Efficiency First

According to a report distributed today via E&E Publishing’s Greenwire news feed, a bipartisan group of Senators may be preparing to introduce a stand-alone bill on Tuesday that would establish a national renewable electricity standard (RES) for U.S. utilities.

The report cites an unnamed lobbyist who supports RES legislation indicating that Sen. Jeff Bingaman, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and other Senators “will make a renewable energy announcement tomorrow afternoon” that could be an effort to move the RES language originally included in the American Clean Energy Leadership Act (ACELA) through the Senate as a separate bill. ACELA passed the House in June 2009, but failed to gain adequate support in the Senate.

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UPDATE: The bipartisan bill was introduced as expected on Tuesday afternoon by New Mexico Democrat Jeff Bingaman and Kansas Republican Sam Brownback. The New York Times reports that two other Republicans cosponsored the bill: Susan Collins of Maine and John Ensign of Nevada.

A Bloomberg report about the bill stated that:

Bingaman’s “renewable electricity standard” would require utilities to obtain as much as 15 percent of their power from low-pollution sources by 2021. The U.S. renewable energy sector is a potential “job engine” and the national standard will “fuel it,” said Senator Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican and a cosponsor of the bill.

A renewable electricity standard requires utility companies to produce or purchase some of their power from wind turbines, solar panels and other sources that pollute less than plants fueled with oil, coal and natural gas.

A credit, or certificate, is awarded for every megawatt- hour generated from renewable sources. To comply with the renewable standard, utilities have to surrender a target number of credits each year. Companies with more credits than they need can sell to those that are short.

Read the New York Times report at www.geen.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/a-bipartisan-bill-on-renewable-energy.

The Bloomberg report is at www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-21/bingaman-says-renewable-power-bill-can-pass-senate-update1-.html