Clean Economy Network National Update
Alison
National Update
March 30, 2010
The purpose of this report is to update you on developments in
Washington and elsewhere that are relevant to your business and our
sector.
Included this week:
Legislative & Media Update
Federal Funding & Program Update
Education and Networking Opportunities
We Can Lead Campaign Update
Clean Economy Network Chapter Activity
Legislative and Media Update
Obama Aides Meet With Senate Democrats to Map April Strategy for
Climate Bill. Top aides of President Obama met with Senate Democratic
leaders last week to discuss their strategy to reach the 60-vote bench
bark needed to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation when
the Senate returns in April from their spring recess. Aides to
Senators Kerry, D-Mass., Graham, R-S.C., and Lieberman, I-Conn., plan
to write their bill over the two-week recess, with the Environmental
Protection Agency also soon to start a six-to-eight week analysis.
Their bill is expected to set a first-ever price for the industrial
releases of greenhouse gas emissions and expand domestic production of
oil, gas and nuclear power. See:
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/03/25/25climatewire-obama-aides-meet-with-senate-dems-to-map-apr-50034.html?pagewanted=all
Offshore Drilling Plan in Climate Bill Would Give States a Say. A
major sticking point in negotiating the final version of the bill has
been the drilling dilemma. It has been confirmed that the Senate talks
are planning to include revenue-sharing for states that agree to
offshore oil and gas development. Under the current proposal, U.S.
states would get more say over offshore drilling. Oil- and gas-
drilling within 35 miles of a state’s coast could be initiated only if
the state approved it. From 36 miles to 75 miles offshore, drilling
could go ahead unless a state objected. The bill’s authors are trying
to strike a compromise between two key swing voting blocs: a group of
10 senators from coastal states who said this week they won’t support
a bill providing for unlimited exploration and those who favor revenue
sharing from drilling. See:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-26/offshore-drilling-plan-in-climate-bill-would-give-states-a-say.html
Senate Climate Bill's Allocation Fight Expected to Go Down to the
Wire. Negotiations on exactly who should get a bigger share of
emissions allowances, as well as the broader philosophical mechanics
of pricing greenhouse gases are heating up. Lawmakers must decide
where the hundreds of billions of dollars that the 40-year climate
program is expected to generate from large carbon emitters – electric
utilities, petroleum refiners, manufacturers – will be allocated.
Senators Lieberman, Graham and Kerry are promising a bill that would
be both business and consumer-friendly. The senators' proposal has
been dubbed "reduction and refund" instead of the "cap and trade" term
that has been demonized by opponents. See:
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/03/26/26climatewire-senate-climate-bills-allocation-fight-expecte-2630.html?pagewanted=all
The Clean Tech Sector is Thriving. A new study released by a research
firm, Clean Edge, shows that the global clean technology sector was
left largely unscathed after the worldwide economic collapse and is
expected to continue growing over the next decade. See:
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/clean-tech-sector-thriving-survey-finds/.
China is leading all other countries in investments in clean energy
investing for the first time. In 2009, China overtook the United
States in renewable energy investments attracting nearly twice as many
dollars and becoming the world's largest market for clean energy
projects. Renewable energy investments in China - mostly wind farms -
totaled $34.6 billion in 2009, while In the U.S., $18.6 billion was
spent. See: http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/25/news/international/china_energy_spending/.
More and more, American companies, their engineers and researchers
included, are being drawn to China as a high-tech economy that
increasingly competes directly with the United States develops there.
See: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/18/business/global/18research.html?pagewanted=all
Federal Funding and Program Update
DOE Releases New Report on Benefits of Recovery Act for Small
Businesses. The report found that as of early March 2010, small
businesses in clean energy and environmental management sectors have
been selected to receive nearly $5.4 billion in funding across a
number of Recovery Act and related programs, including loans, loan
guarantees, grants, contracts and tax incentives, in partnership with
the Department of Treasury. See the full report here:
http://www.energy.gov/news/8768.htm
EPA and DOE Announce New Steps to Strengthen ENERGY STAR. A new two-
step process, involving testing and enforcement, has been launched to
promote confidence in ENERGY STAR qualified products. This week, DOE
began testing of some of the most commonly used appliances, which
account for more than 25% of a household’s energy bill, and both
agencies are now developing a system to test all products that earn
the ENERGY STAR label. The program helps consumers identify the
products that are highly energy efficient and will save them money on
utility costs, while DOE’s minimum appliance efficiency standards set
baseline energy efficiency levels for appliances. See:
http://www.energy.gov/news/8775.htm
Education and Networking Opportunities
Save the Date:
CEN Webinar on Government Relations
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 12:00 EDT
Clean Economy Network, in partnership with Hattaway Communications, is
pleased to announce that we will hold a member webinar to hear an
overview of the clean economy policy landscape and how to build a
strong government relations program. We hope you can join us for this
worthwhile opportunity. Additional details will be forthcoming. Please
contact cda...@cleaneconomy.net if you are interested in joining the
webinar.
We Can Lead Campaign Update
We Can Lead, a coalition of over 150 business leaders from 30 states
around the country, issued joint statements today hailing efforts by
Senators Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman, to craft climate and energy
legislation. We Can Lead is a partnership of the CEN and Ceres'
Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy. See:
http://energytopic.nationaljournal.com/2010/03/utilities-businesses-hail-sena.php
CEN Charlotte holds networking Happy Hour Networking Event
Co-Chairs of CEN’s Charlotte chapter held a successful networking
event on March 18 in downtown Charlotte. Attendees connected with
other professionals and promoted the growth of renewable energy in the
Greater Charlotte area. The event, sponsored by Moore & Van Allen,
featured a presentation from N.C. Senator Dan Clodfelter regarding
renewable energy policy updates and perspectives from the State
Senate.
Know a business leader who would be a potent member of the Clean
Economy Network? Let us know at jo...@cleaneconomy.net.
These updates will continually adapt to the needs and requests of our
members. Please take a moment to give us your feedback on what policy
issues are important to your business. Let us know at
sup...@cleaneconomy.net.
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