39 item(s) were returned.
Legislative Director
Congressman Matt Cartwright
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 requires the safe disposal of solid waste and hazardous materials. In 1980, RCRA was amended to exempt waste from the production and development of oil and natural gas (E&P waste). In 1988, the EPA issued a Regulatory Determination further exempting oil and natural gas producers from RCRA’s most stringent safety requirements. This left the task of regulating disposal of these wastes to states, which they have done to varying degrees. Recent reports show the extent of the problem and highlight the potentially fatal consequences. The regulatory determination was issued before fracking,… [more]
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President
Micro-Utilities, Inc.
The President was on target during his speech on climate change at Georgetown University when he announced new initiatives to curb the release of greenhouse gases and thereby slow down the effects of climate change. However, a key aspect to meeting this huge challenge is to set national goals based on specific timetables. Without President Kennedy setting a goal to land an American on the moon by a specific date, it is doubtful that we would have ever achieved this. President Obama’s goal-setting in his recent speech was incomplete and rather imbalanced. There was a goal to double renewable energy… [more]
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The U.S. EPA finalized amendments to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program that include new renewable fuel production pathways for renewable diesel, renewable naphtha, and renewable electricity (used in electric vehicles) from landfill biogas. According to the EPA, “Adding these new pathways will enhance the ability of the biofuels industry to supply advanced biofuels, including cellulosic biofuels, which greatly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) compared to the petroleum-based fuels they replace.” However, these changes don’t address some of the fundamental problems associated with the RFS, according to critics. For example, NACS, the international trade association that serves the convenience… [more]
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President Obama’s fiscal year 2014 budget, released April 10th, contains many of the energy initiatives previously outlined in his Energy Blueprint. Programs such as the Race to the Top energy efficiency challenge and the Energy Security Trust are included, along with slight adjustments to the enacted budgets of the primary agencies that shape energy policy – the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Specifically, the DOE budget would see total funding growth of 8%, with funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy increasing 40%. The DOI budget would increase 4%, and include an… [more]
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President Obama has announced his choices to replace the outgoing energy and environment Cabinet members: Ernest Moniz, Director of the MIT Energy Initiative, has been nominated as Secretary of Energy; Gina McCarthy as head of the EPA, where she is currently the assistant administrator for air and radiation; and Sally Jewell, CEO of REI, for Interior Secretary. If confirmed, how would you expect these new officials to approach major policy issues from domestic oil and gas exploration to hydro-fracturing to climate change to nuclear energy, and more, both absolutely and in comparison to their predecessors? What would you recommend for… [more]
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Sequestration’s $85 billion automatic spending cuts began going into effect on Friday, but the timeline and full extent of the cut’s impacts are still somewhat vague. So what’s at stake for energy and environmental programs and the energy industry at large? Here’s what major department leaders have said about the likely effects of sequestration: In a letter to the Appropriations Committee, outgoing energy secretary Steven Chu highlighted a concern with the structure of the $2.4 billion in DOE budget cuts, explaining that “The effects of sequestration are particularly damaging because, by law, they apply equally to each program, project, and… [more]
View Insight“Our National Energy Policy: Post-Election Prospects and Challenges” December 14th, 2012 National Press Club, Washington, DC See below for an abridged version of the transcript and a full video recording of the event. You can view or download the full transcript here. Opening Remarks: WILLIAM SQUADRON, President, OurEnergyPolicy.org Speakers: JAMES CONNAUGHTON, Executive Vice President and Senior Policy Advisor with Exelon Corporation and Former Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality GENERAL JAMES L. JONES, USMC (retired), Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, Senior Advisor to the American Energy Innovation Council with the Bipartisan Policy Center, and Former… [more]
View InsightOn December 21st, 2011 the EPA announced its newly proposed MACT Rules, placing stringent requirements on mercury and toxics emissions from power plants. The new rules were issued under the authority of the Clean Air Act, and are expected to heavily impact existing and new coal-fired power plants. According to AP, EPA “has estimated that 14.7 gigawatts — enough power for more than 11 million households — will be retired from the power grid in the 2014-15 period when the rules take effect.” The rules have received a great deal of criticism, ranging from the anticipated impacts on industry and employment to EPA’s “methodology… [more]
View Insight[Note: The statements below are intended solely to stimulate discussion among the Expert community, and do not represent the position of OurEnergyPolicy.org. Text in italics indicates clarification or expansion.] Critical policy recommendations mentioned above (Flex fuel GEM mandate, Alternative fuel infrastructure tax credit, and Government vehicle purchase mandate). We must solve the “chicken and egg” problem of the alcohol fuel market by forcing initial demand. Increase the blending mandate of ethanol in the gas that we currently buy to 15%. Mandate fuel blenders to buy any ethanol offered to them until they meet the 15% minimum. Cars can… [more]
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