Clean Economy Policy Update
The 112th Congress had gotten off to a tumultuous start. Last Thursday, the Senate approved the sixth Continuing Resolution (CR) for fiscal year 2011 that would fund the federal government for another three weeks in order to avoid a shut-down. Republicans, who are pushing adamantly to cut spending, have successfully cut billions of dollars from the CR. These cuts influence key clean economy programs, and it is possible that more are to come.
In particular, Advanced Research Project Agency—Energy (ARPA-E) and DOE’s Loan Guarantee Program are under threat. Additionally, if they are not funded this year, it is highly unlikely that they will be included in the fiscal year 2012 budget. ARPA-E funded 37 high-risk, high-reward clean technology projects in 2009 and 2010 with $400 million, and the Loan Guarantee Program committed $26 billion in loan guarantees to 23 clean energy projects. These programs have attracted billions of dollars in investment and created or saved tens of thousands of jobs.
In addition to cutting clean economy programs, both the House and Senate have been actively debating the EPA’s regulatory authority to enforce the Clean Air Act. The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011 (H.R. 910) by a 34-19 vote on March 15, which included language limiting EPA’s regulatory authority. The measure is expected to easily pass the Republican-controlled House when it comes to a vote in the next few weeks.
Republicans in the Senate then attempted to attach similar language to a small business bill, but that effort has proven unsuccessful thus far. Several other Senators, including Rockefeller (D-WV) and Baucus (D-MT), have offered less sweeping options that may attract more moderate Senators.
Furthermore, Republicans and some Democrats are marketing this legislation as a means by which to combat rising gas prices. Pulitzer Prize-winning Politifact recently debunked those claims, clarifying, “there’s no proof that the law would actually stop gas prices from rising. That being said, if gas prices continue to rise, it will encourage Congress to take action on energy policy.
Thank you to our friends at the Clean Economy Network for providing this important information.
Last night, Constance Lau, President and CEO of Hawaiian Electric Industries (HEI) addressed the Women’s Council on Energy & Environment at our annual dinner in Washington DC.
HEI is one of the few utilities that also owns a bank and the organization is actively seeking and funding clean technologies, particularly biofuels. Hawaii is working towards returning to its energy self-sustaining past, when the state produced all its energy needs from biofuels, primarily sugar cane. Currently, Hawaii has the distinction of being the largest state importer of oil.
HEI offers an interesting proposition worth emulating – utilities having a structured financing arm, i.e., bank, that is focused on advancing renewable technologies. It is also important to note the role of women as HEI moves ahead. According to Ms. Lau, approximately one-third of HEI management is women, including the head of the biofuel financing unit.
We will post Ms. Lau’s video comments when available.
Wendell Potter at TLS: “It’s the System”
On Thursday I had the pleasure and honor of moderating The Luncheon Society’s Los Angeles gathering welcoming Wendell Potter. The table comprised highly educated, politically active professionals, and yet, even some of them were surprised at the communication strategy documents that the health insurance lobby produced for its most inner circle. Logically, it makes sense, especially given the 100 years that legislators have tried to pass legislation improving Americans’ access to health-care. Emotionally, it feels like a betrayal.
From a communicator’s point-of-view, the information was not surprising. We are the ones that work with clients to ensure that their messages resonate with their audiences. Most of us do that with integrity and steer our clients ‘back on the highway’ when they veer off. I hold Wendell in the utmost esteem for leaving a situation where his integrity, by his own definition, was compromised.
Our lunch conversation veered to discussing the state of investigative journalism – or the lack of investigative journalism. “The Fourth Estate” used to report when people, companies, organizations, etc. were taking everyone for a ride, to keep with the metaphor. That is generally no longer the case, so it’s up to the public to draw their own conclusions and gather their own facts through very decentralized news sources primarily via the internet.
So, here is a big tip for all you fact checkers – According to The Pew Center, 80% of the links on social media sites and blogs are to U.S. legacy media … so if you question something you read on-line, try tracing it back to its original source. A statistic originating from research by a NY Times reporter or the Prince of Nigeria might influence its credibility.
To Buy Wendell’s Book: [click here]
For More Information:
The Pew Center: State of the News Media 2010 (report)
Time Magazine: The Making of a Health-Care Whistle-Blower (Sept. 8, 2009)
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