With power plant, refinery, transmission grid and factory construction all hanging in the balance, the internal turmoil over climate change policy continues to fracture the Obama administration and Congress. USEPA proposes to regulate CO2 emissions by rulemaking, despite OMB's sharp criticisms of EPA's process and substance in that agency's finding that the gas is a health hazard. Meanwhile, the White House and Congress continue to insist that comprehensive climate change legislation, rather EPA rulemaking, is the way to go.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman, still propose to get a bill out of committee before Memorial Day. A deal is in the works to reduce the greenhouse gas emission goal from 20% reduction by 2020 to only 14% reduction, with cap and trade credits going 35% to local electric utilities, 12% to energy intensive steel, aluminum, chemical and glass manufacturing, and 4% or less to the oil and gas producers. The Blue Dog caucus chimes in with a mandate to include nuclear, clean coal, biomass, hydroelectricity and heat from waste as "renewable" sources of electric power. The Blue Dogs also want any legislative renewable energy mandate to take into consideration regional disparities in availability of renewable resources.
Memorial Day is two weeks away.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman, still propose to get a bill out of committee before Memorial Day. A deal is in the works to reduce the greenhouse gas emission goal from 20% reduction by 2020 to only 14% reduction, with cap and trade credits going 35% to local electric utilities, 12% to energy intensive steel, aluminum, chemical and glass manufacturing, and 4% or less to the oil and gas producers. The Blue Dog caucus chimes in with a mandate to include nuclear, clean coal, biomass, hydroelectricity and heat from waste as "renewable" sources of electric power. The Blue Dogs also want any legislative renewable energy mandate to take into consideration regional disparities in availability of renewable resources.
Memorial Day is two weeks away.
