Congress Returns
The House of Representatives kicked off the second session of the 110th Congress today (1/15/07), with an oversight hearing on steroid use by professional baseball players; the Senate is slated to return next Tuesday, January 22. The same day, President Bush is scheduled to deliver his final State of the Union address to Congress.
Markey Applauds Cape Wind Assessment, Sets Proper Path Forward on Project
On January 14, the Department of the Interior (DOI) released a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposed Cape Wind power development off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Markey said the EIS would provide a proper path of regulation on this project and ensure that this and other offshore wind projects are developed properly and "with the greatest benefit to the public good."
In a 1/15 press release, Markey said "It is clear to me that wind energy is one of this century's most promising sources of clean, climate-friendly electricity in the United States both on land and offshore. I welcome today's action by the Interior Department, which appears to be comprehensive and detailed, giving the public an opportunity to make informed comment on what has been proposed."
House Subcommittee to Hold Climate Hearing
On Thursday, January 18, Rick Boucher (D-VA), chair of the House Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Administration's perspective on the climate change conference that took place in December 2007 in Bali. James L. Connaughton, Chairman of the White House's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) will be a key witnesses.
This hearin will re-start the disucssion of climate change in the Hsoue, which has taken no action on the issue for months. Most action to date has been focued in the Senate, whose Enviroment and Public Works Committee approved the Lieberman-Warner bill, S. 2191, the America's Climate Security Act in late December. A Senate floor vote on the Lieberman-Warner cap and trade bill is expected early in 2008.
Study Shows RTOs Are Not Promoting Renewable Development
In a January 4 press release, the American Public Power Association (APPA) cited a study by the Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry that found that there is "no evidence that membership in an RTO [Regional Transmission Organization] promoted the development of renewables."
The conclusions of the study contradict an "open letter" which was sent in February 2007 to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) on behalf of 21 other organizations. AWEA and the other signers asserted that RTOs and Independent System Operators (ISOs) assist renewable energy development and also support electric system reliability. The letter cited some statistics supporting this claim, but did not provide hard data or analysis. Key organizations that signed the letter along with AWEA include the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the California Wind Energy Association, PPM Energy, Environment Northeast and the Conservation Law Foundation.
The APPA study said when RTO participation was isolated from other factors that could affect renewable development, such as state requirements for renewable production, there was "no relationship between RTOs and renewable energy development and a ‘negative correlation' between RTOs and wind energy." The study was funded in part by APPA as part of its Electric Market Reform Initiative (EMRI).
Administration Delays Key Global Warming ESA Listing
On January 7, the Department of the Interior's (DOI) Fish and Wildlife Service announced a delay in the final decision on whether to grant Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection to the polar bear. Late last year, DOI completed a study showing that the world population of polar bears would decrease by two-thirds by 2050 and disappear completely from Alaska, under current ice melting trends. The study led many to believe that DOI would list the species under ESA by the January 9 deadline. Because of the delay, the Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace, and the Natural Resources Defense Council announced they will bring suit against the government to enforce the listing deadline.
At issue is whether the ESA could be used as a weapon to combat global warming. If DOI lists the polar bear, it would be the first listing of a mammal based on the deterioration of its habitat resulting from increased temperatures in the earth's atmosphere. Environmentalists hope a polar bear listing will help in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to tightening Alaskan land management and limiting offshore oil and gas leasing. The Administration, however, has indicated that if the polar bear is listed, required mitigation would be more limited in scope.
In response to DOI's decision to the delay, Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-MA) of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming announced he will hold a hearing on January 17 on the timing of the decision, which came one day after a controversial lease sale for oil drilling off of Alaska. The sale of oil drilling rights in the Chukchi Sea, which is a sensitive polar bear area, was completed on January 6th. The hearing will focus on the Administration's response to the timing, and will feature experts on oil drilling and wildlife protection.