Bingaman, Murkowski seek input on Obama
Source: The Hill, 3/21/11
By Ben Geman
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s leadership released a political classified ad of sorts Monday, calling for input on President Obama’s proposed “clean energy standard” that would require a large boost in low-carbon electricity generation.
Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), the panel’s top Republican, circulated a “white paper” on Obama’s proposal to require 80 percent of U.S. power to come from “clean” sources by 2035.
“The purpose of this document is to lay out some of the key questions and potential design elements of a CES, in order to solicit input from a broad range of interested parties, to facilitate discussion and to ascertain whether or not consensus can be achieved,” states the white paper. The senators are seeking responses by April 11.
Obama’s plan would allow sources including renewables, nuclear, natural gas and coal plants that capture and bury carbon (a technology that’s not yet commercialized) to count partially or fully toward the standard.
The paper asks a series of questions, such as whether all utilities should be subject to the standard, how to define what constitutes “clean” energy that meets the standard, what role efficiency might play, what the economic effects of the standard might be, and many others.
Bingaman has been skeptical of clean energy standard proposals in the past, instead backing more narrowly crafted proposals to create a national renewable electricity standard.
But he’s working with the White House on Obama’s plan, which first surfaced in January’s State of the Union address. Bingaman has not provided a timeframe for moving legislation to create the standard through the committee.
Murkowski spokesman Robert Dillon said the request for input rolled out Monday is not evidence of the senator’s support for any “clean energy standard.”
“It is premature for Sen. Murkowski to say she is open to it or not open to it. ‘What is it?’ is the question,” he said, adding that Murkowski is not working on a legislative proposal.
In addition to specific questions, the paper suggests Bingaman is seeking to grapple with broad questions about the White House plan.
“The Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee now faces a threshold question of what the general policy goals for the electric sector are and whether a CES would most effectively achieve them. Is the goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower electricity costs, spur utilization of particular assets, diversify supply or some combination thereof? Depending on the goals, is a CES the right policy for the nation at this time? If so, is 80 percent by 2035 the right target? If not, should alternatives to reach similar goals be considered?” the paper states before moving into more specific questions about the design of a CES.
