The American Energy Act

Posted on | June 13, 2009 | Comments Off

In the GOP’s weekly radio address, Indiana Rep. Mike Pence slammed the Democrats’ climate bill as an energy tax. He made similar remarks on the floor:

Washington, DC – U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, Chairman of the House Republican Conference, made the following statement on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives today regarding House Republicans’ American Energy Act:

“The American economy is hurting. Gasoline prices are on the rise, utility rates threaten to go higher and pose an even greater hardship on working families. The American people are looking for answers to these times and the challenges we face in energy.

“The Democrat answer you just heard is a national energy tax that will lead to higher energy prices and massive job losses for the American people. The President said it best a year ago when he said if the cap and trade plan were to pass, utility rates would ‘necessarily skyrocket.’ Some estimates suggest job losses between 1.8 million and 7 million.

“Well, Republicans have a better plan: The American Energy Act.

“It’s an ‘all of the above’ plan that offers energy independence, more jobs and a cleaner environment without imposing a national energy act.

“Our energy solution focuses more on domestic exploration for oil and natural gas, a renewed commitment to build 100 nuclear power plants in the next 20 years, investments in renewables, alternative energy technologies and creating incentives for conservation.

“You can read all about it on the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal today. The American people want energy independence and a cleaner environment without a national energy tax. The American Energy Act offered by House Republicans is the answer the American people are looking for.”

Outer Continental Shelf Energy Potential

Posted on | June 4, 2009 | Comments Off

Vice President Biden, Secretary Salazar, and Senator Carper Underscore Renewable Energy Potential on Outer Continental Shelf

Newark, Delaware — Vice-President Joe Biden, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) today visited the University of Delaware, where they underscored the importance of alternative energy development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), especially offshore wind resources for Delaware and other Atlantic coastal states. On Earth Day, President Obama announced that Interior had finalized a long-awaited framework for renewable energy production on the OCS.

“This Administration sees the ever-lasting benefits in a clean-energy future. With this rule, the Interior Department is unlocking our vast offshore renewable resources,” said Vice President Biden. “By harnessing offshore wind power and other resources we will be able to power tens of millions of homes using clean, renewable power.”

“The Administration’s final regulations for alternative energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf are opening America’s oceans and new energy frontier, so that we can wisely build a clean energy economy that will create millions of new jobs across the country,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said. “This new framework, completed in the first 100 days of President Obama’s administration, will enhance our energy security, create the foundation for a new offshore energy sector and share much-needed revenues from this development with coastal states.” “Harnessing our nation’s offshore wind means reliable power, cleaner air and new American jobs,” Sen. Tom Carper said. “The First State is poised to again be a leader in independence – energy independence. These new renewable energy regulations ensure Delaware can move forward with one of the first offshore wind projects in the United States.”

The National Renewable Energy Lab has identified more than 1,000 gigawatts of wind potential off the Atlantic coast and more than 900 gigawatts of wind potential off the Pacific Coast. The State of Delaware’s average wind power production equals 5,286 megawatts which would power 1.2 to 1.5 million average homes, according to a University of Delaware study (Kempton July 2008).

Delaware and other Atlantic coast states encourage and support the development of offshore wind energy. The Delaware legislature now requires that 20% of the Delaware’s electricity come from renewable sources by the year 2019 and Delmarva Power has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with Bluewater Wind to sell the utility up to 200 megawatts of power from an offshore wind facility on the OCS.

Interior’s Minerals Management Service has been evaluating a proposal from Bluewater Wind for a meteorological data collection project on the Outer Continental Shelf about 12.5 miles off Delaware’s coastline to assess wind energy resources. If approved, this project would collect site-specific wind velocity, duration and related information that could support future commercial wind energy development. Bluewater Wind is looking to construct a 150-turbine field that could produce 230 to 450 megawatts of power. The project would generate more than 1,000 jobs during construction, invest $800 million and produce millions of dollars in revenue for the state each year.

Projects such as these can now be brought to completion expeditiously because of a new comprehensive set of regulations Secretary Salazar announced last week. The final rules provide a framework for states with renewable energy initiatives to pursue development of those projects on federal submerged lands. Interior supports state initiatives that encourage responsible development of offshore renewable resources.

