What's Next on Energy and Climate

Submitted by Dan Carol on 10/20/10

There has been a good deal of chatter and hand-wringing lately about the Ryan Lizza New Yorker piece which tries to tick-tock how cap and trade went off a cliff.  Yet for those of us who are biased towards what we can do outside the Beltway and from the bottom-up, it seems like a good time to review some of the strategic actions we can take that don't just depend on Congressional kumbaya alone.

Here is a short memo laying out 5 supplemental but decidedly big strategies -- all of which are compatible with continuing the fight for a comprehensive climate bill. 

Comments

Submitted by Dan Carol on 10/21/10.

You ask in your comment why do I think we need a climate bill although I am not sure if you have a foregone conclusion on the matter... but I will be an optimist and respond. 

All the clean economy business leaders and utility folks I work with echo one message: the private sector can go faster in deploying clean energy technology IF we have clear, stable, long-term rules of the road and clear price signals on carbon -- which other governments from China to Denmark are providing to kick-start these new industries and grab market share.  Because the partisan divide is slowing down consensus on what looks like in America right now, my piece was sugesting ways to move forward despite this key missing element.

I hasten to add that every old energy technology has gotten a boost from government to get it rolling, from oil and gas (tax subsidies and roads to drive on paid for by gas taxes) to nuclear power. But I agree in the long term that we need to make sure that the level of continuing subsidy is going down or removed once the industry can stand on its own.