President Obama outlines plan for energy independence

At a press conference today, President Obama signed the Executive orders on energy independence and outlined a plan for the future. The initiative provides for the creation of jobs through an effort to make buildings more energy efficient. It also provides incentives for fuel efficient cars to be designed and built in the United States. President Obama pledged to work with state governments rather than against them. In response to the 35,000 jobs lost today, the President said to not expect a quick fix. He went on to say that much work needs to be done, and these executive orders are the next step.

Next bailout a "green" bailout?

At a hearing to discuss possible energy measures to stimulate the economy, Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) said that a "number of important energy measures" must be "a central part of any stimulus package." Bingaman felt that this upcoming Congress has a real opportunity to create a "comprehensive and forward-looking energy policy."

Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) said that Congress has done more to address the energy crisis in the last six years than has been accomplished in the previous 30 years. Domenici still suggested "an expedited process" in addressing energy initiatives because of the long delays that can occur due to current regulations.

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) advocated for coal-to-liquid fuel technology. According to Bunning, this type of fuel would create significant jobs, substantially reduce emissions, and reduce our dependence on Middle East oil. He is also concerned with investing in other types of energy programs considering they are unproven and inefficient.

Bracken Hendricks, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAP), stated that CAP advocates for a $350 billion one-year stimulus and recovery package, part of which he called a "green stimulus." Hendricks said that one third of that package should go directly to clean energy investments.

Malcolm Woolf, Director of the Maryland Energy Administration, made specific proposals for any stimulus package in the upcoming year. Woolf wanted as much as $10 billion provided for an energy efficient buildings retrofit program, $6 billion for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, $1 billion for the Low-Income Weatherization Assistance Program, and $2.5 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. He also argued for an 8 year extension on energy efficiency and renewable tax provisions that would allow for long-term job creation.

Energy independence a hard goal

The Energy Daily and Covanta Energy hosted a media breakfast with Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) to discuss the congressional outlook on energy. At the forefront of discussions was the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Moratorium. The OCS Moratorium was put in place by Congress in 1981 to protect America's coasts from threats of oil and gas developments as well as to prevent leasing of coastal waters for fossil fuel development.

According to Bingaman, any ideas of changing the Moratorium would run into significant opposition and pointed out that President George Bush has not asked for a change either. When asked if the OCS Moratorium is shaping up to be an election issues, Bingaman said that the longer the topic was debated, the better it would be understood. Bingaman also noted that both presidential candidates Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) have "kept the issue boiling" and not voted on it. Bingaman also said he was against the federal government ceding authority of the OCS to coastal states. He said that around $100 billion of the OCS revenue would go to coastal states and this in unfavorable in a time when the federal government needs its reserves. According to Bingaman, the OCS has always been a federal resource. Bingaman was quick to admit that leaders of coastal states would not agree with his stand.

Bingaman commended Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens for taking on the issue of energy and developing an alternative energy plan. According to Pickens' testimony before Congress last week, America needs to switch to local energy resources within the next 10 years to stop foreign oil dependence. Using Department of Energy estimates, Pickens said the U.S. should be capable of producing 22 percent of its electrical energy needs using wind-powered electricity. Bingaman said that he was in favor of using wind energy, as Pickens has been advocating. However, Bingaman admitted that, "100 percent energy independence is a hard goal."

1.3 million Americans demand congress take action on oil

"Democrats in the House and Senate have stood in the way of more American made energy" said House minority leader John Boehner (R-Ohio). "That's why almost 70% of our oil that we use everyday has to be imported." Boehner and other top Republicans spoke at a press conference today to accept a petition from American Solutions signed by 1.3 million Americans. The petition calls on congress to take action now to lower gas prices.

Boehner went on to say that the amount of oil imported by the United States continues to rise due to Democrats' continued opposition to drilling in ANWR and the outer continental shelf. He also dismissed biofuels and conservation as possible remedies, instead stating that more American made energy, including nuclear power, is a better solution.

House minority whip Roy Blunt (R-MO.) stated that he and his fellow Republicans have asked Democrats to bring legislation to the floor that would provide American solutions to rising oil prices, yet we still see no action. He also pointed out that no other nation in the world possesses deep water oil sources and chooses not to extract them but the United States. He ended by challenging the Democratic leadership from both the House and Senate to respond to the 1.3 million Americans who have signed the petition.

Republicans work towards "clean energy independence"

The Senate Republican Conference met with several witnesses to discuss the solution to gaining “more American energy” and achieving “clean energy independence.” A major focus of the discussion was Sen. Lamar Alexander’s (R-Tenn.) “New Manhattan Project” in which he outlines seven steps or “Grand Challenges” which he considers essential to achieving this goal in the next five years. The Grand Challenges include making plug-in electric vehicles commonplace, making carbon capture a reality for coal-burning power plants, achieving cost-competitive solar power, creating safe storage for nuclear waste, developing cost-competitive biofuels, constructing environmentally-friendly buildings, and providing fusion energy.

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) highlighted that even if the U.S. were to keep its fossil fuel emissions level without decreasing them, the increase in demand will grow by 30 percent in the next 20 to 30 years. He also emphasized that even if the U.S. met its global warming goals, the impact worldwide would be very low. Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) said the U.S. needs to “get real” about its energy future and that the situation is a basic lesson in “Economics 101.” He said the country needs to increase supply and decrease demand by tapping into U.S. domestic oil reserves and proliferation of more fuel-efficient vehicles. All the senators reiterated that there need not be a choice between energy and the environment, but that both goals can be achieved.

Dr. Rhone Resch, President of the Solar Energy Industries Association, said that solar technology is available but a significant market for it does not exist in the U.S. Dr. Scott W. Tinker, Director of the Bureau of Economic Geology, said that one-third of U.S. oil supply is imported, which makes energy independence difficult to achieve.