Oct. 1
Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., unveiled a
new Senate version of a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade bill that includes
incentives for clean energy projects.
The Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, if eventually passed and
signed into law, would require a reduction in the nationīs greenhouse
gas emissions of 20% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 from 2005 levels. The
system would apply only to the largest emitters in the country -- about
7,500 facilities that account for nearly 75% of the nationīs carbon
emissions, the senators said. More than 98% of American businesses and
farms would be exempt, they said.
"It is our countryīs defense against the harms of pollution and the
security risks of global climate change," Kerry said. "Our health, our
security, our economy, our environment all demand we reinvent the way
America uses energy."
Boxer agreed, saying, "We know clean energy is the ticket to strong,
stable economic growth -- itīs right her in front of us, in the
ingenuity of our workers and the vision of our entrepreneurs."
The bill includes more than $10 billion in funding over 10 years to
support research and development of new carbon capture and sequestration
technology for coal-fired power plants. It also would establish a new
federal program to encourage investment in low-carbon power generation,
especially natural gas, which is less carbon intensive than coal.
Contact Waste & Recycling News senior reporter Bruce Geiselman at
330-865-6172 or
bgeiselman@crain.com
w w w . w a s t e r e c y c l i n g n e w s . c o m
copyright 2009 by Crain Communications Inc. All rights reserved.