[The Vector] Former Senator Daschle and Newly-Formed Clean Energy Coalition Call on Obama for Action

Leadership action that Vectoris following was announced shortly after Obama’s Oval Office speech. It comes from former Senator Tom Daschle (Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress) and a coalition of clean energy industries. Coalition members include, among others, the American Wind Energy Association, the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, the Biomass Power Association, the Geothermal Energy Association and the Solar Energy Industries Association.

At a press conference on June 23rd, the coalition called on the White House and Senate to take urgent action on legislation for clean energy.       

“The time for Congress to take action is now,” said Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), a member of the coalition. “Our industry is at the crossroads with thousands of manufacturing jobs in the balance and with businesses and investors watching to see if the U.S. passes legislation supporting renewable energy.”

The coalition recommends at least four fundamental and critical provisions:

• Robust and predictable tax and financial incentives for manufacturing and projects, including extension of the Treasury Grant program.
• Energy efficiency codes and standards including an energy efficiency resource standard (EERS).  (Note: EERS sets a target for electric or gas utility companies for end-use energy savings, typically expressed in terms of percentage of total energy sales, savings or forecasts.)
  
• A strong Renewable Electricity Standard (RES). (Note: RES sets a target for electric utility companies in the purchase of renewable power, typically as a percentage of total electricity sales. This helps assure that renewable energy produced will be used / purchased.)
  
• Renewable energy infrastructure provisions.

In a letter sent to Congress following the Oval Office address, coalition members said,

“. . . A series of inconsistent and unstable policies have cost America its leadership in renewable energy and energy efficiency manufacturing and production. Attracting manufacturing will take a concerted effort, as evidenced by the actions of our competitors, but America’s workforce, skills and market are well suited for global leadership if stable policies are put in place. . .”

European countries and China, for instance, have included RES in their energy plans and this has or is helping renewable energy advances in those countries.