Climate science, policy, politics, and action
The nominations of Clarence H. Albright, of South Carolina, to be Under Secretary of Energy, Lisa E. Epifani, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy (Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs), and James L. Caswell, of Idaho, to be Director of the Bureau of Land Management
Panel I
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to learn about national renewable electricity portfolio standards such as those that have been introduced in the Senate and are likely to be introduced in the House as part of the climate change legislative package Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) has called for this Fall. A Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is a market-based mechanism that requires utilities to gradually increase the portion of electricity produced from renewable resources such as wind, biomass, geothermal, solar energy, incremental hydropower and marine energy. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have RPSs, covering 40 percent of the nation’s electrical load. A national RPS has passed the Senate in the last three Congresses, although it is not included in the recent Senate energy bill.
H.R. 2850, Green Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2007 and H.R. 2337, Energy Policy Reform and Revitalization Act of 2007