The new OCS ‘rules-of-the-road’ establish a program to grant leases, easements, and rights-of-way for orderly, safe, and environmentally responsible renewable energy development activities, such as the siting and construction of off-shore wind farms on the Outer Continental Shelf. The framework also covers alternate use of existing facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf for energy or marine-related activities.

The new program also establishes methods for sharing 27.5 percent of the revenues generated from these renewable energy projects with adjacent coastal States. Additionally the framework will enhance partnerships with Federal, state, and local agencies and tribal governments to assist in maximizing the economic and ecological benefits of Outer Continental Shelf renewable energy development.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 granted the Interior’s Minerals Management Service the authority to regulate renewable energy development on the OCS, but no action had been taken under that authority until Secretary Salazar made it a priority to finalize the rules that will govern offshore renewable energy development, given the enormity of this clean, renewable energy source and its proximity to major population centers. A number of other countries already are tapping significant energy from offshore winds.

The Interior Department and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission cleared the way for the publication of these final rules by signing an agreement on April 9, 2009 that clarifies their agencies’ jurisdictional responsibilities for leasing and licensing renewable energy projects on the Outer Continental Shelf.

Under the agreement, the Minerals Management Service has exclusive jurisdiction with regard to the production, transportation, or transmission of energy from non-hydrokinetic renewable energy projects, including wind and solar. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will have exclusive jurisdiction to issue licenses for the construction and operation of hydrokinetic projects, including wave and current, but companies will be required to first obtain a lease through Interior’s Minerals management Service.

The Final Framework is available at this link: http://www.mms.gov/offshore/AlternativeEnergy/PDFs/AD30RenewableEnergy04-22-09.pdf.

Energy Policy Act of 2005

Warming Threat

Posted on | June 4, 2009 | Comments Off

MIT Finds Increased Warming Threat if Greenhouse Gases Stay Unchecked

In the absence of new policies to limit greenhouse gas emissions, calamitous global warming appears much more likely now than it did six years ago, according to comprehensive climate modeling by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change uses a detailed computer simulation of global economic activity and climate processes and runs it 400 times, making slight changes to both the climate responses and the economic growth projections. The result is a probabilistic assessment of climate outcomes.

A similar study in 2003 found that a global temperature increase of 2.4°C by 2100 was the most likely outcome, but the newly updated study raised that to 5.2°C, with a 90% probability that the temperature increase would fall between 3.5°C and 7.4°C. In contrast, most climate scientists recommend that global temperature increases be maintained below 2°C. The scientists also examined the outcomes for greenhouse gas control measures that would stabilize the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at 550 parts per million (an equivalent of 675 parts per million when all greenhouse gases are accounted for), and found a median warming level of 2.3°C, with a 20% chance of keeping global warming below 2°C.

According to the MIT researchers, the new study differs from the older study in several ways. First, it draws on improved economic modeling and newer data that shows less chance of lower greenhouse gas emissions. It also accounts for the effects of volcanoes, which masked some warming in the 20th century; for soot, which causes warming; and for a lower removal of carbon dioxide by the oceans. Yet the model does not include potential positive feedbacks, such as the emission of methane by melting permafrost, which would make the outcomes even more drastic. See the MIT press release, the study, and an in-depth description of the scenarios and outcomes examines in the study.

Fire And Water

Posted on | June 4, 2009 | Comments Off

American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA)
Fire Protection and Floodplain Reform

In the area of the environment and natural resource conservation, significant strides have been made. An additional $33 million has been made available for wildland fire protection. USDA anticipates creating 25,000 new jobs over the next two years on projects relating to land stewardship and watershed restoration, green infrastructure repair and in the production of energy from wood. Many of the most affected communities of the economic downturn are located near national forests. Rural jobs are being created on millions of acres in need of restoration work so that money can flow into local communities.

The ARRA provides to USDA $145 million for floodplain easements. This funding will restore frequently flooded land to its natural state; create jobs in rural communities nationwide when landowners establish floodplain easements; and will restore and protect an estimated 60,000 acres of flood-prone lands nationwide. USDA has also provided $45 million for the rehabilitation of watersheds, many of which are nearing the end of their 50-year design life. Recovery funds will be used to upgrade the structure to current safety standards, thereby protecting life, property and infrastructure downstream for more than 90 years and resulting in 910 jobs. USDA has also provided $85 million for 53 new flood prevention project efforts in 21 states and territories.