Automakers have already developed low-emission and zero-emission vehicles, and new technologies are appearing in dealerships every year. Policymakers should provide consumers and state and local governments with incentives to spur this transition to a cleaner, lower-carbon transportation system.
Energy policy is about more than supply and demand and buyers and sellers. As technology and innovation bring change to the energy sector, consumers will have new opportunities to benefit from cleaner energy technologies to lower their energy costs. Consumers should be free to make smart energy choices, such as installing solar panels or purchasing an electric car, without paying usurious fees that are designed to hinder innovation and prop up the antiquated approaches of the past.
In addition, a clean energy economy should be inclusive. Consumers from all income levels should have the opportunity to reap the benefits of cleaner energy technology. Oil and gas drilling, coal mining, and—to a lesser extent—renewable energy production all have environmental costs. Policymakers should seek to minimize these impacts by making wise decisions about which places are appropriate for development and which lands are simply too special to lose.
Energy development should also be balanced with new and expanded protections for iconic landscapes; the reinvestment of energy revenues in the conservation of land, water, and wildlife; and the enforcement of clear mitigation and reclamation requirements. Energy Policy Act : The act required the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to allow wholesale electricity suppliers to access the national electricity transmission system on a case-by-case basis. The act also required federal and state fleets to acquire vehicles that operate on alternative fuels, such as ethanol , natural gas, hydrogen, electricity, biodiesel, and more.
Energy Policy Act : The act authorized the following: [19]. Energy Independence and Security Act : The act authorized the following: [19] [20]. American Recovery Reinvestment Act : In the aftermath of the financial crisis, Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act also known as the stimulus bill in Department of Energy for the following policy measures: [21] [22] [23].
Energy policy at the state level includes legislation, regulation of energy extraction, taxes, incentives for energy production or use, energy efficiency standards, and more. Below are descriptions of energy policies adopted by state governments:. State-level regulations cover the drilling of all wells used for oil or gas exploration, the spacing of wells, permitting requirements for oil and gas operators, injection wells used to enhance oil and gas recovery or to dispose of wastewater, protection of groundwater and underground sources of drinking water, the cementing and plugging of wells, the underground storage of natural gas, the prevention of well blowout and leaks, well restoration, reporting requirements, and more.
These regulations are generally issued and enforced by state-level energy departments or commissions. Renewable energy : As of May , states implemented funding and financial incentive programs to subsidize or otherwise increase investment in renewable energy resources such as wind , solar , and hydroelectric power. These programs include renewable portfolio standards , grants, rebate programs, tax incentives, loans, performance-based incentives, and more.
Energy efficiency : State-level energy efficiency standards can include voluntary or mandatory energy efficiency standards for new residential and commercial buildings built on or after a particular date. For example, state and local regulators can oversee electricity transmission and distribution charges. Utilities are defined differently in each state and in federal legislation. Two general types of utilities are private and public utilities. Private utilities, commonly known as investor-owned utilities, provide stocks to investors and sell bonds.
These utilities are regulated by state regulatory agencies. State agencies are also responsible for setting retail rates charged by investor-owned utilities, overseeing utility infrastructure, and ensuring that investor-owned utilities respond to customer service demands. Public utilities include government or municipally owned utilities regulated by local or municipal governments. Fuel taxes : Revenue collected by federal, state, and local governments from fuel taxes is usually used to fund transportation infrastructure such as roads and bridges.
However, the US has a lot of catching up to do. It is hoped, however, that the US will be able to influence Agreement members such as Saudi Arabia, Brazil and India for instance, who have been reluctant to implement their Agreement commitments.
In order to make up for lost time, the US is going to have to re-enter the Paris Agreement, showing it is serious about being back, with targets more ambitious than that of past president Barack Obama. To me, the most important step is an intensive effort on domestic policy and getting our own house in order, and that would then put us in a much better position in terms of our foreign policy on climate.
During his term, Donald Trump largely appealed to the disenfranchised and his messaging spoke to a part of the population that felt that many of the traditional carbon-intensive industries upon which America had been built — such as automotive, oil and gas, and intensive manufacturing — had been sidelined.
The test of the Biden administration will be to provide genuine support for these industries and communities, without undermining its environmental objectives.
This has been most forcefully shown by the formation of the US Climate Alliance, an organisation made up of 25 states which have committed to continuing to lead on climate change; growing clean energy economies and creating new jobs; and showing the nation and the world that ambitious climate action is achievable. The bipartisan coalition of governors was formed and committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement on the same day that Donald Trump announced the withdrawal from the Agreement.
This does bring to the fore the question of the role of federal government vs state government in pursuing a cleaner energy strategy. This speaks to the ability of state-specific energy policy to continue to drive changes that may not have federal political will or support.
Additionally, the price parity between renewable energy and coal should not be discounted as an influencing factor. What this means is that the head of almost every federal agency will now focus on increasing renewable energy, decreasing fossil fuel production and prioritizing environmental issues. Significant efforts will be made across all government agencies to procure, supply and utilise the cleanest energy technologies or low carbon fuels. Financing will consider climate risks and more effort will be put into funding education programmes around climate change.
Even public transport will likely see a shift toward cleaner, more environmentally friendly transport modes. Tax or royalty or govt fee bre Department of Energy intends to launch competitive process to secure million USD for coal produc To sustain domestic coal production and to develop novel uses of coal that have the potential to create new markets for coal and coal byproducts. Regulatory rollback or non-gov Waiver of reporting requirements for fossil fuel electricity generators under the Cross-State Air Po Clean Water Act rulemaking limiting the power of states to oppose oil and gas pipelines and other en Waiver of federal environmental impact assessments for infrastructure projects, including but not limited to major roads and highways, oil and gas pipelines, etc.
Department of Interior offers waivers or reductions in royalty rates and rental payments for oil and Department of Treasury issues rules that further specify how the 45Q tax credit will be rebated to s Department of Treasury extends deadline for solar investment tax credit ITC and wind production ta California Energy Commission awards 10 million USD to advance geothermal projects and lithium batter
0コメント