| September 9, 2010 |  |
Kevin Knobloch Argues Congress Can Still Do a Lot on Energy
WASHINGTON (September 9, 2010) — Kevin Knobloch, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, argued in a blog post on the National Journal website that Congress still has several opportunities this session to address climate change, national security and economic development. Knobloch said that Congress should uphold the Clean Air Act, pass a renewable electricity standard, reform biofuel tax subsidies and promote vehicle electrification.
The full blog post is below:
Lots of Clean Energy Opportunities
By Kevin Knobloch
President, Union of Concerned Scientists
Congress still has plenty of opportunities to promote clean energy and reduce the heat-trapping emissions that are driving climate change.
First and foremost, Congress should preserve the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to protect public health by reducing emissions from power plants, vehicles and other sources. The EPA made a science-based determination under the Clean Air Act that climate change threatens public health. Undermining the EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act would run contrary to the vast body of scientific evidence that climate change—by reducing air quality, exacerbating heat waves and other effects—threatens human health.
The Clean Air Act has served Americans extraordinarily well. It has been successfully applied to clean up acid rain, soot and smog. The act has saved and extended countless lives and improved quality of life for millions of Americans. The EPA should continue reducing harmful pollution from dirty coal- and oil-fired power plants, vehicles of all sizes and other sources across the country that lead to respiratory disease and cancer.
Congress also has an opportunity to pass a national renewable electricity standard (RES). Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have already demonstrated that renewable electricity standards work. Half of those states have returned to strengthen those standards because they yield benefits for consumers and farmers while reducing heat-trapping carbon emissions. A federal standard would increase the reliability of our energy grid and encourage the development of our clean home-grown energy sources. The House passed a RES last June. The Senate has passed a renewable electricity standard three times since 2002. This is the year to finally get a completed bill to the president for his signature.
Finally, Congress can help promote the next generation of clean vehicles and clean fuels. There is broad support in Congress to move forward with a national policy to speed the deployment of electric vehicles. Legislation in both the House and Senate would give targeted funding to communities around the country to work with industry, electric utilities and other organizations to deploy electric drive vehicles, including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles. Such support is important since putting more electric vehicles on the road has implications for local zoning requirements, building codes, and electricity infrastructure. We need to ensure that a future with more electric drive vehicles is built from the ground up.
It is also time for Congress to reform tax credits for biofuels. The Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) is scheduled to expire at the end of this year. This tax credit wastes billions of taxpayer dollars without delivering any environmental, oil savings, or economic benefits. Congress should allow VEETC to expire and start over with tax credits for biofuels that reward performance.
According to a recent UCS report, a performance based tax-credit tied to oil displacement and pollution reduction would save taxpayers $20 billion from 2011 to 2014 compared to extending current tax credits. We could use just a quarter of these savings to support investments in next generation biofuels. That would bring advanced biofuels production to commercial scale and put the first billion gallons of clean biofuels on the market. The financial crisis derailed the next generation biofuels industry, just as they were gathering steam. With some smart, targeted investments we can get this vital industry back on track. Innovation and ingenuity are going to be key to an economic recovery and a revitalized clean biofuels industry should be part of the plan.
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.
