Cap and Trade, and Higher Efficiency in New House Bill Just Passed
This article from Gigaom Network gives an educated view of the bill just passed through the House of Representatives. We thought it would provide good insights. Our summary is that Cap and Trade is going to be a positive thing for the United States. The bill will encourage our nation, by incentives, to be more efficient with clean energy. The bill will help "clean" business such as internet and informational services, wind, and solar energy. It will help hydrogen, and economic cars. Builders who decide to be progressive and build energy efficient homes and buildings will profit from the bill.
Those who want to keep on doing things the old ways...they will have to pay for the pleasure of being energy "hogs". All in all, it is a good trend for the environment, and ultimately good for business. Especially for the businessmen who are listening. We believe that the bill is thought of as an Environmental Bill, but in truth, it is a bill about business, and how we are going to do business in the future. Clean or Dirty? Global Perspectives recommends that you see what industry you find attractive. As for us, we like wind and solar.
See: www.wind-inc.com
Reactions to the Energy Bill: Obama, Cleantech Biz, Environmentalists
By Josie Garthwaite
The energy bill passed the House on Friday, but the proposed cap and trade system and new incentives for renewable energy are still a long way from going into law as the Senate needs to pass its own version. As we transition to the next round of negotiations and lobbying, stakeholders from the White House to industry trade groups, environmental organizations and cleantech companies have been weighing in on the version that won approval in the House — and on where they’d like to see it go from here.
Since Friday’s vote, President Obama has continued his support for the legislation, as well as his efforts to win over lawmakers. (He phoned wavering legislators last week to help the bill clear the House.) This weekend during his radio address and media interviews, Obama called for senators to “come together” around the legislation, which he said “will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy.” In an interview with a group of reporters, Obama also said the bill would provide “clarity and certainty” and would “end up being much less costly, much more efficient; technology is going to move much more rapidly than people anticipate.”
But for Obama, there’s at least one point of concern in the legislation: trade sanctions. He told a small group of reporters in the Oval Office this weekend that in a time of worldwide recession and reduced trade activity, “I think we have to be very careful about sending any protectionist signals out there,” as The New York Times reports. In other words, he opposes a provision (included in the House bill) for tariff hikes against countries that fail to enact limits on greenhouse gas emissions.
Energy IndustryThe Business Council for Sustainable Energy, a group of energy and efficiency companies, as well as utilities, that promotes market-based approaches to pollution control, echoed Obama’s recent emphasis on economic arguments for the energy bill. Council President Lisa Jacobson said, “The comprehensive approach to energy and climate change policy adopted by the bill provides regulatory clarity and sends strong and long-term signals to the market to invest in existing clean energy technologies — such as renewable energy, energy efficiency and natural gas.”
Many industry leaders have sought ways to find a combined regulatory and economic solution to create long term economic support for renewable and sustainable energy. Many in the oil, gas and coal industries have welcomed a "Cap and Trade" system, because it institutionalizes financial support. But, there are large elements that oppose Cap and Trade, for traditional reasons, and these sources seem most likely to discourage any approach to encourage renewable or sustainable energy.