Bingaman and Brownback Introduce National RES Bill: 15% by 2021
On September 21, Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) joined by others introduced a national stand-alone bipartisan Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) bill, S.3813. Sellers of electricity would be required to obtain certain percentages of their energy from renewable resources or energy efficiency improvements, starting at 3% in 2012 and gradually increasing up to 15% by 2021. RES legislation is “an essential component of any forward-looking energy policy,” according to the Senate release.
Mr. Bingaman said the votes are there and that it’s time to move forward. “I think that the votes are present in the Senate to pass a renewable electricity standard. I think that they are present in the House,” he said in a statement. Along with Sen. Brownback, two other Republicans are cosponsoring the bill: Susan Collins of Maine and John Ensign of Nevada.
The current sponsors are working toward 60 cosponsors in hopes of bringing the bill up for consideration before Congress adjourns, although most likely in a lame duck session following the November elections. According to the senators, a national RES also will support efforts in energy security, the reliability of the electricity grid, homegrown renewable energy, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The bill requires 3% from renewable resources and efficiency improvements by 2012-2013, 6% in 2014-2016, 9% in 2017-2018, 12% in 2019-2020, and 15% in 2021-2039.
See Senate Release
NY Times Green Blog
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/a-bipartisan-bill-on-renewable-energy/
Non-Hydro Renewable Sources Already Providing More Electrical Output Than Called for by 2013 in New U.S. Senate Legislation
Press Release: September 22, 2010 — Washington DC – Proposed legislation introduced yesterday in the U.S. Senate would establish a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) that sets targets for the year 2013 and beyond that are actually lower than the amount of non-hydro renewable electricity already being produced in the United States today.
The Senate bill, sponsored by Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Susan Collins (R-ME), Tom Udall (D-NM), and Mark Udall (D-CO), would require sellers of electricity to retail customers to obtain 3% of their electricity from renewable energy resources or from energy efficiency improvements by the years 2012-2013.
Yet, according to the most recent issue of the "Electric Power Monthly" issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), non-hydro renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, geothermal, solar, wind) provided nearly 4.1% of domestic U.S. electrical generation during the first half of 2010. Hydropower provided an additional 6.8% of net U.S. electrical generation for the same time period. **
Moreover, electrical generation from non-hydro renewable sources continues to grow rapidly. According to EIA data, electricity from biomass, geothermal, solar, and wind during the first six months of 2010 increased by 13% over the amount generated during the first half of 2009. Wind-generated electricity increased by 21.4%; electricity from solar thermal and photovoltaics rose by 16.4%; wood & other forms of biomass rose by 4.5%; and geothermal output increased by 0.8%.
Thus, inasmuch as the Senate bill includes incremental hydropower, hydrokinetic, and new hydropower at existing dams as well as energy efficiency improvements among the resources - in addition to biomass, geothermal, solar, and wind - that can contribute to the RES targets, it’s obvious that the 2013 target has already been surpassed by 30% or more and the 2016 target of 6% is within easy reach.
“Creating an RES framework and starting foundation is a worthy goal and the Senate bill should be supported for that reason,” noted Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign. “However, inasmuch as the near-term targets have already been surpassed and the longer-term targets are easily achievable, any criticism or opposition by those who might suggest the renewable electricity targets would be costly, unrealistic, or otherwise burdensome should be dismissed as being disingenuous at best.”
See http://www.altenergymag.com/news_detail.php?pr_id=17423.
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