Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada on Tuesday proposed new legislation that would create new programs to fund wind, solar, electric storage and clean coal technologies, issuing a challenge to Republicans that the majority party is likely to ignore.
“By making these investments and cleaning up our polluting energy sources, we are creating jobs, investing in a future in which our children can breathe clean air, and averting the worsening extreme weather and disasters caused by climate change,” Reid said. “I support this legislation and will fight to make clean energy a priority for the Senate.”
Sen. Charles Schumer of New York joined Reid, along with energy committee ranking Democrat Maria Cantwell of Washington, to release the bill. “This bill pulls the best ideas from across the Democratic Caucus and is a refreshing reprieve from the tired Republican mantra of ‘drill baby, drill,'” said Schumer. “That’s a slogan, not an energy policy.”
Schumer’s comments alluded to the fact that a Republican bill set to come to the floor in the House in about a week’s time would lift a ban on oil exports. By lifting the restrictions on oil exports put in place in the 1970s, the GOP bill would spur increased production of shale oil. But given the current supply glut in the oil market, it is uncertain if lifting the ban will be enough to spur growth as many domestic producers have decided to curtail operations due to low oil prices.
“Republicans need to wake up to the fact that climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time and action must be taken to address it,” Schumer added. “The decisions we make in the next few years will have an incredible impact on our economy, our air quality, and nation’s energy security, and that’s why we should follow the Democratic path of proactive, bold action to create a clean energy future that safeguards our planet and works for the middle-class consumer.”
The bill was dropped at the same time a New York Republican in the House, Chris Gibson, has gained 10 co-sponsors on a bill that acknowledges climate change is manmade. The resolution does not advocate any particular policy to address global warming, but instead lists general principles to begin a discussion on how the GOP can address the issue.
Cantwell says the new Senate bill reduces greenhouse gas emissions “[b]y tackling energy efficiency in sectors ranging from trucks and buildings to the electric grid.” The bill is “targeting our best opportunities for job growth, consumer savings and carbon dioxide reductions.” Many scientists blame carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases for warming the Earth’s atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels like oil and coal.
The bill does not impose any specific proposal to lower emissions, like a carbon tax or cap and trade, but only seeks to reward clean energy development through a variety of spending measures and loan guarantees.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said the “bill is built around the proposition that the law ought to reward clean energy with incentives that spark innovation in the private economy.”
“Our proposal makes it possible to get more clean, renewable energy for less money and I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues to get it through the Senate,” said Wyden.
