The future of climate policy

Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), the Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee (whose name has recently been floated as the Obama administration’s possible Secretary of Energy), discussed the challenges facing Congress over U.S. climate policy and the role the next administration will need to play.

Speaking at a Point Carbon and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change discussion on the future of climate policy, Bingman said that Congress does not need more subcommittees to improve energy and climate policy, but that those already in existence should should find a way to collaborate more efficiently.

Bingaman also discussed the steps the administration will need to take, explaining that there will be a need to balance the direction that Congress decides upon with international policy goals.

The senator touched upon the problem posed to cap-and-trade policies by carbon offsets, namely that it is hard to determine whether the offsets bought are actually effective.

“I’m not sure how we legislate a solution to that. I’m just citing that as a factor we need to keep in mind,” said Bingaman.

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White House Correspondent Lovisa Frost will cover the press gaggle this morning.

The Washington Bureau will cover remarks from political analyst Cokie Roberts on how healthy America's health care debate is on the campaign trail and in the halls of Congress. The Bureau will also be covering a discussion on the role of state and local governments in combatting poverty, as well as a briefing on Zimbabwe's economic meltdown, Botswana's ascent and what it means for the rest of Africa. As new worries regarding America's aging infrastructure emerge, the Bureau will attend a forum on our nation's water system and ways it can be improved.

Later in the day, TRNS will cover an event discussing the congressional energy outlook with Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), as well as a discussion with the Israel Project on challenges facing Israel today.

No “one-size-fits-all” solution for high gasoline prices

At the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on reducing gasoline demand, Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) said that fuel prices are harming the American economy and causing serious problems for many consumers. He said that there are a number of ways consumers can reduce their demand for gasoline and save money for other necessary expenses, such as increasing fuel economy and making advances in battery development to enable quicker electrification in the transportation system. Steven Chalk, the Deputy Assistant Energy Secretary for Renewable Energy, said that reducing petroleum dependency can help “improve national prosperity, energy security, and environmental stewardship.” He said that new technologies must meet criteria for cost competitiveness, performance and reliability.

Chalk explained that developing and introducing high-efficiency combustion engines in conventional, hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles is the most effective way to improve fuel economy in the near future. Chalk also explained that there are more than six million flexible-fuel vehicles on American roads that can utilize ethanol blended gasoline up to 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, yet those six million are only 2.7 percent of the 222 million total cars.

David Greene, a corporate fellow at the Center of Transportation Analysis, said that there are many things consumers can do themselves to improve the fuel economy of their vehicles, and there are also things Congress can do to help. Greene explained that the driver can have the greatest influence on a vehicle’s fuel economy, saying that typical drivers can increase their miles per gallon by about ten percent by curbing aggressive driving, observing speed limits, removing unnecessary weight from cargo compartments, planning ahead, and avoiding unnecessary idling. Greene also said that gasoline prices at $4/gallon provides a strong economic incentive to increase fuel economy for both car makers and car buyers, and by extending and simplifying incentives for hybrid vehicles new vehicle fuel economy would be raised and the transition to more efficient electric drive systems would be encouraged.

Steve Winkelman, the director of transportation and adaptation programs at the Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP), explained that CCAP helps governments at all levels design and implement energy and climate policy solutions that balance economic and environmental concerns. He also explained that with limited travel choices, Americans are “left vulnerable” to high fuel prices and are “hit hard in the pocketbook” while the national economy suffers. Winkelman said that smart growth policies that encourage infill and transit-oriented development will be critical to reducing future gasoline demand, because “what we build now will last for a century” -- and will determine whether the next generation will have viable alternatives to paying high oil prices. However, Winkelman said that there is no “one-size-fits-all approach,” and that solutions must be developed locally and not dictated by the federal government.

The “inconvenient truths” of global energy

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing on the challenges to meeting future energy needs and to developing the technologies for meeting increased global energy demand. Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) said that the United States is at a crossroads and now has an opportunity to develop the technologies to break the world’s dependence on fossil fuels. He explained that the final message of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) report, the goal of reaching a fifty percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, is attainable by 2050.

Ranking Member Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) said that the U.S. is facing two big problems at the same time: increased carbon dioxide emissions and a growing energy dependence. Domenici explained the difficulty to agree on what options Congress should pursue in order to achieve the goal of a more energy efficient nation. He said that there are many “inconvenient truths” that the U.S. must contend with today, including the effort required to reduce domestic carbon dioxide emissions, which if not done correctly will be very costly. Also, Domenici said that no matter how successful the country is in limiting its carbon dioxide emissions, oil will remain an essential part of the “domestic energy mix.”

Neil Hirst, the Director for Energy Technology and Research and Development at IEA, gave a very detailed report on new scenarios and strategies for a more sustainable energy future. Hirst explained that a global goal should be to have carbon dioxide levels in 2050 remain equal to what they are today in 2008. This would require a huge carbon dioxide reduction; the amount of carbon dioxide reduced would have to be greater than current carbon dioxide emissions. Hirst said that the U.S. is facing an urgent challenge which needs a global solution. He also said that a global technology revolution is needed to transform how the world uses its energy.

Raymond Orbach, the Director of the Energy Department’s Office of Science, said that the U.S. needs to focus on the way nature provides fuel “so that we can follow suit.” He explained the country’s growing capability to direct and control matter down to molecular, atomic, and quantum levels. This increasing ability to control the fundamental, nanoscale building blocks of both biological and non-biological matter “holds out a promise” of eventually transforming the way the world will generate, store, transmit, and use energy.