20 percent by 2020? McNerney supports new renewable portfolio standard

As Brandon English at the Stakeholder -- the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's blog -- highlights, Jerry McNerney is among the Congressional members receiving praise for their endorsement of new clean energy legislation:

The Union of Concerned Scientists today praised the introduction of a House bill that would gradually require utilities to generate 20 percent of their electricity from clean, renewable sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass, by 2020. The renewable portfolio standard (RPS) bill, introduced by Reps. Tom Udall (D-NM), Todd Platts (R-PA), Mark Udall (D-CO), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Chris Shays (R-CT), Diana DeGette (D-CO), and Jerry McNerney (D-CA) would create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, save consumers money and promote economic development in our rural communities, according to a UCS analysis of the bill.

"A renewable portfolio standard should be passed this Congress," said Alan Nogee, UCS Clean Energy Program Director. "The bill gives the American people what they asked for in the election -- a smart, cost-effective strategy to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and get America on a track toward energy independence. And because power plants are a primary source of heat-trapping emissions, this bill can be an important part of solving global warming."

To read more about H.R. 969, including estimates of how this type of legislation might energize America with new jobs, energy bill savings, new revenue streams, and reduced carbon dioxide emissions, check out the Kansas City InfoZine.

Comments

[Dennis Sweatt]

I work at a Mortgage Broker in San Ramon and we are creating a Solar Powered Mortgage! We work with lenders to create incentives for homeowners to benifit from the savings you can get from Solar power along with the pride. Others can do it too!
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[Joel Siegel]

Unfortunately, if I understand the new IPCC report correctly, we will need a lot more than 20% by 2020. Consider that we need to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050, I believe, and that's only to mitigate the worst effects of the anthropogenic global warming that is already under way.