|
|
|
|
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Waxman Pledges to Produce Revised Climate Bill Next Week On May 7, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, pledged to produce a revised draft next week of the climate bill that was first circulated on March 31. Waxman indicated that he intends to hold to his deadline of having a bill passed out of the full committee by Memorial Day and that talks among committee members are going well. “We're moving well, making a lot of progress on these issues,” Waxman said. “We're getting very, very close.” Among the key issues being discussed is the question of whether to auction or give away permits that allow companies to emit greenhouse gases (GHGs). The current discussion draft does not specify how these permits are distributed and several members of the committee representing fossil fuel-heavy regions of the country called for portions of the permits to be given away to protect vulnerable industries. Sponsors of the legislation are now potentially considering giving away as much as 55 percent of the credits for free, with 40 percent for the local distribution companies that service the electric utility industry, and 15 percent for heavy industries seen as especially vulnerable to international trade. After about 10 to 15 years of the cap and trade program, set to begin in 2012, the free credits would phase out in favor of an auction, said Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA). http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aTeNSPY5RB30&refer=home
United States Submits First Plan for UN Climate Talks On May 5, the United States submitted its plans for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting scheduled to take place in Copenhagen in December. “The United States is committed to reaching a strong international agreement in Copenhagen based on both the robust targets and ambitious actions that will be embodied in U.S. domestic law,” the submission said. The UNFCCC negotiations will be held to finalize a global agreement among nations to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In its formal notice, the United States indicated that U.S. action would be reliant upon “important national actions of all countries with significant emissions profiles to contain their respective emissions.” The notice did not include any specific targets for reducing GHG emissions, but indicated the Obama Administration “will be submitting additional proposals as the negotiations progress.” U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was satisfied with the U.S. submission, despite its lack of specific goals for cutting carbon dioxide and other climate-warming gases. “I know that there is . . . some more to do by the United States government, but this is a good step and I would encourage further that the United States take more concrete, more bolder initiatives,” he said. For additional information see:
Obama Administration Indicates Support in Reducing HFCs On May 4, the Obama Administration said hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a class of chemicals that are widely used in refrigerators and air conditioners, “pose a very significant further threat to the climate system because of their high global warming potentials.” In a letter written to the UN Ozone Secretariat Marco Gonzalez., U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Environment and Sustainable Development Daniel Reifsnyder indicated that the United States wanted to reduce the gases but had not decided whether to do so under the Montreal Protocol, a treaty designed to protect the ozone layer, or through separate UN talks on climate change. The treaty promotes the use of HFCs to replace ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that have now been virtually eliminated. HFCs do not harm the ozone layer, but are especially potent greenhouse gases – up to 10,000 times more potent than CO2. Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer decided in 2007 to speed up plans to phase out ozone-depleting HCFCs, but the most likely alternative to these gases are climate-warming HFCs. A proposal submitted by Micronesia and Mauritius last week called for an HFCs phase-out in the ozone treaty discussions planned for November. The United States ran out of time “to complete the analysis needed to understand the potential impacts of such an approach or to consider how amending the Montreal Protocol to address HFCs would affect negotiations . . . with respect to the post-2012 period,” Reifsnyder said in the letter, adding, “We plan to continue actively studying and analyzing this issue.” For additional information see:
EPA Proposes Measuring Carbon Emissions from Biofuel Production On May 5, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a draft rule to increase the supply of renewable fuels set to eventually reach 36 billion gallons by 2022, as mandated by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. As part of this proposed rule, the EPA will be measuring the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that are created in the production of the renewable fuels and will require that the fuels produced must achieve emissions reductions compared to the gasoline and diesel they replace. The thresholds for new categories are placed at 20 percent less GHG emissions for renewable fuels produced from new facilities, 50 percent less for biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuels, and 60 percent less for cellulosic biofuels. The EPA did not specify how it plans to measure the GHG emissions from the renewable fuel production in the proposed rulemaking, but will be holding a public comment period for 60 days after it appears in the Federal Register. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said the administration wanted to make sure that its final rule on renewable fuels is “informed by the best science.” Bob Dinneen, president of the Renewable Fuels Association, said his group would “participate aggressively” in the formation of the new regulations. “There's a great deal of uncertainty about this,” he said. For additional information see:
Study Finds Cap and Trade Will Not Push Heavy Industries Overseas For additional information see:
China Ready for Post-Kyoto Deal on Climate Change On May 8, the UK climate change secretary Ed Millibrand announced that after talks with Chinese officials in Beijing this week, he feels that China is serious about reaching a deal on climate change this year. “I got the real sense that the Chinese are ready for an agreement,” Milibrand said. “I'm coming away from discussions rather optimistic. I think the Chinese want a deal at Copenhagen in December.” The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is meeting in Copenhagen in December to form an agreement among nations to reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions once the current treaty, the Kyoto Protocol, expires in 2012. Milibrand said the pledge by President Obama to reduce U.S. emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 signaled to China that developed nations were serious about addressing climate change. “As you would expect, China wants a deal but it also wants maximum commitments from developed countries. I think President Obama has now signaled that America is now up for doing the maximum it can,” Milibrand said. China’s official negotiating position is unchanged, but the government appears to be preparing a set of targets up to and beyond 2020 to lower the country's “carbon intensity.” For additional information see:
