those invited to yesterday’s meeting at the White House, said he was opposing a national Renewables Standard that might require 20% of electricity to come from renewable projects by 2020.

Done right, a clean energy bill will be a jobs bill” - Sen. Sherrod Brown

“It sounds good, but, more than half the states have already adopted some version of these renewable electricity standards and they haven’t accomplished much,” the Senator claimed.

“Solar, wind and biomass are important supplements, but America’s 21^st Century reliable, low-cost energy needs are not going to be met by electricity produced by a windmill, a controlled bonfire and a few solar panels,” added Senator Alexander.

Democrats held a caucus meeting last week on the Climate and Energy Bill, with measures seeing high levels of support.

Senator John Kerry, one of the co-authors of a Bill proposal, said after the meeting on Thursday: “We’re convinced that we can do it.  We obviously need some Republicans to stand up and be with us, but we’re determined to bring a bill to the floor of the Senate that we think is reasonable, makes sense, and that will help Americans be able to grab a hold of the future and not leave it to China and India and Brazil and other countries that are moving much faster than we are.”