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Jerry Brown on Energy & Oil |
194 countries signed the Paris Agreement to control greenhouse gases. Our own voluntary agreement to accomplish the same goal--the "Under Two M.O.U."--has 165 signatories, representing a billion people. We cannot fall back and give in to the climate deniers. The science is clear. The danger is real.
We can do much on our own and we can join with others--other states and provinces and even countries, to stop the dangerous rise in climate pollution. And we will.
Existing law provide vouchers to help California fleets to purchase hybrid and zero-emission trucks and buses. This bill would establish the Charge Ahead California Initiative, to place in service at least 1,000,000 zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicles by January 1, 2023, and to increase access for disadvantaged, low-income, and moderate-income communities to zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicles.
Legislative Outcome: 8/27/14: Passed Assembly, 53-24-2; 8/28/14: Passed Senate, 26-11-3; 9/21/14: signed by Governor Brown.
OnTheIssues Explanation: "Fracking" extracts more oil and gas from otherwise non-productive wells. The controversy includes that fracking causes earthquakes (hence the "scientific study"), as well as issues about disposal of the large volumes of potentially toxic liquids used. This bill slows the implementation of fracking.
Tipping points can be reached before we even know we have passed them. This is a different kind of challenge than we ever faced. It requires acting now even though the worst consequences are perhaps decades in the future.
Again California is leading the way. We are reducing emissions as required by AB 32 and we will meet our goal of getting carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.
Congressional Summary:Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2016 the tax credit for electricity produced from wind, biomass, geothermal or solar energy, landfill gas, trash, hydropower, and marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy facilities.
Proponent's Comments (Governor's Wind Energy Coalition letter of Nov. 15, 2011 signed by 23 governors):Although the tax credit for wind energy has long enjoyed bipartisan support, it is scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2012. Wind-related manufacturing is beginning to slow in our states because the credit has not yet been extended. If Congress pursues a last minute approach to the extension, the anticipated interruption of the credit's benefits will result in a significant loss of high-paying jobs in a growing sector of the economy. We strongly urge Congress to adopt a more consistent and longer-term federal tax policy to support wind energy development, such as H.R. 3307.
The leading wind project developers and manufacturers are slowing their plans for 2013 and beyond due to the current uncertainty. The ripple effect of this slow down means reduced orders for turbines and decreased business for the hundreds of manufacturers who have entered the wind industry in our states. When Congress allowed the tax credit to expire in 1999, 2001, and 2003, the development of new wind installations dropped significantly, between 73% and 93%, and thousands of jobs were lost. Providing renewable energy tax credits in order to provide consistency with conventional energy tax credits is the right policy to move the nation forward in an energy sector that offers global export opportunities and the ability to modernize a segment of our electric production infrastructure.
