[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 41 (Thursday, March 13, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E461]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RENEWABLE PORTFOLIO STANDARD

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 13, 2003

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing a bill 
with my cousin Rep. Tom Udall to establish a federal renewable 
portfolio standard (RPS).
  The electric utilities throughout the country have done a good job 
providing this nation with reliable energy. They have done so well, in 
fact, that we take our energy for granted.
  But as demand continues to grow, we need to make sure that we 
continue to have affordable and reliable supplies. And, most 
importantly, as we move to more competition in the delivery of 
electricity, we must make sure that the environment and consumers are 
protected. So it makes sense to put incentives in place to ensure that 
less polluting and environmentally friendly sources of energy can find 
their way into the marketplace.
  But it's not enough to take protective steps. I believe it's critical 
that we also take affirmative steps to promote cleaner energy 
production. That's why I support requiring that a certain amount of our 
energy supplies come from renewable energy sources in the form of a 
renewable portfolio standard, or RPS.
  The RPS is a market-friendly approach that will provide increased 
reliability, energy security, and environmental and health benefits. By 
reducing the cost of new clean technologies, it will also make more 
choices increasingly available in the competitive marketplace, and help 
restrain fossil fuel price increases by creating more competition for 
those fuels. The RPS creates intense competition among renewables, with 
the market picking winners and losers among renewable technologies, not 
the government.
  An RPS will be good for consumers. According to the Department of 
Energy, an RPS will save consumers billions of dollars. An RPS will 
also spur economic development in the form of billions of dollars in 
new capital investment and in new property tax revenues for local 
communities, and millions of dollars in new lease payments to farmers 
and rural landowners. Importantly, an RPS will also keep our energy 
dollars at home and diversify our energy portfolio. Finally, the 
increased use of clean renewable energy through an RPS will take us 
toward a clean energy future by reducing air pollution from dirty 
fossil-fueled power plants that threaten public health and our climate.
  We have worked hard to draft legislation that we believe will create 
public benefits for everyone. The renewable energy goals the bill sets 
are significant--requiring retail electricity suppliers to derive 20 
percent of their power production from renewables by 2025. In addition, 
the bill is not overly burdensome for states as it gives them 
flexibility to achieve these goals. The bill sets up a credit trading 
system that allows states to buy and sell credits to meet their 
renewable energy goals, which will work to further reduce costs. A cap 
of 3 cents a kilowatt-hour protects consumers from excessive costs. The 
bill permits states to borrow credits against future renewables, bank 
renewable credits for future use, or sell them on the open market. The 
bill gives federal credits for existing renewables and for renewables 
required under a state RPS. The bill also returns money to the states 
from the sale of credits for state weatherization programs, low-income 
energy assistance programs, and for encouraging the installation of 
additional renewables.

  Finally, our bill makes clear that while material removed from the 
national forests in connection with fuel reduction projects or for 
other reasons can qualify as biomass, we have been careful to make it 
clear that the bill does not set up a new program under which timber 
would be harvested specifically for that purpose.
  Our RPS bill will save consumers money, benefit farmers and rural 
landowners, reduce air pollution, and increase reliability and energy 
security. My cousin and I believe this RPS bill is a win-win 
proposition and worthy of the support of our colleagues. We will work 
together and with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to push it 
forward in the House.

                          ____________________