June 22, 2009

Capitol Hotline (Jun. 22)

Neg. Needed with Ag Comm, GW Affecting US, Senate Comm Passes Energy Bill, DOE Revives FutureGen, Russia Offers Low 2020 Target, Oil & Gas Firms Boost Lobbying Efforts

In this issue

Hot Topic of the Week

Negotiations Still Needed with Agricultural Committee on Climate & Energy Bill

USCAN Advocacy

Action Alert: Call Members Offices and Urge Them to Defend, Strengthen, and Pass the Waxman-Markey Bill

Inside the Beltway

Climate Change Already Affecting US, Finds US Gov't Report
Senate Committee Passes Weak Energy Bill
DOE Revives FutureGen with Lowered Carbon Goal

Outside the Beltway

Russia Offers 'Very Low' 2020 target
Oil and Gas Firms Boosting Lobbying Efforts

Capitol Hill Events
Other Headlines

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Hot Topic of the Week

Negotiations Still Needed with Agricultural Committee on Climate & Energy Bill

Energy and Commerce Chair Henry Waxman (D-CA) told reporters on Friday that while he resolved a number of issues with Agricultural Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) and other rural Democrats, other issues still remained, such as whether the EPA or Agricultural committee should manage projects that pay farmers for their conservation efforts. Still, Waxman wouldn't rule out the possibility of the legislation going to a vote this week. Even if they cannot get the bill on the floor this week, top Democrats insist that there will still be time for climate change early next month. Read more at E&E (sub'd req.)

A farmers group came out against the legislation last week, while a group of Baptist leaders wrote a letter in support. The National Farmers Union said they couldn't support the measure if the provisions for agricultural offsets weren't improved. A total of 140 Baptist leaders urged Congress to pass Waxman's legislation, saying that the bill "advances practically the moral demands to care for the earth and its poorest inhabitants."

The legislation would cost American households between $40 and $340 a year varying by income, according to a new report by the Congressional Budget Office. It would cost the average American household $170 per year. The CBO report, which only studied the cap-and-trade provisions of HR 2454, found that the legislation's net costs would be $22 billion when including offsets and free allowances. Without those provisions, CBO said the law would cost a total of $110 billion, or about $890 per household. Waxman said the study "underscores that this legislation is effective and affordable," while some Republicans claim the study excludes billions in additional costs.

The Republican National Committee launched a PR campaign today including a YouTube video warning Congressmen not to "tax our lights out" by supporting the Waxman-Markey bill.

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USCAN Advocacy

Action Alert: Call Members Offices and Urge Them to Defend, Strengthen, and Pass the Waxman Markey Bill

The American Clean Energy and Security Act could be voted on by the entire House as early as this week. During the USCAN, 1Sky, Green for All, and Energy Action Coalition conference call with Chairmen Waxman and Markey on Wednesday, June 10, Markey said:

"These opportunities come every 15 years or so. We can't assume we'll be in the same position in a few years - we did that in 1977-78, 1993-94. We need people to organize! This is the most important energy vote in a generation if not of all time."

The most critical thing right now is generating grass tops calls in to members' offices asking them to defend, strengthen and pass the bill. Anything you can do to facilitate this is helpful! Sample talking points are available from the c campaign and 1Sky. NWF has an ACES action toolkit and EDF has state specific fact sheets on clean energy jobs.

Feel free to contact me if you would like more information or have questions. I am always interested to hear what you are working on: jkurz@climatenetwork.org.

Also, if your organization knows how many comments it generated for the EPA endangerment finding and would like it included in the communitywide press release on the close of the comment period, please send that number to Virginia.Cramer@SierraClub.org or 804-225-9113 x102 by tomorrow morning Eastern time.

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Inside the Beltway

Climate Change Already Affecting US, Finds US Gov't Report

Higher temperatures, raising sea-levels and other impacts of climate change are already happening in every cornering of our nation, according to a major scientific report released by the US government last week. The report, Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States, provided a detailed portrait of the United States in 2100 if the current trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions continues. Average U.S. temperatures would increase 4 to 11 degrees Fahrenheit which would result in catastrophic shifts in water, heat and natural life. The report was issued by the U.S. Global Climate Change Research Program (GCRP) as a result of research initiated during the Bush administration. In response to the study, World Wildlife Fund created a helpful interactive map that outlines the key findings from the report by region, while Union of Concerned Scientists created a series of fact sheets.

Senate Committee Passes Weak Energy Bill

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved an energy bill last Wednesday that would allow oil and gas drilling up to 10 miles off parts of Florida's coasts, lifting a ban on drilling in the area that Congress that had instated just two years ago. The bill also includes a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) that would require utilities to draw 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources or energy efficiency measures by 2021. This is weaker than the RES included in the Waxman-Markey bill, which requires 20 percent by 2020.

While Senate committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) said the bill would "help shift our country to cleaner sources of energy," numerous environmental groups were quick to oppose the bill. "The bill's renewable electricity standard is so pitiful that it wouldn't require any new renewable energy development beyond business as usual," said Marchant Wentworth, clean energy advocate with the Union of Concerned Scientists, in a statement. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said he only voted for the bill "with the hope that we can strengthen it significantly on the floor." Read more at Washington Post

DOE Revives FutureGen with Lowered Carbon Goal

The Department of Energy's recently decided to reboot a scaled-back version of its carbon capture and sequestration project in Mattoon, Illinois, called FutureGen, which had been introduced and then scrapped by President George W. Bush. DOE's new tentative plan calls for a carbon-capture goal of 60 percent, but with a design that could be upgraded to 90 percent. Bush's original plan required a 90 percent capture goal from the beginning. DOE has pledged about $1 billion for the project. FutureGen Alliance CEO Michael Mudd said under the new deal, DOE and companies would work jointly through the rest of the year on refining the design to reduce costs and "technical risk." If the project is ultimately approved, the plant could begin to be built in 2013 or 2014. Read more at NY Times

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Outside the Beltway

Russia Offers 'Very Low' 2020 target

Russian President Dmity Medvedev set the country's first long-term goal for greenhouse gas emission "reductions" on Friday which would allow the country to emit 30 percent more greenhouse gases by 2020. Medvedev set a target to reduce emissions 10-15 percent by 2020 from Russia's emissions in 1990 when it was part of the Soviet Union and its emissions were much higher. Environmentalists expressed disappointment and worried about the impact this could have on the United Nations negotiations in Copenhagen this December. "It's not enough, it's very low" said Alexey Kokorin, the Russian spokesperson for WWF. Russia is the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, after China and the United States. President Obama is headed to Moscow in early July for his first-ever U.S.-Russia summit. Read more at Reuters

Oil and Gas Firms Boosting Lobbying Efforts

The oil and gas industries have accelerated their spending on lobbying faster than any other sector, focusing their energies to fight new taxes and attempting to bring down climate and energy legislation. The industry spent $44.5 million lobbying Congress in the first three months of 2009. Last year totaled $129 million, up 73 percent from two years earlier. The complex issues we face today "require additional communication and effort to ensure lawmakers understand our positions," said Alan Jeffers, spokesman for Exxon Mobil Corp. Read more at Philadelphia Inquirer

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Capitol Hill Events

June 23: Hearing on high-speed rail (Senate Trans & Infra)
June 24: Markup of energy legislation (House Sci&Tech)
June 25: Hearing on mountaintop mining impact on water quality (Senate EPW)

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