GOVERNOR PUSHING TO MAKE UTAH MORE BUSINESS-FRIENDLY
Utah Business Daily Governor Gary R. Herbert wants to tune up state rules and regulations which impact Utah businesses, so he has ordered a review by senior staff and agency heads. Part of that review includes seeking input from the public. View Full Article In a press release, the National Association of Manufacturers (4/7) offered a statement from President and CEO Jay Timmons following the Senate vote "on Minority Leader McConnell's (R-KY) amendment to the Senate Small Business Bill." Timmons said, "While the Senate was unable to pass Senator McConnell's amendment to the Small Business Bill today, the vote demonstrates that Senators on both sides of the aisle understand the negative impact the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) new greenhouse gas regulations will have on manufacturing." Timmons added, "The NAM will continue to work with Congress and the Administration to stop these stringent, overreaching regulations and promote sound economic and environmental policies that are in the best interest of manufacturers, consumers and our economy."
AP "Just when companies have finally stepped up hiring, rising oil prices are threatening to halt the US economy's gains." In fact, "some economists are scaling back their estimates for growth this year, in part because flat wages have left households struggling to pay higher gasoline prices. ... For consumers, more expensive energy siphons away money that would otherwise be used for household purchases, from cars and furniture to clothing and vacations."
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SENATE REJECTS AMENDMENTS BLOCKING EPA AUTHORITY TO REGULATE GREENHOUSE GASES
Kathleen Hart The Senate on April 6 rejected amendments to a small business bill that would block or limit the authority of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. The Senate overwhelmingly rejected amendments offered by Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., that would have limited or delayed EPA authority to regulate greenhouse gases. An amendment offered by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., failed to receive the 60 votes needed for passage in the Senate. However, the McConnell amendment garnered considerable support, with 50 senators voting for it and 50 against it. McConnell's amendment to block EPA regulation of greenhouse gases to address climate change was based on a bill introduced in the Senate by Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., put off the vote on the McConnell amendment until April 6, when it was offered on the Senate floor along with the three Democratic alternative amendments. Meanwhile, late in the afternoon of April 6, the House of Representatives was considering amendments to H.R. 910, a bill that would block the EPA from regulating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act to address climate change. The bill was expected to gain passage in the House. However, the White House issued a statement on April 5 threatening a presidential veto of the bill. "If the President is presented with this legislation, which would seriously roll back the CAA authority, harm Americans' health by taking away our ability to decrease carbon pollution, and undercut fuel efficiency standards that will save Americans money at the pump while decreasing our dependence on oil, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill," the White House Office of Management and Budget said in an April 5 "statement of administration policy." The White House "strongly opposes" House passage of H.R. 910, which the statement said would halt EPA "common-sense steps under the Clean Air Act (CAA) to protect Americans from harmful air pollution. H.R. 910 would also increase the nation's dependence on oil and other fossil fuels as well as contradict the scientific consensus on climate change." The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill on March 15. The legislation was first released as a discussion draft in February by Reps. Fred Upton, R-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., who chairs the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power. It was formally introduced in the House in March by Upton, Whitfield and Reps. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee; and Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., ranking Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. OBAMA CALLS FOR EXPANDED US ENERGY PRODUCTION, VOICES SUPPORT FOR NUCLEAR POWER
