Congress Votes For a New Energy Future

Passes national renewable electricity standard for the first time

AUSTIN – Today the House of Representatives voted 241 to 172 to pass “The New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act” (H.R. 3221), including an amendment to establish a national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES). The passage of the RES along with the package of legislation included in H.R. 3221 will make significant steps toward a cleaner and more secure energy future for the United States.

“We applaud today’s clean energy breakthrough in the U.S. Congress,”
said Luke Metzger, Director of Environment Texas.  “The House of Representatives improved a good energy bill by adding a 15% renewable electricity standard that will dramatically increase clean renewable power in this country,” continued Metzger. “This is a huge victory for our environment and our energy future. This is a huge victory for our environment and our energy future. This amendment will have a profound impact in our efforts to clear our air and protect our climate. It will also help create thousands of jobs in Texas, lower electric bills and decrease our dependence on fossil fuels. It’s a very good day today.”

Despite massive opposition by coal-fired utility companies and their allies, a broad coalition of environmentalists, labor unions, farm groups, clean energy developers and investors, was able to pass the RES amendment 220 to 190.

H.R. 3221 would require that utilities generate 15% of their electricity from renewable energy such as wind, solar, or biomass, or through energy efficiency savings by 2020.  The amendment was offered by Representatives Udall (NM), Rodriguez (TX), and Platts (PA) and others. Specifically the RES:

– requires that utilities generate a gradually increasing amount of their electric generation from renewable energy sources including solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal, starting in 2010.
– establishes a national system for trading renewable energy credits.
– allows up to 27% of their targeted requirement through energy efficiency savings (the equivalent of up to 4% of the 15% requirement).

Other important provisions in the bill include:

– The Natural Resources Title (Title VII) which will take important steps toward restoring sound stewardship to the management of our public lands, ensuring responsible domestic energy development, developing alternative energy sources, and helping America’s fish and wildlife, public lands, coasts, and oceans adapt to global warming.
– Title IX sets aggressive targets for strengthening state building energy efficiency codes, adopts beneficial reforms to Department of Energy (DOE) authority to issue energy efficiency standards for appliance and equipment products, and establishes new efficiency standards for products such as light bulbs, dishwashers and clothes washers.

The House also passed HR 2776 which includes, an extension of the energy efficient commercial buildings deduction, closure of the SUV tax loophole, and an extension of the renewable production tax credit. The bill would also eliminate approximately $15 billion in unnecessary oil and gas tax breaks.

Missing from the legislation considered today was an improvement in fuel economy. The energy bill passed by the Senate in June includes fuel economy provisions, which will be brought to conference with the House bill.

“We applaud the House for promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy in this bill.  We look forward to seeing Congress pass a comprehensive energy bill that addresses energy efficiency, fuel economy and renewable energy.  We urge the Congress to add the Senate passed fuel economy provisions in the final bill,” said Metzger.

Environment Texas praised the following Texas members of Congress for supporting the RES amendment: Henry Cuellar, Al Green, Charles Gonzalez, Ciro Rodriguez, Silvestre Reyes, Lloyd Doggett, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Eddie Bernice Johnson.