121 item(s) were returned.
According to a national survey of energy professionals jointly prepared by Sandia National Laboratories and OurEnergyPolicy.org, U.S. energy policy should simultaneously pursue energy supply security, economic outcomes, and minimized environmental impacts. Contemporary political discourse often poses energy policymaking as a binary decision—the economy versus the environment, for example. Public opinion polls frequently support this conception, posing energy policymaking options as a zero-sum game between two opposed goals. However, does this tension in the discourse accurately reflect how policy is made? Do energy professionals — people working on energy issues daily — view U.S. energy policy in this way? How might professional insights… [more]
View InsightBoth the Democratic and Republican parties have released their platforms, each offering a vision of the American energy landscape in the coming years. Both parties promote distinct visions of an “all-of-the-above” approach to energy. The end goal for both parties is U.S. energy independence, with the GOP’s vision seeming to rely primarily on the development of America’s fossil fuel resources and a business-friendly regulatory regime, while the Democrats’ platform promotes a “move towards a sustainable energy-independent future” that would allocate resources between fossil fuel and renewables development, alongside to a variety of “green” initiatives. GOP Democrats Fossil Fuels Supports “new, state-of-the-art coal-fired… [more]
View InsightIn an August 5th op-ed, the New York Times’ Thomas Friedman urges America to “Get It Right On Gas.” While noting domestic natural gas development’s potential to address a host of energy policy issues – the trade imbalance and job creation, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy security – Friedman quotes Energy Innovation’s Hal Harvey in asking if natural gas offers “a transition to a clean energy future, or does it defer a clean energy future?” “A sustained [natural] gas glut could undermine new investments in wind, solar, nuclear and energy efficiency systems – which have zero emissions – and thus… [more]
View InsightCongressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) has introduced legislation that would put a price on CO2 emissions. Known as the Managed Carbon Price (MCP) Act, the bill is structured more as a cap-and-dividend program than cap-and-trade, and is intended to reduce emissions while also directing revenue towards deficit reduction and reimbursing consumers for costs. The bill would have a target of 80 percent CO2 reductions by 2050. “My bill would reduce carbon emissions, and it returns all the money to consumers and deficit reduction. Businesses want this kind of predictability, consumers need to be protected, and we need to step up and… [more]
View InsightDespite a comprehensive climate bill passing the House in 2009, the enactment of some policies that may reduce CO2 emissions over the long-term, and continuing Congressional discussion of a clean energy standard, it seems that clear paths forward on climate change are not emerging. Nevertheless, in spite of some debate as to the phenomenon’s authenticity, climate change does not seem to be going away. June 2012 was the 328th straight month above 20th Century temperature averages, Greenland’s glaciers are melting more than ever due to “freakish weather,” and the UT Energy Poll reports that the American public’s belief in the… [more]
View InsightIn a column for the New York Times titled “There’s Still Hope for the Planet,” columnist David Leonhardt describes why investments in technology – particularly governmental investments in clean tech research and development – may be the best bet for reducing CO2 emissions, and may provide a small basis for optimism to those interested in fighting climate change. Leonhardt argues that renewable energy, which is becoming increasingly cost-competitive with traditional fossil fuels, and the emergence of natural gas as a replacement for coal, make putting a price on CO2 emissions less attractive than investment programs. “Carbon pricing is going to… [more]
View InsightJames Lovelock, 92, a scientist best known for his Gaia theory and dire projections about the impacts of global climate change, recently described his past position on climate change as being “alarmist”. He continues to advocate greenhouse gas reductions, but has backed away from stronger predictions and begun to advocate for the United Kingdom to make great use of natural gas in its energy mix. Other prominent thinkers, including physicist Richard Muller and economist Bjorn Lomborg, have recently shifted their claims about climate change. Both Muller and Lomborg have adopted positions accepting the science behind climate change and recommending action. What is the trajectory of climate change discourse?… [more]
View InsightRio+20, the global environmental conference organized by the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), will bring together national officials, civil society, and the private sector. They’ll discuss a wide range of environmental issues, focusing largely on environmental sustainability and poverty during the three day conference, which starts today. Observers expect clean energy, fossil fuel subsidies, and “energy poverty” to feature prominently in discussions on energy, which was identified by the UNCSD as one of seven “priority areas” of the summit. Although Obama will not take part, Secretary Clinton, along with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and Special Envoy for Climate… [more]
View InsightAs Arctic ice recedes in the summer months, nations, including the U.S., are eying the region’s mineral and fossil fuel resources. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic holds 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered conventional oil and 30 percent of its undiscovered natural gas. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton was in Tromso, Norway, last week telling reporters“A lot of countries are looking at what will be the potential for exploration and extraction of natural resources as well as new sea lanes,” but that it was important that countries “agree on ‘rules of the road’ in the Arctic so… [more]
View InsightIn response to a request from the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released its Analysis of Impacts of the Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012. Committee chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), introduced the Act, which aims to increase low-carbon power generation in the U.S. by more than 80% by 2035 utilizing a market-based system of tradable energy credits. Beginning in 2015, utilities would be required to sell an increasing percentage of energy from clean energy sources. Utilities could generate electricity from clean sources to meet the Act’s requirements, or could purchase clean energy… [more]
View Insight