Senate Committee Markup on Energy Bill defeats Amendments

Senate panel's RES markup previews floor showdown
by Katherine Ling, E&E reporter, Greenwire.com

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee defeated efforts today to make significant changes to a proposed renewable electricity standard (RES) in a sweeping energy bill.

The panel expelled bids to remove caps on energy efficiency that would count toward the standard, exclude all nuclear power from the baseline and raise the standards.

Chairman Jeff Bingaman's RES provision would require utilities to use renewable generation for at least 15 percent of their electricity by 2021 and allow them to substitute energy-efficiency measures for slightly more than a quarter of the target.

The committee did approve several amendments, including two from Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and ranking member Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that would exclude electricity from new nuclear reactors and expansions of existing reactors capacity from the baseline of a utility's electricity sales.

Other approved amendments would exclude electricity from coal-fired power plants equipped with carbon capture and sequestration technology from the RES mandate and also make exemptions for qualified hydropower, biogas, waste to energy and the definition of biomass.

The panel also accepted a proposal by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) that would give triple credits for carbon-emission reductions that use algae and an amendment by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) to create a low-interest loan program to finance renewable-energy projects.

But other efforts to alter the RES provision failed to crack a 12-vote coalition built by Bingaman.

Several efforts to include all nuclear to the baseline was rejected in 11-12 votes -- which included Brownback voting against and Democrats Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Evan Bayh of Indiana voting for.

Bingaman opposed all those amendments, calling them "the worst of all possible outcomes."

"Including nuclear power as a resource in the RES ... doesn't make it more likely that nuclear power will be built," the New Mexico Democrat said. "The issues of not getting nuclear built relate to financing, prohibitive costs, and to some extent proliferation."

An amendment in the nature of a substitute by Landrieu to lift the cap on the amount of energy efficiency that could count toward a renewable standard also failed in an 11-12 vote. Landrieu said she would also offer such a measure on the floor.

"Somewhere along the line, we started confusing the means to the ends with the ends themselves," Landrieu said. "I offer this amendment in the spirit of compromise. We may not win today in this committee, but this is an issue that will be front and center" on the floor.

Landrieu added she might consider a higher target "if we can get it right" and it would be less disruptive to "underappreciated" industries.

Bayh, meanwhile, offered an amendment that would create tax incentives for renewable energy, which would spread the costs of promoting renewables across all regions. He withdrew the amendment and said he would also offer it on the floor.

Amendments by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) to raise the standard to 20 percent by 2021, with a 5 percent efficiency offset, and Sen. Mark Udall's (D-Colo.) bid to boost the standard to 25 percent were passionately discussed but withdrawn. Both lawmakers vowed to resurrect their proposals on the floor.

Sen. Bayh Votes Against Federal RES

If you support establishment of a federal Renewable Electricity Standard (RES), you may wish to convey your disappointment with Sen. Evan Bayh. One amendment was considered today that would have eliminated the RES title completely: it failed 9-13, with Sen. Bayh as the only Democrat voting in favor.

Please contact Sen. Bayh by calling (202) 224-5623 or senator@bayh.senate.gov.

Or you may wish to send your comments to Sen. Bayh's Energy/Environment Legislative Assistant, Chris Murray at chris_murray@Bayh.senate.gov.

May 21, 2009

Bayh opposes renewable-energy requirement

By MAUREEN GROPPE
Gannett Washington Bureau
http://www.jconline.com/article/20090521/NEWS09/90521017

WASHINGTON - Sen. Evan Bayh was the only Democrat to oppose a renewable-energy requirement approved by a Senate energy committee today as part of a broader energy bill.

Bayh said Indiana would be among the states that would bear a disproportionate share of the cost of meeting the requirement. He said a fairer system would be offering tax credits for producing power from renewable sources.

The energy bill the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is working on would require power companies to get 15 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources or from energy efficiency improvements by 2021.

"A lot of states like Indiana and most of the states in the Southeast and others around the country are going to find the renewable sources are not cost-effective," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, the Alabama Republican who tried to strip the requirement from the bill.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, the New Mexico Democrat who heads the committee, had softened the requirements from an earlier version in hopes of winning over moderate Democrats including Bayh, Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Sen. Blanch Lincoln of Arkansas.

Lincoln voted for the requirement, and Landrieu did not vote.

But because two Republicans voted with Democrats, the requirement had enough votes to keep the bill alive. The committee plans to take up multiple amendments before completing action.

Twenty-eight states, not including Indiana, have a renewable-energy requirement.

"Twenty-eight states have done it and we can't do it?" said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. "Of course we can."

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat who supported the national requirement, said Michigan's standard has resulted in new jobs as power companies strive to meet it.

Sen. Bayh Appointed to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee; Cong. Hill Appointed to Energy and Environment Sub-committee

From Kate Sheppard, Grist's D.C.-based political reporter posted yesterday (01/10/09):

At a hearing on Thursday, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) announced the newest Democratic members of his committee (though their appointments aren't yet final): Evan Bayh (Ind.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), and two new senators, Mark Udall (Colorado) and Jeanne Shaheem (New Hampshire).

Grist is an online environmental magazine offering news, commentary, and laughs. Gloom and doom with a sense of humor.

Earlier this week (01/08/09), the Democratic Caucus of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce made subcommittee selections for the 111th Congress. Indiana Congressman Baron Hill has been appointed to the Energy and Environment Sub-committee as well as the Communications, Technology and the Internet Sub-committee.