A “clean energy standard” is cap-and-trade by another name.
The State Journal (WV) reports:
A bill ordering a federal focus on “clean energy,” including coal that utilizes carbon capture technology, has been introduced in the U.S. Senate.
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee, introduced the Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012 Thursday. The legislation sets a clean energy goal for the nation that allows various energy sources to “compete based on how clean they are, then gets out of the way and lets the market and American ingenuity determine the best paths forward.”
“We want to make sure that we drive continued diversity in our energy sources, and allow every region to deploy clean energy using its own resources,” Bingaman said. “And we want to make sure that we do all of this in a way that supports home-grown innovation and manufacturing and keeps us competitive in the global clean energy economy.”
The standard does not place a limit on overall emission or reduce growth of electrical generation, information from the energy committee states. It also is not expected to generate any costs to the U.S. government.
“The goal of the CES is ambitious — a doubling of clean energy by 2035. But analysis has shown that the goal is also achievable and affordable,” Bingaman said. “Meeting the CES will yield substantial benefits to our health, our economy, our global competitiveness and our economy”…
How many billions of dollars have to be spent before government gets out of the way and lets each new clean energy project compete in the open market. If it really worked this way we wouldn’t be subsidizing solar and wind energy.
If “analysis has shown that the goal is also achievable and affordable” why do we need any legislations?
Hopefully natural gas won’t get left out! It’s a great clean energy source!