June 2012 Archives

As Washington mulls reforming the corporate tax code, what's at stake for energy policy?

Both permanent and temporary tax policies are among the largest drivers of energy policy, and all of them are on the table as Congress considers taking up corporate-tax reform next year. Even before that, Congress must decide whether it should renew some clean-energy tax credits by year's end, including the production tax credit for wind; and the push continues to end at least some oil and natural gas tax breaks.

Before Congress takes up corporate-tax reform, should lawmakers renew the PTC for wind energy? Should that tax credit be ratcheted down in some way? How should lawmakers consider oil and natural-gas tax breaks as part of corporate tax reform? Should Congress treat subsidies going to the international, integrated oil companies differently than those going to domestic, independent companies?

Should all energy resources receive about equal tax treatment? Or does the fact that energy technologies are at different stages of development and need varying levels of government support justify differential treatment?

22 responses: Phyllis Cuttino, Amy Harder, Howard A. Learner, Matthew Haskins, Brian Wynne, Amy Harder, Gene Karpinski, Catrina Rorke, Tom Buis, Barry Russell, Tim Greeff, Lisa Jacobson, Jacqueline Savitz, Josh Freed, Frank O'Brien-Bernini, Jack Gerard, Kate Offringa, Bernard L. Weinstein, Brooke Coleman, Daniel J. Weiss, William O'Keefe, Denise Bode

Should regulations controlling air pollution be upheld or curtailed in some way?

The Senate is expected to vote this week on a measure sponsored by Environment and Public Works Committee ranking member James Inhofe, R-Okla., that would nullify a recently finalized Environmental Protection Agency rule that controls mercury and other pollution from coal-fired power plants. Also this week, EPA has said it expects to finalize rules controlling the same air pollution from industrial boilers. In addition, debate is building around EPA's proposal last week for a tougher standard for particulate matter (commonly known as soot).

Should some or all of these rules be curtailed in any way? What factors, including public health, the environment and the economic impact should Congress and the Obama administration consider when promulgating clean-air rules? Are there major differences among these various rules? Should Congress examine them in different ways?

15 responses: Peter Lehner, Lance Brown, Howard A. Learner, Brigham McCown, Peter Iwanowicz, Amy Harder, Donna Harman, Gene Karpinski, Marlo Lewis, Michael Livermore, Allen Schaeffer, Jack Gerard, William O'Keefe, Evan Tracey, Bernard L. Weinstein

How can the United States get a handle on its nuclear waste, and what does that challenge mean for the future of nuclear power?

The seemingly never-ending quandary of how to handle radioactive waste from the country's 104 nuclear reactors has been top of mind among Washington's policymakers. Last week, House Republicans again included at least $35 million in their FY13 appropriations bill for the Energy Department that would pay for resuming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing review process and other work at Yucca Mountain, the nuclear waste repository site in Nevada that President Obama nixed in 2009.

Meanwhile, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., is working on legislation to set a new strategy for storing the nation's spent fuel, modeled after recommendations put forth by President Obama's blue-ribbon commission report, released in January. That report urges the government to begin work immediately on a permanent repository and also one centralized interim storage facility.

Right now, all of the spent nuclear fuel in the country--more than 65,000 tons--is stored onsite. Eighty percent is stored in water-filled pools, which are considered less safe than the steel-enclosed casks that store the remaining 20 percent.

What safety, environmental, and economic factors should Washington consider as it debates the future of its nuclear-waste policy? Should Yucca Mountain be revived, or should Congress stop debating that repository site once and for all? How does the uncertain future over spent fuel affect the nation's dependence on nuclear power, which provides the nation with 20 percent of its electricity?

8 responses: Kevin Knobloch, Tim Peckinpaugh, William O'Keefe, Chuck Gray, Marvin Fertel, David Holt, Bernard L. Weinstein, Victor Gilinsky

Do President Obama's energy policies promote all types of energy sources or just certain kinds?

The question has been a hot topic in recent weeks, both inside the halls of Congress and on the campaign trail throughout the country. Congressional Republicans and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney argue Obama is promoting only renewable energy and stifling domestic production of oil, natural gas, and coal. The Obama administration maintains it supports safe production of all types of energy, including fossil fuels. The incumbent president's reelection campaign added fuel to the fire when it initially left coal, which generated 42 percent of the nation's electricity last year, out of an "all of the above" energy graphic it posted on its website.

Which side is closer to the truth? What kind of policies could Congress and the Obama administration implement that would promote a whole array of energy sources, including renewables and fossil fuels?

17 responses: Amy Harder, Lance Brown, Amy Harder, Ed Whitfield, Brigham McCown, Josh Freed, William O'Keefe, Bernard L. Weinstein, Kate Offringa, Margo Thorning, Kathleen Sgamma, Marlo Lewis, Allen Schaeffer, Evan Tracey, Hal Quinn, Daniel J. Weiss, Tom Buis