Kathleen Hart President Barack Obama announced new energy goals in a March 30 speech that called for reducing U.S. oil imports by one-third in the coming decade, increasing domestic natural gas production, and shifting to clean energy sources, including continued use of nuclear power. Asserting that "there are no quick fixes" to providing the U.S. with a secure supply of affordable energy, Obama said the nation will continue to be "a victim to shifts in the oil market until we get serious about a long-term policy for secure, affordable energy." The president set a new goal, one he called reasonable, achievable and necessary. "When I was elected to this office, America imported 11 million barrels of oil a day. By a little more than a decade from now, we will have cut that by one-third," the president said in a speech at Georgetown University. Obama said meeting the new goal depends on finding and producing more domestic oil and reducing the nation's dependence on oil by switching to cleaner alternative fuels and greater energy efficiency. Obama highlighted natural gas as the first option. The potential for natural gas "is enormous," he said, adding that this is a policy area where there has been a lot of broad bipartisan agreement in Congress. Recent innovations have given the United States the opportunity to tap large reserves, perhaps a century's worth, "in the shale under our feet," Obama said. "We have to make sure we're doing it safely, without polluting our water supply," he said, referring to hydraulic fracturing technology. Obama said he asked Energy Secretary Steven Chu to work with other federal agencies, the natural gas industry, state officials and environmental experts "to improve the safety of this process." The president noted that last year, more than 150 members of Congress from both sides of the aisle proposed legislation providing incentives to use clean-burning natural gas in the nation's vehicles instead of oil. They were joined by T. Boone Pickens, a businessman who made his fortune in oil. Obama urged Congress "to keep at it and pass a bill" that helps the U.S. achieve that goal. Another substitute for oil that holds tremendous promise is renewable biofuels, including ethanol as well as biofuels made from materials such as switchgrass, wood chips and biomass, the president said. Blueprint for secure energy future Obama said his administration is releasing a Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future that outlines the comprehensive national energy policy he has been pursuing since taking office. The president said the nation has to find ways to boost efficiency and discover and produce cleaner, renewable sources of energy with less of the carbon pollution that threatens the climate. "And we've got to do it quickly," he added. Noting that "about two-fifths of our electricity comes from clean energy sources," Obama said that with the right incentives in place that amount can be doubled. He referred to his State of the Union address in January in which he called for a clean energy standard for the U.S. that would require 80% of the nation's electricity to come from an array of clean energy sources by 2035, including renewables such as wind and solar, efficient natural gas, clean coal and nuclear power. Obama emphasized that the U.S. is going to have to examine how to make clean coal and nuclear power work. He noted that the nation gets one-fifth of its electricity from nuclear energy. In light of the ongoing events at the stricken reactors in Japan, the president said, "I'm determined to ensure that it's safe." He has requested a comprehensive safety review by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to make sure that all existing U.S. nuclear energy facilities are safe. The U.S. will incorporate those conclusions and lessons from Japan in designing and building the next generation of nuclear power plants, he said, adding that "we can't simply take it off the table." Obama said he opposes efforts by some members of Congress to cut investments in clean energy. Sacrificing those investments "would weaken our energy security and make us more dependent on oil, not less," he argued. "That's not a game plan to win the future. That's a vision to keep us mired in the past. I will not accept that outcome for the United States of America. We are not going to do that." Obama says he is encouraging offshore exploration To reduce reliance on imports, Obama said his administration is encouraging offshore oil exploration and production, as long as it is safe and responsible. Pointing to the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, Obama said his administration put in place smarter standards of safety and responsibility. Countering critics who accuse the administration of holding up drilling permits, Obama said that since the new standards were put in place, the administration has approved 39 new shallow-water permits and has approved an additional seven deepwater permits in recent weeks. The president said his administration is pushing the oil industry to take advantage of the opportunities it already has. "Right now, the industry holds tens of millions of acres of leases where it's not producing a drop — sitting on supplies of American energy just waiting to be tapped," he said. However, the president emphasized that additional domestic production will not provide a long-term solution to the nation's energy challenges. The only way for U.S. energy supply to be truly secure "is by permanently reducing our dependence on oil," he said. LAWMAKERS TOUT PROPOSED LEGISLATION AS GROUNDWORK FOR NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY
