08-12-04
Attempting to break the political stalemate on energy policy, a bipartisan national commission called for incentives to increase energy production, mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions and better gas mileage for cars and trucks.
The commission -- which included business, labour, environmental and consumer
representatives -- rejected the notion of "energy independence" as
impractical, saying that no matter how much domestic energy production is
increased, the United States will continue to rely on foreign oil for the
foreseeable future. Instead, the commission recommended steps to increase and
diversify global oil production to reduce dependence on Middle Eastern oil.
It also recommended expanding strategic petroleum reserves in the United
States and abroad.
"The risks of a major supply disruption are significant," said
commission co-chair William Reilly, an Environmental Protection Agency
administrator under the first President Bush. "We can neither conserve nor
drill our way to oil security. ... The gap between what we need and what we
produce is going to grow."
The commission also emphasized that energy and environmental policy are closely
linked and have to be dealt with together.
"If we don't get environmental issues right, we won't get energy issues
right," said commission co-chair John Rowe, chairman of the Exelon, one of
the nation's largest electric power companies.
One of the most controversial recommendations in the commission's report, "Ending the Energy Stalemate," is a plan for mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions that are driving global climate change.
The plan is a compromise that falls between the Kyoto Protocol, the
international climate change agreement that sets mandatory reduction targets in
greenhouse gas emissions, and the Bush administration's plan, which allows US
emissions to continue to increase but calls for industry to voluntarily slow the
growth in emissions by 1.8 % a year as measured by the energy efficiency of the
economy. The commission accepted the administration's contention that emissions
should be allowed to continue to grow for the sake of the economy, but advocated
a mandatory reduction in the rate of growth of 2.4 % a year as measured by
energy use.
Under the commission's plan, the growth in greenhouse gas emissions would level off about 2015 and begin to decline after 2020. The two main sources of man-made carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, are automobile emissions and emissions from coal-burning power plants. The commission, which included automobile and energy industry executives, said climate change is a real problem that can't be ignored.
"The science on climate change and carbon is overwhelming," Rowe said.
Another controversial recommendation was for a "significant increase"
in fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks within five years. However,
commission members couldn't agree on a mile-per-gallon figure.
Other recommendations included expanding tax credits for hybrid gas-electric vehicles, incentives for automakers to retool to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles, and development of alternative transportation fuels, including bio-diesel and ethanol made from cellulose.
Coal, because it is abundant and relatively cheap, must continue to be a major
source of energy, the report said. It recommended increased spending on research
and demonstration projects aimed at producing energy from coal more cleanly.
The report drew surprising support from the United Mine Workers and coal state lawmakers who have resisted attempts to curb greenhouse gas emissions that might limit the use of coal.
"We must be prepared to make changes now, rather than wait for the
situation to reach a crisis where changes will demand more drastic action down
the road," said Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va. "Many of the policies and
approaches advocated (by the commission) can breathe new life into coal."
But National Association of Manufacturers vice president Mark Whitenton called
the commission's greenhouse gas emissions plan "a significant threat to US
industrial growth."
The commission made no recommendation on whether the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should be opened to oil drilling, a key element of President Bush's national energy plan, which has been tied up in Congress for more than three years. Commissioners said they were divided on the issue, but there was general agreement that even if drilling were permitted in the refuge, it would not make an appreciable difference in the nation's energy posture.
Also noticeably absent from the commission's report was any emphasis on the
development of cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells, one of Bush's top energy
priorities. One of the commission's criteria was that alternative fuels have the
potential to become competitive with gasoline by 2020, while hydrogen is
expected to take 50 years to fully develop.
Source: Scripps Howard News Service