1. Peter E. Barker-Homek
invigorating the innovation
pipeline
The EPA has the authority to regulate
greenhouse gasses = End of Discussion!
In fact, the EPA is compelled to regulate
greenhouse gasses under the Clean Air Act.
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2. EPA must stand up to Oil, Coal & Power Lobbies (e.g.,
American Petroleum Institute a.k.a. Energy Citizens)
Murkowski Resolution (Dirty Air Act). On June 10,
S.J.Res.26, a resolution sponsored by Senator
Murkowski that would have weakened the Clean Air Act
and blocked new fuel economy standards, was narrowly
defeated, 53 to 47.
Senators voting in favor of the resolution have taken
on average twice as much coal money and nearly three
times as much oil money as those who voted against it.
Sanders Amendment. On June 15, Senators voted on
Senator Sanders’ Senate Amendment 4318 to Senate
Amendment 4301 to H.R. 4213 (American Workers,
State, and Business Relief Act of 2010), which would
have amended “the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to
eliminate big oil and gas company tax loopholes, and to
use the resulting increase in revenues to reduce the
deficit and to invest in energy efficiency and
conservation. The amendment lost 35 to 61, with 4
Senators not voting.
CLEAR Act. On July 30, the House passed H.R. 3534, the
Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources ‘CLEAR’ Act of Senators who voted against the amendment have
2009, 209 - 193, with 1 Present. Among other actions, the CLEAR Act taken 3.25 times more oil and gas money in the 111th
modifies oil and gas industry regulations, including removing the Congress than those who voted for the amendment.
liability cap for oil spills.
Those Representatives voting against the CLEAR Act have taken
NSPS is the most predictable,
nearly five times the amount of oil and gas money on average in likely & practical pathway 2
the 111th than those voting for the Act.
3. USA left GHG dust?
• The U.S. market is currently the
largest single market for
environmental technologies.
• But foreign markets, like China (20%
reduction target ‘05), continue to
grow at a higher rate leaving the
U.S. vulnerable to losing jobs
overseas.
• Over the past decade, America's
green trade balance has
deteriorated significantly; moving
from a surplus of $14.4 billion in
1997 to a deficit of nearly -$8.9
billion in 2008.
• If the U.S. is going to maintain a
competitive edge, industry needs a
clear signal from the government to
encourage domestic production as
well as domestic consumption.
• Simply Standardizing Smart Grid
is $171 billion market by 2014
and would eliminates 66 power
plants in USA
The World is now in the early stages of an energy revolution that over the
next few decades will be as momentous as the emergence of oil and electricity 3
based economies a century ago!
4. Emissions
• Management Information Services,
Inc. (a Washington, D.C.-based
economic and energy research firm), on
economic growth potential of the
renewable energy and energy efficiency 51% USA GHG Emission
industry suggests that effectively 33% USA GHG from Coal Plants!
tackling climate change will create up
to 4.5 million new U.S. jobs by 2030
• The cap is lowered regularly, and
because market forces reward those
that make the biggest cuts, the system
should produce a race to see whose
carbon footprint can shrink the fastest.
• States producing the most power by
coal: Texas, Ohio, Indiana,
Pennsylvania, & Illinois.
• EPA will likely take over the following
State’s permitting: Alaska, Arizona,
Arkansas, California, Connecticut,
Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky,
Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, & Texas.
• Companies highest SO2 emissions
(lbs./MWh): American Electric Power,
Southern Company, Duke Energy,
Reliant Energy, Allegheny Energy
4
5. The global carbon market
• ETSs are already operating or planned in
35 countries around the world.
• The European Union Emissions Trading
Scheme (EU ETS) is the world’s largest
carbon trading market.
• The global carbon market has roughly
doubled in size every year since 2005
and was worth US$126 billion in 2008.
• It has been predicted to grow to a
market value of US$3.1 trillion per year
by 2020.
• UK businesses are the biggest investors
in carbon offset projects globally.
• The UK Government and the European Union are major proponents of carbon trading.
They are pushing for the extension of the schemes to developing countries and the
inclusion of new international carbon trading mechanisms in international climate
negotiations.
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6. European Union ETS
• The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) is the world’s largest carbon trading
market and the first mandatory international carbon trading scheme.
• It covers over 11,500 energy-intensive installations across the European Union, including
combustion plants, oil refineries, coke ovens, iron and steel plants and factories making
cement, glass, lime, brick, ceramics, pulp and paper. Together these installations represent
approximately 42 per cent of EU emissions. In total, the EU generates around 4 billion tones
of CO2 a year, of which sectors participating in the EU ETS are responsible for 2.15 billion
tones.
• The top seven per cent of installations covered by the EU ETS account for 60 per cent of
emissions covered and it is estimated that 55 per cent of allowances are held by the heat
and power sector.
• Key milestones on this roadmap include:
– The establishment of caps on emissions from all developed countries by 2013
– The linking of the EU ETS with the newly established US trading scheme by 2015
– Capacity building for developing countries combined with the expansion of sectoral
crediting mechanisms and their eventual replacement of the Clean Development
Mechanism
– The establishment of sectoral trading in more advanced developing countries by 2020.
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7. Germany
• The policy goal set in the late 1990s was 10 percent renewables. In 2009, 9,800 megawatts
of solar power had been installed, as well as 25.8 gigawatts of wind.
