Iowa Global Warming

Chairmen Henry A. Waxman and Edward J. Markey, co-authors of the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454) said that a new analysis of the bill by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) shows the that the net annual cost of the legislation would be approximately $175 per household in 2020.  This analysis comes on the heels of a new study that found 1.7 million jobs would be created by the clean energy legislation.

“This analysis underscores that this legislation is effective and affordable,” said Rep. Waxman. “It sets America on a course of energy independence while taking significant steps to reduce dangerous global warming pollution.”

“Americans know that building a clean energy economy has real value, and this CBO analysis proves it,” said Rep. Markey. “Low-income American families will see a $40 benefit from using more wind and solar energy and less foreign oil. And for the cost of about a postage stamp a day, all American families will see a return on their investment as our nation breaks our dependence on foreign oil, cuts dangerous carbon pollution and creates millions of new clean energy jobs that can’t be shipped overseas.”

Please read the rest of the article here.

Washington, D.C. – Americans could get at least 10 percent of their power from wind and other renewable sources by 2020, but the industry will need better transmission and consistent government support, researchers say.

By 2035, it’s reasonable to estimate that 20 percent or more of the nation’s electrical supply could be renewable, according to a study issued Monday by the National Academy of Sciences.

Non-hydropower renewables accounted for 3.4 percent of U.S. electricity in 2008, up from 2.5 percent the year before, the study said.

The study’s conclusions echoed findings by earlier reports on the prospects for and barriers to renewable energy, including a study issued last year by the Energy Department on prospects for wind energy.

A major impediment to development of renewable energy, the studies agree, is the lack of transmission lines to carry power from the areas such as Iowa, where the wind power is available, to the urban centers where the electricity is needed.

Check out the rest of the story here.

Representative Bruce Braley held a special event in Cedar Falls last Thursday focused on the American Clean Energy & Security Act (ACES). When I got my chance I asked him this question: “How will you bring along Members of Congress from carbon-intensive districts while ensuring the bill jumpstarts the renewable energy economy and lowers emissions?”

Representative Braley responding by mentioning that the current allocations of revenue in the ACES bill are not what he would have decided, nor would they be what a Representative from West Virginia would choose. The current allocation scheme in the ACES bill is a compromise between diverse interests. That was good to hear. Then he said that he wished the renewable energy standards were stronger and the efficiency standards were better. He was adamant that this bill and this year were the best shot the nation would have for truly comprehensive energy and climate legislation.

He went on to say he doesn’t want to sell-out his children’s future by passing a bill that won’t effectively transition us off of fossil fuels and avert dangerous climate change. He finished his answer by telling the story of how committed young people in green hard hats were present in the committee room while ACES was being debated. Those young people were the tangible reminder that this bill was about their future and their quality of life. Most memorable line: “The clean energy revolution has begun and we need your help to make it a reality.”

I look forward to seeing more strong leadership from Representative Braley as the legislation moves through committees and goes to the House floor. We need each Representative from Iowa, those being Braley, Loebsack, Latham, Boswell, and King to be fighting for a stronger renewable energy standard in the final ACES bill. Voice your support for strong comprehensive energy and climate legislation by contacting your representative: http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/Iowa_ACES

Drew

Many Midwestern businesses and elected officials have come out in support of comprehensive climate legislation, but some utility companies and others claim that capping global warming pollution will be too expensive in states that rely heavily on coal for their electricity. 

In a Quad-City Times article, ELPC’s Andrew Snow says Iowa will see a significant positive gain from the bill and that worries over cost increases are “… the kind of thing we’ve been hearing since automakers told us they couldn’t put in seat belts,” Snow said. “I think the costs will be minor if not completely mitigated.”

Read the rest of the article here.

President Barack Obama is expected today to tout his administration’s effort to accelerate the creation of renewable-energy jobs in his first trip as president to Iowa, the nation’s No. 2 wind energy producer.

Obama, speaking at a wind turbine tower plant housed in the former Maytag appliance factory in Newton, will urge Congress to move forward on legislation to spur that initiative.

