June 1, 2010 – The Detroit News – “Clean energy bill creates jobs”
Michael J. McCarty, president, United Steelworkers
“Our state is uniquely positioned to benefit from passing a strong, comprehensive clean energy and climate change bill. With unemployment that continues to lead the nation, we can’t afford to pass up an opportunity like the one that a clean energy economy will present us.”
On E2, President Obama shows his commitment to passing comprehensive climate and energy legislation this year. In a speech at Carnegie Mellow University on Wednesday, Obama said
“the votes may not be there right now, but I intend to find them in the coming months. I will make the case for a clean energy future wherever I can, and I will work with anyone from either party to get this done.”
Green has encouraging news on renewable energy development out west. It turns out that
“the power grid for five western states – Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming – could operate on as much as 30 percent wind and 5 percent solar without the construction of extensive new infrastructure.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has declared June “Energy Month” yet the fate of the best option Americans have for energy reform, a comprehensive climate and energy bill, hangs in the balance.
Top senate democrats will debate their willingness to take up a comprehensive climate and energy bill on June 10th and unless constituents start declaring their support for comprehensive legislation now, Senators will be tempted to take the easy way out and postpone the issue indefinitely.
This option is not acceptable.
We have never been closer to passage of comprehensive climate legislation and unfortunately, it may be years or even decades, before we get this close again. Our economy, our energy security and our climate are at stake and we can not afford to wait.
We applaud the concerned citizens, industry members and politicians who have been stepping up to voice their support in this crucial time.
Poll after poll shows that the public is in support of comprehensive action and in the wake of the BP oil tragedy, that support for environmental protection and energy reform has only grown stronger.
Thanks to all of you for making your voices heard. Let’s keep the pressure on. Key senators and the President have already begun to take note. With a united push in this final stretch, they will also take action.
Below are just a few of the voices of a new clean energy future. We will be updating this list as pieces come to our attention. Please let us know if you spot a great opinion piece so we can add it to the list.
May 27, 2010 – Huffington Post – “Every Day We Delay”
Pete Altman, climate campaign director, Natural Resources Defense Council
“As the Gulf Coast oil disaster shows, America has a failed national energy policy. We need a new clean energy policy to break our addiction to oil, enhance our national security, limit carbon pollution and lead us to clean American energy.”
May 28, 2010 – Northwest Herald – “Pass American Power Act”
Bruce Ratain, field associate, Environment Illinois
“While some opponents of energy reform attack transitioning to clean energy over supposed economic impact, today we clearly see that the real economic disaster is our continued dependence on fossil fuels…. We call on Congress to prevent this type of catastrophe from happening again by finally passing the American Power Act – comprehensive legislation to transition our nation to clean, renewable energy – and by strengthening the act to reduce our dependence on oil.”
May 28, 2010 – The Salon – “Will the Gulf oil disaster mark the turning point for meaningful energy legislation”
Andrew Leonard, technology reporter, Salon
“But here’s the amazing thing. With each day that BP fails to stop the leak, the job of passing energy legislation becomes a little less difficult, and little more simple common sense.”
May 28th, 2010 – CNN – “What if carbon dioxide were as black as oil?”
Christopher Reddy, associate scientist and director, Coastal Ocean Institute
“But while we have readily and rightfully committed ourselves to understanding the cause of the spill, its effects and how to help restore the affected Gulf Coast region, we still can’t seem to come to grips with a much more dangerous, far-reaching pollutant that is changing the fundamental chemistry of our entire planet: carbon dioxide.”
May 28, 2010 – Huffington Post – “The Beginning and the End of Our Oil Addiction”
Amy Davidsen, U.S. executive director, The Climate Group
“As we witness the destruction caused by the latest oil spill in the Gulf, the need to reduce our dependence on oil has never been more tangible. The good news is that we don’t need to look far for a solution… On Thursday, both the House and the Senate introduced bi-partisan legislation to scale up the use of electric vehicles in the US.”
“The legislation introduced yesterday represents the start of this exciting process. If it’s adopted, it would mark a new era in US transportation – and a welcome beginning to the end of our oil addiction.”
June 2, 2010 – Huffington Post – “Coming of the Green Industrial Revolution”
Stephan B. Tanda, managing board member, DSM
“We are at the beginning stages of the development of a green industrial landscape that has the power to transform our modern economy into a more sustainable economy.”
