WHY THE OBAMA CLEAN ENERGY STANDARD WILL WORK

White House report parries attacks on ‘clean energy standard’
Ben Geman, February 23, 2011 (The Hill)

"…[The annual White House economic report rebuts] GOP claims that President Obama’s energy proposals amount to ‘picking winners and losers’ among energy technologies and are too costly.

"…[Transitioning to a Clean Energy Future from the 2011 Economic Report of the President] touts Obama’s proposed 'clean energy standard' (CES) that would require utilities to supply increasing amounts of power from low-carbon sources."

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"The report delivered to Congress says a ‘clean standard’ would complement the White House push for increased spending on green-energy research and development (R&D) without playing favorites."

[2011 White House Economic Report:] “A CES would create economic incentives for deployment of clean energy that can help ‘pull’ new technologies coming out of R&D into the market. Importantly, a CES would not pick particular clean technologies, but instead let markets and businesses determine the most cost-effective technologies to achieve the target share of clean energy…By ensuring flexibility through a broad definition of clean energy and by allowing trading among utilities, the program is designed to meet the overall target cost-effectively. The administration’s proposal emphasizes the importance of protecting consumers and accounting for regional differences…”

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"Obama’s plan calls for a doubling of electricity from low-carbon sources including renewables, nuclear power, natural gas and power from coal plants that trap carbon emissions (a technology not yet commercialized). It sets a target of obtaining 80 percent of U.S. power from these sources by 2035…The report also says a CES would complement the renewable energy standards in place in roughly 30 states…[and add] the cost-effectiveness benefits of a national standard…"

[2011 White House Economic Report:] “Although states have led the way, making significant advances in the use of renewable energy sources, a coordinated Federal action could achieve even greater benefits with lower costs. A Federal standard with nationally tradable credits would ensure that renewable power and other clean energy sources are deployed in those locations where they can be most cost-effective. By covering the whole country and including a wider array of sources, a Federal CES has the potential to accelerate the transition to clean energy at significantly lower cost.”