Bryan Schutt A bipartisan group of congressmen has unveiled legislation they say will lay the groundwork for national energy policy and forever change the energy landscape. The NAT GAS Act of 2011 offers a five-year jump-start plan to accelerate market penetration of natural gas vehicles, lawmakers said, and the bill will help the nation wean itself off of foreign oil, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create thousands of jobs. Further, by being narrowly tailored and having widespread support, the bill has a manageable path to the president's desk, they said. While introducing the NAT GAS Act, or New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act, during an April 6 press call, leading sponsors Reps. John Sullivan, R-Okla.; Dan Boren, D-Okla.; John Larson, D-Conn.; and Kevin Brady, R-Texas, were joined by energy tycoon and activist T. Boone Pickens. The group hailed NGVs as a cornerstone to solving some of the economic, environmental and foreign concerns facing the nation. Simply put, Sullivan said, the NAT GAS Act provides the framework needed to give the nation "a new horse to get on" and economically transition from oil. Currently, 69% of oil consumed in the U.S. is used for transportation, two-thirds of which is imported, Sullivan said. With gasoline prices between $4 and $5 per gallon, he said, "there's no time like the present" to get the ball rolling on NGVs. The bill provides a five-year window to build, buy and refuel NGVs. It offers limited tax credits for manufacturing and purchasing NGVs, for building NGV refueling stations and for filling up with natural gas. It also would provide federal regulatory changes to continue research and development for natural gas-powered engines and conversions. Sullivan said the legislation avoids government mandates and never-ending subsidies. By doing so, and limiting incentives to a five-year window, Boren said, the NAT GAS Act should pass where its previous NGV bill predecessors have failed. "This is a bill that we've had in prior Congresses, but it's changed and I think it has the best chance of passage in this Congress," he said. "This is a truly bipartisan bill. There are progressives as co-sponsors, there are conservatives, there are moderates, there are people from all over the country." Boren called the proposal a "global game-changing bill" and a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" for Americans to change the way they live now and for generations to come. In that regard, Larson said, the NAT GAS Act is a foundation to build on. And while broad energy bills were the focus of the previous Congress, the narrow focus of the NAT GAS Act should push it along. "This is a shot … that provides essentially a foundation from which to build an energy policy on," he said. "Last year we had a very comprehensive policy that involved a lot of the issues related to climate change and global warming. Here we have a very narrow focus on natural gas, taking advantage of an abundant resource that we have in this country, that will provide us with a new sources of energy in a time when we desperately need it." The lawmakers said House Speaker John Boehner supports the measure as a means to fight high gasoline prices. And in the Senate, Larson said, the bill has support from Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.; Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.; and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. Already, President Barack Obama has hyped the bill, too. "It's our goal to make sure that the legislation in both chambers lines up so that we avoid any kind of lengthy conference and we can get this bill to the president's desk to sign," Larson said. "To the extent that we can work with the other chamber, we're going to do that." When looking back on it in five years, Pickens said, the bill will be the first step away from the trap of dependency on oil. "For 40 years, our country has had no energy plan," he said. "We're the only country in the world with no energy plan. This is the first step to change. You will see in five years that this bill will actually have some impact on the change for energy globally. That is huge." Rapid response The American Gas Association applauded the congressmen for introducing the bill and urged other lawmakers to expedite its passage. "The provisions contained in the NAT GAS Act offer a viable road map for helping Americans take the next step toward a cleaner, more efficient transportation future by encouraging meaningful investments in natural gas vehicles," AGA President and CEO Dave McCurdy said in a statement. "This legislation will help drive our clean energy economy forward by creating jobs and enhancing our energy security." Similarly, NGVAmerica said that if Congress is serious about reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil, action on the NAT GAS Act is a must. "This comprehensive legislation is driven by the need for America to quickly reduce its dependence on foreign oil while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gases and urban pollution," said Richard Kolodziej, president of NGVAmerica. "Heavy-duty vehicles account for about 25% of all the on-road fuel consumed in this country, so moving more of these vehicles to natural gas can make the fastest impact on reducing our dependency on foreign oil." Today in Manufacturing South Carolina legislators are throwing a lifeline to traditional light bulbs, voting to allow companies to manufacture the bulbs in the state and sell them there ... continue
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