• Currently, 16 percent of electricity is produced by renewable sources.
• And the experts suggest that it’s possible to go from 16 to 100 percent.
• The German federal government recently updated its projection of renewables production
for 2020 from 20 to 30 percent. The Bundesverband Erneuerbare Energie, an association of
producers of renewable energy, goes further, claiming that 47 percent is possible by 2020
• The most important building brick of the German policy for renewable energy is the feed-in-
tariff. It guarantees a fixed price for renewable energy, which decreases according to gains in
efficiency. This simple concept increased investment in renewables and has been adopted by
18 states of the European Union as well as Japan, Brazil and China. Germany avoided
pumping about 74 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in 2009, and
the environment ministry touts another side benefit—nearly 300,000 new jobs in clean
power.
• McKinsey & Company and the Imperial College co-authored “Roadmap 2050,” a study
commissioned by the European Climate Foundation, on methods for achieving a “prosperous,
low carbon Europe.” The findings: Europe can follow the German example and be powered
completely by renewable energy, by developing a smart electrical grid, with strong
transmission lines between North and South. Currently between France and Spain, but also
Italy and its neighbors, these are lacking. Without these lines, it is impossible to share wind
and solar power across Europe
7
8. Germany 100% Renewable Goal!
National: The German renewable energy industry is one of the most important growth
industries in Germany. It proved this again last year:
– it employs around 300,500 people
– it covers 16.3 percent of German electricity consumption, 8.8 percent of heat
consumption and 5.5 percent of fuel consumption
– renewable energy's contribution to total energy consumption in Germany was
around 10.4 percent in 2009
– in 2009 it saved around 108 Mio. tons CO2
International: The German renewable energy sector continues to be a leader by
international comparison too.
– In 2008, plants and technology with a volume of approximately 12 bln euro were
exported
– the world market share of the wind energy industry is a good 25 percent
– Germany is the top of the league worldwide for installed capacity of photovoltaic
systems and holds second place in wind energy
Prospects: As the prices for conventional fuels are exploding and the price for renewable
energy is steadily falling the industry's growth will continue.
– in 2008 the oil price exceeded the 140 dollar mark for the first time ever
– between 2005 and 2020, the industry aims to invest a total of 200 bln EUR in plants
for utilization of renewable energy
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– by 2020 the industry will employ 500,000 people in total
9. Feed-in Tariffs Saved French Ratepayers Money
• Conventional wisdom suggests that as more
and more renewables are added to a utility's
generating mix, the average cost of electricity
increases. Thus, as France adds more
renewable energy from its program of
differentiated feed-in tariffs, the cost of the
program should steadily increase. Generation
from renewables in France increased nearly
three fold from 2003 through 2009.
• Bordier's analysis illustrated the role of the
"merit order effect" in France on the total cost
of renewables to ratepayers. The merit order
effect results when renewable generation
replaces more expensive fossil-fired
generation at the margin.
• Renewable energy advocates have long
argued that renewables are a hedge against
both the rising price of fossil fuels and fossil-
fuel price volatility. The French data confirms
that this is indeed the case.
• France uses Advanced Renewable Tariffs--a
system of differentiated feed-in tariffs--to
Previous studies in Germany, Denmark, and
develop renewable energy at minimal cost. Spain illustrated the significant monetary
Differentiated feed-in tariffs allow program benefit when renewables offset conventional
administrators to carefully control costs to
generation.
ratepayers while meeting development
targets.
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10. Environmental Trivia?
What’s twice the
size of Texas?
Floats 600 miles
off the California
Coast?
And is the result
of letting
unregulated
industrialists
decide? 10
11. Environmental Trivia?
What’s twice the
What’sTexas? the
size of twice
size of Texas?
Floats 600 miles
And floats 600
off the California
miles off the
Coast?
California Coast? Pacific Garbage Patch
And is the result
of letting
unregulated
industrialists
decide? 11
12. Actual v Projected Costs of Air Pollution Regulation
Clean Air Act Acid Rain SO2 Low Emissions Reformulated
Amendments Reduction Vehicles Gasoline
21% 30% 7% 32%
P $104 bln/yr P $6 bln/yr P $1,500+ P $0.17/gal
A $22 bln/yr A $1.8 bln/yr A $ 100+ A $0.05/gal
The George W. Bush White
House found that the
• benefits of Clean Air Act
programs from 1997-2007
• outweighed the costs by a
range of
• 3 to 1 to as much as
• 22 to 1!!!
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13. Take Action:
Urge Your Mayor, Governor,
Congressmen & Senators to
Support a Strong EPA
&
Cap & Trade
In 2008, a Tennessee Valley Authority storage
site leaked and created a massive spill in
Kingston, Tennessee which by some estimates
was eight times as large as the Deepwater
Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. 13
14. Take Action:
Include Retirement
Urge Your Mayor, Governor,
Obligations & Life
Cycle Environmental Congressmen & Senators to
Damage & Risk 20.28
Support a Strong EPA
14.26
&
Cap & Trade
In 2008, a Tennessee Valley Authority storage
site leaked and created a massive spill in
Kingston, Tennessee which by some estimates
was eight times as large as the Deepwater
Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. 14
