Back to Climate Change

With some of the other topics that came up in the last few months I had to move away from my promise to continually talk about climate change legislation and cap and trade until you collectively tell me you can’t take it anymore. Well, it’s time to get back at it and provide an update on where our lawmakers stand on this legislation.

However, I want to clarify one thing before I do so. I had a member write me a few months back who was somewhat upset with me. In their opinion, I was not serving the membership well by presenting “one side of the issue” on this matter. From the letter I could tell this person was versed in the topic and wanted to make sure all sides of the issue were sufficiently represented from social, environmental, and political perspectives. I can appreciate that concern.

When I write on these topics I am not doing so to debate any of these issues or to try to tell you to subscribe to a certain political view. I am not a scientist or a politician. Although I believe the issues the member pointed out are important and fully understood the concern they expressed, my goal is to let people know that under the proposed legislation there will be an increase in costs that we will all be expected to absorb. I also want you to know where cooperatives, as a collective, stand on the matter. In this case, the cooperatives want to see a final ruling that balances our need to protect our environment with our need to minimize the financial impact to all members. If this matters to you, then I’m calling for you to get involved. Although this member was obviously not happy with me, I was glad they took the time to write and tell me how wrong I was. I know that sounds odd but hey, they got involved in some way and that’s all I can ask.

This being said, a recent update on the progress of this legislation was presented in an article in “Electric Co-op Today” featuring comments from Glenn English, Chief Executive Officer of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. In the article it was noted that the climate change bill that passed through the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee was being considered dead as of early December.

The primary concern with this version of the bill is the formula being touted to distribute carbon emission allowances. Many feel this formula, authored by the Edison Electric Institute who represents investor owned utility interests, would create major regional cost disparities throughout the country. As a result, it was determined the bill would not garner the votes required for passage in the Senate. With this development, the Senate Majority Leader is now relying on a new version of the bill to emerge that balances the interests in emission allocations, among other concerns, in a manner that could generate the required votes to pass.

It is important that cooperatives across the nation have a seat at the negotiation table to encourage Congress to pass a balanced solution. If they cannot, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated they would make a decision on the regulation of greenhouse gases under “The Clean Air Act.” This is not a favorable route to go since “The Clean Air Act,” as written, was not designed to deal with carbon emissions of this nature. Even though the EPA ruling could be overturned by Congress, this act could prove detrimental to the final wording of any compromise reached through the legislative process.

As you can see from this brief update of activity there is a long way to go on this matter. There are many, many opinions and issues remaining to hash out in the legislative chambers. No matter what side you fall on I think everyone wants a balanced solution. To that end, I want to once again encourage you to contact your legislators. They are there to represent you. Let them know where you stand! Also, please participate in the “Our Energy, Our Future” campaign at www.OurEnergy.coop.  This is an extremely quick and easy way to pass along your message to your legislators. It only takes a moment to complete your message!