Buildings Proposals from the 110th Congress

S. 3036:  

The Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008
 

NOTE:  For a full range of Pew Center resources for this bill, including in depth analysis, a longer summary,  a complete timeline, and links to relevant external documents and media, please click here


·         The Act, if enacted into law, would establish a market-based cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States, and establish other measures to reduce GHG emissions.

·         This is the first cap-and-trade legislation to proceed to the Senate floor through regular order—that is, through the committee process. A previous version of this bill, then titled S.2191, was passed 11-8 by the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee in December 2007. The version that will debated on the Senate floor has been extensively revised from the version passed by the EPW committee.

·         An estimated 87% of U.S. GHG emissions would be subject to the bill’s cap-and-trade program. Those required to submit emissions allowances under the program include: coal-fired power plants and other entities that use more than 5,000 metric tons of coal, natural gas processors and importers, petroleum processors and refiners, manufacturers and importers of more than 10,000 metric tons of GHGs (as measured in CO2 equivalents), and any entity that emits more than 10,000 metric tons (CO2e) of HFCs as a byproduct of the manufacture of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).  The bill establishes a separate cap-and-trade system for HFCs produced or imported (including those in products and equipment).

·         The cap-and-trade program would reduce GHG emissions from covered sectors by 4% below 2005 levels by 2012; 19% below 2005 levels by 2020; and 71% below 2005 levels by 2050.

·         The bill would allocate 75.5% of all allowances for free in 2012— including 18% to power plants, 11% to manufacturers, 2% to petroleum refiners, and 0.75% to natural gas processors (transitioning to zero in 2031); 12.75% to electricity and natural gas local distribution companies for the benefit of energy consumers, and 15% to states, etc. The proportion of allowances auctioned would increase from 24.5% in 2012 to 58.75% by 2032.

·         The bill would establish numerous measures to contain the cost of the cap-and-trade program, including allowing the use of domestic and international offsets, and the banking and borrowing of allowances; establishing a Carbon Market Efficiency Board empowered with certain cost-relief powers; and establishing a “cost-containment auction” of a fixed quantity of allowances each year that will initially be offered only to those with compliance obligations and within a certain price range. The bill also establishes a working group that will create regulations designed to protect the market from fraud and manipulation.

·         The bill would provide funds to compensate low-income energy consumers and assist in worker transition.

·         The bill would provide funding and incentives for development and deployment of geological carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology, with a goal of constructing 5-10 commercial coal-burning electricity facilities using CCS.

·         The bill would also provide funds for:  renewable energy; increasing the energy efficiency of buildings, appliances, manufacturing; research into low-carbon electricity generation and advanced energy projects; increasing the use and manufacture of hybrid and advanced vehicles; and increasing the production of cellulosic biofuels. It also includes a low-carbon fuel standard.

·         The bill would provide funds for the states for mass transit projects, and wildlife conservation and adaptation projects, among others.

·         The bill has a number of international provisions, including a measure that would require importers of certain commodities from countries that do not have GHG control programs to submit special allowances, as well as funds for assisting vulnerable communities abroad, promoting international technology development, and conserving forests and wildlife in other countries.

 

Sponsor: Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) 6/2/08: Cloture on the motion to proceed to the bill invoked by the Senate by 74-14; 6/6/08: the Senate failed to invoke cloture to close debate on the bill by 48-36.

 

H.R. 2809:   New Apollo Energy Act of 2007. This bill contains many provisions intended to promote new energy technologies, and includes a variety of measures intended to reduce American greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Among other provisions, it instructs the National Institute of Building Sciences to establish standards for the construction of new commercial and residential buildings that will reduce CO₂ emissions, compared to emissions from similar buildings in 2003, by 40% by 2010 and by 70% by 2020. The bill also directs the Administrator of the EPA to promulgate low carbon fuel performance standards for fuels and aircraft, similar to those proposed by Rep. Inslee in H.R. 2215. In addition, the bill authorizes the Secretary of Energy to make loan guarantees for commercial demonstration projects of low carbon renewable fuels. The bill also amends the Clean Air Act to instruct the Administrator of the EPA to promulgate regulations to require each manufacturer of automobiles for sale in the United States to reduce the average GHG emissions per vehicle mile. It also directs the Secretary of Commerce to work through NOAA to carry out a program of scientific research on abrupt climate change.

