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WASHINGTON, DC, US, July 20, 2005 (Refocus
Weekly)
Energy groups in the United States want Congress
to provide national standards for interconnection and net metering
for distributed renewable energy technologies.
Twenty-five member groups of the Sustainable Energy Coalition
expressed support for ten provisions in the Senate version of the
energy bill, including a long-term broadly-based production tax
credit, a Renewable Portfolio Standard, a Renewable Fuels Standard,
energy efficiency standards for appliances, a national oil savings
goal, long-term energy efficiency and renewable energy tax credits,
and “robust authorization levels” for federal sustainable energy R&D
programs.
The recommendations have been sent to members of the U.S. Senate who
have been selected to serve on the House-Senate Conference on the
Energy Policy Act of 2005. The conferees from the House of
Representatives will be announced soon, and the two houses of
government must reconcile the two versions of federal energy
legislation that have been proposed and approved by their
colleagues.
The Coalition also proposed five additional measures not found in
either the House or the Senate bills, including national standards
for interconnection and net metering that will facilitate
development of renewables with “fee schedules that accommodate very
small distributed generation equipment,” additional investment tax
credits for renewable and efficiency technologies such as small
distributed wind turbines, authorization levels for federal
renewable energy and energy efficiency program budgets that are “at
least twice as high as current levels,” improved fuel efficiency
standards for cars and light trucks, and provisions to reduce GHG
emissions. They want the measures incorporated into the final energy
bill because they are “vital towards moving us towards a sustainable
energy future.”
“Congress now has an opportunity to put this country on the path to
a clean energy future that can create jobs, save consumers money and
reduce the threat of climate change,” and the groups want the final
bill to provide “sufficient incentives, authorizations and policies
to move our country towards a sustainable energy future.”
The Sustainable Energy Coalition represents 100 national and state
organizations, including the American Solar Energy Society, American
Wind Energy Association, Solar Energy Industries Association,
Geothermal Resources Council, Union of Concerned Scientists, U.S.
Public Interest Research Group, American Council for an Energy
Efficient Economy, Business Council for Sustainable Energy, National
Environmental Trust and Natural Resources Defence Council.
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