On Grist, Michigan is in the spotlight as a state with huge clean energy job potential.
“Ford is spending $10 million to retool one plant in Rawsonville to assemble battery packs for next generation clean vehicles, and $125 million more in another plant in Sterling Heights to build electric drive transaxles. The $135 million investment, made possible by $62.7 million in federal clean vehicle grants from Obama’s 2009 stimulus act, will lead to 170 new jobs, said Ford, and bring work currently occurring in Mexico and Japan back to the United States.”
Corporations in a host of industries are rallying behind the climate bill on E2.
“A group of 60 companies, environmental groups and other parties, in a letter Thursday, say the U.S. ‘must take control of its energy and economic future while enhancing our national security….It’s time for Democrats and Republicans to unite behind bipartisan, national energy and climate legislation that increases our security, limits emissions, and protects our environment while preserving and creating American jobs.'”
Kate Sheppard, via Ezra Klein, discusses how the gulf oil tragedy is affecting American attitudes on energy.
“Overall public opinion is changing, on offshore drilling in particular and the environment in general. It is becoming clear to many Americans that our current energy system is dangerous and unsustainable, and that the environmental risks aren’t worth it.”
This was originally posted on the Innovation Exchange blog.
There is no question that tools exists today to significantly reduce fuel consumption by medium and heavy-duty trucks. The recent National Academy of Sciences’ report on reducing emissions from these vehicles explored this in-depth as did another recent report from NESCAUM. The key question is: can we deploy these tools at an acceptable cost?
The answer is closer to “yes” than ever before, thanks in part to President Obama’s statement last week instructing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop rules to reduce emissions from medium and heavy-duty trucks – which consume over a quarter of the nation’s liquid fuels.
The most advanced of our fuel-saving tools, such as the hybrid system for medium-duty trucks, face a significant upfront cost barrier. While these systems can payback over the lifetime of the vehicle, the ROI timeline is too extended for most businesses to justify the cost without external incentives. Other, more incremental strategies such as single-wide tires face cultural and cost barriers as well. The resulting upfront capital cost versus long-term operating savings conundrum slows the adoption of these tools and delays emission reductions.
Fuel-saving components need to be produced at a large enough scale to spread out the fixed costs over time while simultaneously bringing the dollar cost down. By creating a nationwide standard for greenhouse gas emissions, the President has put us on a path to finally reach this scale. Imagine that instead of spreading the fix costs of developing and producing medium-duty hybrid powertrains, or single wide tires over a few hundred vehicles a year, these costs are spread over tens of thousands of trucks annually. The ROI for any one unit will instantly be much more attractive. This is what can happen with a strong federal rule.
How will this impact the business community? Consumers, shippers and carriers will be better off with more efficient, cleaner trucks. Operating costs will be lower and less exposed to fuel price volatility. The increased capital costs should be manageable with the advantages of scaled economies. Some of the increased upfront cost will likely be recouped through hire residual values too.
Of course, technological improvements alone aren’t sufficient. There remain many opportunities to reduce emissions through better operational practices, particularly for freight. From reducing empty backhauls, cutting idling, dropping curb weight, decreasing packaging and improving trucking loading, every truck trip can get more done. Some trips can be avoided all together or simply moved to more efficient modes of transportation.
Medium-and-heavy duty trucks will continue to play a vital role as we transition into a carbon constrained world. These trucks are needed to deliver food and beverages to restaurants and stores, drop off packages at homes and offices, and move goods across the nation. However, they will use less fuel for each of these actions. That’s a good thing for the environment, our pocketbooks and energy security.
A new poll conducted to gauge the popularity of the American Power Act shows strong public support for the bill in key states.
65% of Massachusetts voters, 57% of Maine voters and 50% of Florida voters said they support the measure. These percentages jump up to 80%, 74% and 71% respectively in support of a bill that will create new clean energy jobs.
According to a new study by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the American Power Act is set to increase average annual employment by 200,000 jobs from 2011 to 2020. On Huffington Post, there is a great analysis of the Peterson study by Nathaniel Keohane, Director of Economic Policy and Analysis at the Environmental Defense Fund, which explains in greater detail how the American Power Act will stimulate the economy and create jobs.
The surveys were conducted May 14th through 16th 2010 by Public Policy Polling.