Sponsor: Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) (23 Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 3221:   New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act. This is the House of Representatives’ energy bill for 2007. The following summary includes only the provisions most pertinent to climate change.

· Among other provisions, the bill makes a Congressional declaration that it shall be United States policy to engage in international climate negotiations with the objective of creating a new instrument that will come into force by the time that the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012. Such an instrument will, at a minimum, require binding mitigation commitments from all major emitting countries. The title also mandates the creation of an Office on Global Climate Change within the State Department.

· The bill also authorizes funds to promote research in solar energy, biofuels, marine renewable energy, and geothermal energy, and authorizes funds for carbon capture and storage research, development, and demonstration.

· In addition, it directs the President to “establish an interagency committee to ensure cooperation and coordination of all Federal research activities” pertaining to human-induced or natural changes in the global environment, including global climate change.

· The bill contains provisions which direct each federal agency to annually inventory and report its GHG emissions, and requires the EPA to promulgate annual greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets for the total emissions of all agencies taken as a whole, for each fiscal year from 2010 through 2050.

· The bill also sets GHG emissions standards for federal vehicle fleets, based on the California Code of Regulations, and requires the Secretary of Energy to establish new efficiency standards for federal buildings.

· The bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to develop a methodology for assessing the nation’s capacity to store carbon dioxide in geologic formations. It also requires the Secretary to conduct an assessment of the amount of carbon stored in terrestrial, aquatic, and coastal ecosystems, including estuaries; and to determine the potential for increasing carbon storage in natural ecosystems.

· It also requires the Secretary of the Interior to create the National Resources Management Council on Climate Change to address the impacts of climate change on Federal lands, the ocean environment, and the Federal water infrastructure. It requires the Secretary to promulgate a national strategy for assisting wildlife populations and their habitats in adapting to the impacts of global warming. The title also directs the Secretary of Commerce to develop and implement a national strategy to predict, plan for, and mitigate the impacts on ocean and coastal ecosystems from global warming, relative sea level rise and ocean acidification; and ensure the recovery, resilience, and health of ocean and coastal ecosystems.

· The title also authorizes $250 million to establish a National Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System to improve the nation’s ability to measure, track, explain, and predict events related directly and indirectly and indirectly to weather and climate change.

· The Transportation and Infrastructure section of this bill, among other provisions, mandates the establishment of a Center for Climate Change and Environment within the Department of Transportation, which would plan, coordinate, and implement department-wide initiatives and research to reduce transportation-related energy use, mitigate the effects of climate change, and address the impacts of climate change on transportation and infrastructure. The title also directs Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator of the EPA to report to Congress on low-cost solutions to reducing congestion and transportation-related energy use and mitigating the effects of climate change.

· The Energy and Commerce section of this bill contains a number of energy efficiency provisions, among them: improving the schedule for consensus standards, updating appliance test procedures, new efficiency standards for lighting, residential boilers, industrial motors, washing machines, and dishwashers. The title also establishes new efficiency standards for power supplies and transformers for consumer electronic equipment.

· In addition, the bill mandates the creation of an Office of High-Performance Green Buildings, and sets out increased efficiency standards for federal buildings, as well as increased efficiency standards for state residential and commercial building codes. It also authorizes grants to support state implementation of green building codes.

· The title also provides technical assistance and a revolving fund for implementing combined heat and power (CHP) systems and sustainable energy infrastructure. Finally, the title contains a number of provisions promoting creation of a Smart Grid, and mandates the promulgation of a National Action Plan for Demand Response.

· The tax provisions of this bill expand and extend tax credits and deductions for renewable energy, energy efficient appliance credit for a variety of appliances produced after 2007, energy-efficient commercial buildings deduction for five years (through December 31, 2013), and allows electric utilities to depreciate smart electric meters over a five year period. In addition, the bill orders the Secretary of the Treasury and the National Academy of Sciences to review the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to identify the types of and specific tax provisions that have the largest effects on carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions and to estimate the magnitude of those effects.

Sponsor: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (18 Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 5401:   <!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <![endif]-->Grants for Renewable and Energy Efficiency Needs (GREEN) School Improvement Act. This bill would authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants for energy efficiency improvements and renewable public school facilities. In its findings section, the bill cites a report which states that “green” schools use on average one-third less energy than conventional schools and could lead to large greenhouse gas emissions reductions overall.

Sponsor: Rep. David Loebsack (D-IA) (10 Cosponsors)