The noon event at Trinity Structural Towers marks a turn toward energy and domestic economic policy for Obama, who has spent the last several weeks traveling overseas and focusing on diplomatic and global economic issues.

Read the full article here

It’s been a long week, but now that I’m back from Powershift ‘09, I’m feeling renewed and ready to step up and keep working towards the goals we outlined in D.C. The student climate movement is alive and well, and I think we’re going to see some important changes finally reach the country this coming year.

Before I go too far into detail; For those of you out there who don’t know what “Powershift” is, there’s plenty of information available on the website, with all the details including schedule of events and speakers. As they describe the event themselves, “Power Shift 09 will bring 10,000 young people to Washington to hold our elected officials accountable for rebuilding our economy and reclaiming our future through bold climate and clean energy policy.” Speakers this year included Lisa Jackson (Head of the EPA), Van Jones (Green Jobs Now), Ken Salazar (Secretary of the Interior), Congressman Ed Markey and Congresswoman Donna Edwards, as well as musical performances by The Roots and Santigold.

For those of us traveling from Des Moines, the weekend involved some long-haul driving. I was joined by three freshman students from Drake University and another from Iowa State, and the 17-hour drive flew by in a haze of political and environmental discussion. By the time we reached D.C., I think we had finally figured everything out, but promptly fell asleep on the floor of the convention center and tragically forgot our solutions to the world’s problems before being able to enlighten everyone.

Saturday and Sunday were set aside for workshops and panel discussions during the day, and musical performances and speeches at night. There were over twenty different meetings to choose from for each two-hour block, and though they focused on fascinating things like “Ecopedagogy” and “Bird-Dogging for Change” and “The Road to Copenhagen,” a quick walk around the Washington Convention Center Saturday morning revealed that a good number of the 12,000 students there had also chosen to spend the first few sessions catching up on lost sleep. (Powernap ‘09, you might say) After a restful hour curled up in one of the thousands of corners at the DC Convention Center, I attended a great panel discussion on creative media activism, featuring the likes of Leilani Munter (Celebrity NASCAR driver, the fourth woman to ever race on the circuit and an outspoken environmental activist) and Daryl Hannah, who surprised me by being not only extremely eloquent, but also one of the most well-versed activists at the conference.

Saturday night’s Roots performance was inspirational as well, though in a slightly different vein, and by Sunday afternoon I was feeling far more informed and equipped for the challenges ahead. The students from Iowa had a “Break Out” meeting to discuss Iowa specific issues Sunday night, where we went over the QC Rail project, the Marshalltown coal plant, and the possibility of securing a National Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (and how Iowa would benefit from that.) I met a lot of other committed, interested students from around the state and did some important networking before taking in a short documentary and getting some well-needed sleep. In the morning; it was time to lobby congress.

Monday started off with an extended discussion with a member of Boswell’s staff, who engaged our group of 25 interested students in a lively discussion about things like a carbon cap and renewable energy. He played Devil’s Advocate for much of it, reminding us that Boswell agreed with almost all of our demands, but threw out figures about how weaning our state off of coal would increase electricity bills by 3 fold, a point that we heatedly refused. Later, at a meeting with Harkin’s representative, we were told Harkin would likely continue to spearhead projects in line with our demands. Though I wasn’t able to attend the meetings with Loebsack, Braley, or Latham in full, I heard they had similar outcomes, and in the meeting with King, who has traditionally been opposed to environmental measures in the past, some common ground was found when discussion turned to the potential for the wind industry to help create new jobs.

The most noteworthy meeting of the weekend was with Senator Grassley himself, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, which was held on Monday afternoon. More than forty students crammed into his meeting room and used our alloted fifteen minutes to the best of our ability. We made our pitch and asked if we could count on him to support a cap-and-trade system in the upcoming year, and received an unclear answer that suggested he wouldn’t. When I asked him if we could count on him to support a renewable energy portfolio standard in the future, he turned to one of his aides and said, “Doesn’t he know I’ve supported the last four RES bills?” A humorous skirting of the question; we never got clear answers from either him or his staff, though they treated us very respectfully.

