January 2010 Archives

In his State of the Union address, President Obama supported construction of new nuclear power plants, offshore oil and gas drilling, and development of advanced clean-coal technologies. In return, he called on Congress to pass "a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America."

Will the White House's proposal energize Senate negotiations to curb U.S. emissions of global warming pollution? Can the nuclear, oil drilling and coal provisions win votes among fence-sitting moderates in both parties? Will the environmental groups stick with Obama, despite their past opposition to nuclear power, offshore oil drilling and new coal plants? Will corporate America rally behind the White House and push the Senate to act?

14 responses: Frank M. Stewart, Kevin Knobloch, Skip Horvath, William O'Keefe, Arjun Makhijani, Bill Snape, Jack Gerard, Marian Hopkins, Daniel J. Weiss, David Parker, Amy Harder, Gary Fazzino, Charles Drevna, Jon A. Anda

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, last week introduced a disapproval resolution -- essentially a congressional veto -- that would stop the EPA from controlling greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. Murkowski, the top Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, argued that Congress, not EPA, should determine federal climate change policy.

Should EPA regulate carbon dioxide emissions? Is the Obama administration using the agency to force Congress to pass legislation? Could EPA regulation help industry plan for a low-carbon future? Should the agency's power be temporarily suspended to give Congress more time to hash out a bill? Or should EPA be barred from controlling greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act? How could this resolution affect the overall debate on climate legislation?

16 responses: Richard Revesz, Cal Dooley, Amy Harder, Margaret Kriz Hobson, Amy Harder, Hal Quinn, David Holt, Stephen Eule, Thomas Gibson, Carl Pope, Frances Beinecke, Jon A. Anda, Larry Schweiger, Bill Snape, Eileen Claussen, William O'Keefe

What are the alternatives to an economy-wide cap-and-trade system for controlling greenhouse gas emissions?

Has the drive for a cap-and-trade bill run out of steam? Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, for one, predicts that the Senate won't pass a cap-and-trade bill this year. If so, what are other options? Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, proposed a cap-and-dividend system, which would cap carbon emissions at the source, such as oil or coal producers or importers, rather than regulating power companies or manufacturers. Other senators have suggested setting up a utility-only cap-and-trade program to control greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector. Furthermore, some experts are speculating that a carbon tax would be more likely to be approved by Congress.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives? Is any effort to put a price on carbon doomed to fail this year?

15 responses: Margo Thorning, Steven Stoft, Tom Kuhn, Graciela Chichilnisky, Jon A. Anda, Janet Larsen, William O'Keefe, Margaret Kriz Hobson, Jon A. Anda, William O'Keefe, Paul Portney, Dirk Forrister, Alan Oxley, Bill Snape, Jon A. Anda

Should Congress do more to help revive the nuclear energy industry?

The Energy Department is expected to announce soon which companies will receive loan guarantees to build new nuclear power plants. DOE is authorized to hand out $18.5 billion in loan guarantees, which experts say is enough to cover construction of two to three plants. The electric companies would not receive the final guarantees, however, until their applications were approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Meanwhile, Congress is already considering new ways to encourage the electric industry to build new plants. In December, Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Joe Lieberman, I/D-Conn., released a climate change legislative framework that would also encourage nuclear energy development.

Will these benefits be enough to encourage construction of new nuclear power plants in the U.S.? The nuclear industry says it needs much more than the $18.5 billion in loan guarantees that it's slated to receive. The Senate trio's proposal still lacks detail, yet it's the only option on the table with a potentially robust nuclear provision. Should Congress consider other ways to help jumpstart the industry?

14 responses: Peter Bradford, Amy Harder, Paul Sullivan, Kyle Danish, Robert C. Sisson, Graciela Chichilnisky, Janet Larsen, Henry D. Sokolski, Kevin Knobloch, David Holt, David Kreutzer, Bill Snape, Marvin Fertel, William O'Keefe

What are the chances that the Senate will pass climate change legislation in 2010?

In December, the political calculations for controlling greenhouse gases dramatically changed.

• The Copenhagen climate change agreement signed by world leaders was weaker than many politicians were seeking.

• Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Joe Lieberman, I/D-Conn; and John Kerry, D-Mass., unveiled the outlines for a new climate bill that's less ambitious than the measure passed by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The lawmakers were vague about when they would introduce the bill.

• Moderate Democrats in the Senate raised red flags on measures to curb carbon pollution through a cap-and-trade program.

• Republicans in the House and Senate announced plans to seek a congressional veto that would stop the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.

What's next for Senate efforts to curb greenhouse gases?

17 responses: Kevin Knobloch, Dirk Forrister, Jim Kerr, Scott Moore, Margo Thorning, Carl Pope, Frances Beinecke, Chuck Gray, Robert C. Sisson, Alan Oxley, Daniel J. Weiss, Larry Schweiger, Denise Bode, Gene Karpinski, Robert J. Shapiro, William O'Keefe, Bill Snape