Green Counsel

Spitzer Announces Major Energy Reduction Plan: 15% by 2015

New York's Governor Spitzer announced today a major plan to cut New York's energy consumption 15% from levels predicted by 2015 -- an energy reduction level that is reportedly more aggressive than any other state's plan to reduce global warming. Specifically, the plan will meet increased demand by implementing aggressive peak energy load reductions rather than by building new plants. Elements of the plan include:

1) More efficient buildings and appliances with new legislation setting standards for inefficient appliances.

2) State agency approval of 21 contracts for renewable energy power plants delivering 800 MW of electricity that will replace heavily polluting plants (expected to be completed by 2008).

3) Breaking the gridlock on passage of Article X, New York's power plant siting law, that will speed construction of clean plants.

4) Supporting long term contracts between developers of power plants and utilities, that hopefully will provide enough expected revenues for investors to support new plant construction.

5) New York Public Service Commission agrees to the concept of decoupling that will allow utilities to make money even when utilities impose energy conservation mechanisms.

Read more here.

New York to De-Couple Electricity Use from Utility Profits

Currently, energy utilities do not have incentive to reduce energy use because the more energy they sell, the more profits they make. One way to change the incentive is to "de-couple" a utility's profits from sales -- so they make more money by selling less.

Decoupling is currently rare, but according to a representative of the Spitzer administration, the New York Public Service Commission will make an historic announcement on decoupling next Wednesday.

For more information on decouping, see this NRDC article here.

US Solar Tax Credit Needs Help

The Securing America’s Energy Independence Act (SAEI)(H.R. 550, S. 590) currently has 54 cosponsors in the House and 13 in the Senate. To see the current list of cosponsors, go here. But for the bill to become law, it needs help! To help, copy and paste the text below into an email to your colleagues, family and friends.

Re: Ask Congress to Support Solar Energy!

Dear colleagues and friends,

With clean energy becoming a central issue for the Congress and our country, we have the biggest opportunity yet to jumpstart solar – but we need your help to make it happen. The newly introduced "Securing America's Energy Independence Act" is the largest, most important solar energy legislation ever introduced in this country.

The bi-partisan legislation (introduced in the House as HR. 550 and the Senate as S. 590) would make America's energy future a lot brighter by making solar energy more affordable across the country. In many states, solar would be cheaper than buying electricity from the grid.

Specifically, the bill extends the 30% federal solar investment tax credit (currently set to expire at the end of 2008) for another 8 years, modifies the photovoltaics incentive to $1500 per half-kW of capacity and removes the $2000 residential cap.

Solar energy has the potential to provide much of the electricity our country needs. Temporary financial incentives are necessary to build economies of scale—and extending the tax credits over a longer period gives the solar industry the market certainty necessary to make long-term investments.

Use the link below to email your elected representatives, tell them how important building a clean, renewable energy future is to you, and ask them to co-sponsor the "Securing America's Energy Independence Act.”

Please forward this email on to family, friends and colleagues who support solar energy development in the United States.

http://seia.org/cosponsors.php

Thank you.

E.O. Wilson online at TED

E.O. Wilson, coiner of the term biodiversity and one of the great lovers of all beings on the Earth (as well as any that exist elsewhere) can be seen on the Internet giving a talk in March at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) here.

While you're there, check out many other wonderful talks on the TED website.

And if you're looking for something inspiring to read by Wilson, try the inspiring Future of Life.

Supreme Court Rules EPA Can Regulate Greenhouse Gases

Big news from Washington today: the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the Clean Air Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency authority to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases.

The Court ruled that the states had the right to sue the EPA to challenge its decision, and that the Clear Air Act gave the EPA authority to regulate tailpipe emissions of greenhouse gases.

Additionally, the Court ruled that the EPA had to re-examine the EPA's position that it had discretion not to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The Court said the agency has so far provided a "laundry list" of reasons that include foreign policy considerations, but it must tie its rationale more closely to the Clean Air Act.

As the Court said, the "EPA has offered no reasoned explanation for its refusal to decide whether greenhouse gases cause or contribute to climate change."

See full story here.