Overall, it was one of the best weekends I’ve had since coming here. The chance to interact again with other interested and committed students my age was revitalizing, and I’m excited to try and put some of the things I learned to work. If you’re interested in visiting the conference next year or learning more about it, visit their website here

Interstate Power and Light announced Thursday morning that it would cease plans to construct a coal power plant near Marshalltown, IA. A spokesperson cited both the economy and the uncertainty in regards to receiving a permit from the DNR.

“At the end of the day it’s economic condition, uncertainly regarding future regulatory and legislative treatment of environmental issues, meaning greenhouses gases,” said spokesman Ryan Steensland.

The news comes on the heels of LC Power’s decision last month to drop their plans for a coal plant in the Waterloo area. Instead, Steensland says IPL will continue with plans to build a wind plant in northern Iowa.

Great news everyone! Thanks to all of you who wrote letters or signed post cards. This is a huge victory, so feel proud! It looks like a cleaner, more sustainable energy future is coming down the tracks towards Iowa.

Read more here

Its time for the weekly news update, brought to you by the Iowa Global Warming Campaign! Scroll down for short descriptions of interesting articles that ran around the country this week.

Kenneth Lieberthal, a former National Security Council Officer under President Clinton, announced this week that he believes the only way the U.S. can adequately address international greenhouse gas emissions is to hold a joint climate summit with China. In what would be a departure from the happenings of recent years, Lieberthal recommended that “We should use Sino-U.S. cooperation in order to create momentum for other countries’ efforts, which will in turn increase the chances for success at the global climate negotiations.” Read more here

The Obama team released their long-awaited budget proposal Thursday morning and revealed that in an effort to reduce the ever growing deficit, would be counting expected revenues from a yet-to-be-enacted carbon Cap and Trade system. Just how much money do they expect will be collected by the selling of Carbon emission permits? By 2012, the administration expects to raise $78.6 billion dollars in funding, and between 2012-2019, an additional $640 Billion. Read more about the proposed bill, how it would work and when it would likely start to take effect here

The week’s biggest disappointment was the “total failure” of NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory Satellite, which crash-landed into the ocean near Antarctica early Wednesday morning. The Taurus XL Rocket was the product of a $270 million project, and was completely destroyed when it failed to enter orbit due to a malfunctioning protective shell. Read more here

Finally, a sign that the campaign against plastic bags is working; UK stores distributed 3.5 Billion fewer plastic bags this year than last, a change of 26.6%. One company, Britain’s largest retailer Tesco, was responsible for reducing the need for 2 Billion of those bags through a “consumer rewards” program, which gave store credit for those shopping with canvas bags. The plan has worked so well that retailers are looking now to reduce the number of plastic bags to 50% of their 2006 levels by May. Though the changes so far have all resulted from consumer industries making (and keeping) their own commitments. However, should they fail to do so in the future, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs noted that it would retain its right to institute a fee if the need for one should arise.

Thats all for this week! Be sure to check in next week for more news stories, and perhaps an account of my weekend spent at Powershift in DC!

In Obama’s highly anticipated speech to congress last night, the President reiterated his desire to drive economic recovery by investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency policies. Furthermore, quelling worries over what his specific approach to greenhouse gas emissions would be, he asked congress to deliver a long-awaited “market based carbon cap.”

Though the speech focused more broadly on three differing areas of Obama’s campaign platform, the environment regularly took precedence over health care and education, giving yet another sign that this administration’s approach will focus much more specifically on issues of clean energy and energy efficiency.

The affirmation of Obama’s continued commitment to the environment was perhaps most notably apparent in his request for a national carbon cap. Many have been wondering in recent weeks what form the administration’s greenhouse gas emission policy would take; the two most obvious choices being either a carbon-cap system or a carbon tax. Last night, however, speculation was cast aside as Obama clearly requested a cap-and-trade system.

“I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America,” he said. “That’s what we need.”

Read more here