New Governor Approves Coal-fired Power Plant for Kansas On May 4, Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson signed an agreement allowing Sunflower Electric Power Corp. to build one new coal-fired power plant, ending a 19-month dispute between the governor’s office and the utility company. Gov. Parkinson was recently sworn in as Governor to replace Kathleen Sebelius, who left to become the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Sebelius had previously vetoed all four bills passed by the state legislature that allowed Sunflower to begin construction on two new 700-megawatt coal-fired power plants. In a compromise with Parkinson, the utility company will build one 895-megawatt plant and agreed to also build more wind turbines, invest in more energy efficiency and agreed to stronger pollution controls. “We have been at an energy impasse for the past couple of years,” Parkinson said. “I thought it was time to bring an end to that impasse.” The agreement also allows Sunflower to seek a state permit for construction of another new coal unit in two years. Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley expressed doubt that either one will be constructed. “I think in terms of any future coal plants, much is contingent on future air standards,” Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley (D) said. “Everything is up in the air if they could ever construct a second plant.” For additional information see:
First Carbon Capture Permit Issued in West Virginia On May 5, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin announced that the state Department of Environmental Protection has issued its first CO2 sequestration permit to Appalachian Power Co., a subsidiary of American Electric Power. The underground injection control permit for geologic carbon dioxide storage allows the company to capture and inject up to 165,000 metric tons of CO2 per year over a four- to five-year period. “I've always said that we need to discover modern and more environmentally friendly ways to use the tremendous resource we have in West Virginia coal,” Manchin said. “That technology is here, today, and we are working hard to find even more innovative energy solutions that create jobs for West Virginians, while also protecting our environment.” In 2008, the state passed legislation that provided the legal and regulatory framework for the permitting of carbon dioxide sequestration operations. West Virginia’s House Bill 2860 included regulations for monitoring the sequestration sites; providing notice of sequestration operation to other surface owners; providing notice in the event of an excursion of the sequestered CO2; and terminating a project and for post-closure care of a CO2 sequestration facility. For additional information see:
Australia Delays Emissions Scheme On May 4, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that the country’s emissions trading scheme will be delayed by one year in response to the global economic crisis. “The worst global recession since the Great Depression means we must adapt our climate change measures but not abandon them,” Rudd said. “The start date of the carbon pollution reduction scheme will be delayed one year to commence from July 1, 2011.” The price for a ton of carbon will be fixed at A$10 (US$7.36) for the first year to assist industries that have been hit hard by the recession. Rudd also announced that Australia would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 25 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 “if the world agrees to an ambitious global deal.” In its previous plan, Australia promised to cut its emissions by 5 to 15 percent from 2000 levels by the year 2020. In addition, the government plans to introduce a law in parliament establishing a climate trust intended as a “recession buffer” worth A$50 million, Rudd said. For additional information see:
Mountain-dwelling Pika May Need Protection Due to Climate Change On May 6, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) said it was going to launch an in-depth review of the American pika and submit findings by February 1, 2010. The pika is a small mammal with thick fur that lives mostly in high, rocky mountain areas with cool temperatures. The pika’s thermal regulation system does not respond well to heat, which has caused pikas to seek higher altitudes as temperatures in the region have increased. Scientists are concerned that pikas are now running out of room as they move to higher locations in the mountains. In 2007, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition with the FWS saying rising temperatures had already caused “dramatic losses” of pika populations at lower elevations. A study in 2003 found six of 25 previously known pika populations in the Great Basin had disappeared, primarily because of the effects of warming temperatures. The FWS has said it is in the midst of developing a five-year plan to address climate change. “The service knows that climate change is real. It is the biggest conservation challenge of our time,” said Diane Katzenberger, a FWS spokeswoman. For additional information see:
Bolivia's Chacaltaya Glacier is Gone On May 4, The Miami Herald reported that a team of scientists tracking the Bolivian glacier Chacaltaya have found that it has completely disappeared, six years earlier than previously predicted. The 18,000-year old glacier melted completely sometime earlier this year due to rising temperatures in the region. Dr. Edson Ramirez, who heads a team of international scientists that have tracked the glacier since 1991, had concluded that the glacier would last until 2015. Their studies showed that the rate of thaw increased threefold since the prediction was made ten years ago. Ramirez now believes that other glaciers in the region will likely melt entirely within 30 years. “It's very probable that other glaciers are disappearing faster than we thought,” Ramirez said. For additional information see:
Other Headlines
Events May 12, 2009 Alternative Transportation Fuels Part 3: Biofuels Please join the Sustainable Energy Coalition—in cooperation with Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucuses—for the 12th annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. in 345 Cannon House Office Building. This year’s EXPO will bring together nearly 50 businesses, sustainable energy industry trade associations, government agencies, and energy policy research organizations to showcase the status and near-term potential of the cross-section of renewable energy (biofuels/biomass, geothermal, solar, water, wind) and energy efficiency technologies. An 11:00 a.m. news conference will feature Members of the U.S. Congress while afternoon panels of speakers (in 335 Cannon House Office Building) will discuss the role sustainable energy technologies can play in meeting America’s energy needs. For more information, please contact Ken Bossong at the Sustainable Energy Coalition by phone at 301-270-6477 ext. 23 or email at kbossong614@yahoo.com.
Quick Links ARCHIVE: Past issues of the newsletter are posted on our website under "publications" SUPPORT EESI: This newsletter and EESI's other valuable work in energy, climate change, agriculture, transportation and smart growth are made possible through financial support from people like you. Please donate now.
Amy Sauer This EESI publication is a free, weekly electronic newsletter intended to inform interested parties, particularly the policymaker community, of the latest climate change-related news. Permission for reproduction of this newsletter is granted provided that EESI is properly acknowledged as the source. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute is a non-profit organization established in 1984 by a bipartisan, bicameral group of members of Congress to provide timely information on energy and environmental policy issues to policymakers and stakeholders and develop innovative policy solutions that set us on a cleaner, more secure and sustainable energy path. |
|||
Printer-friendly version