STATEMENT: CAP’s Kate Gordon on Introduction of Sen. Bingaman’s Proposed Clean Energy Standard

March 1, 2012

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Contact: Christina DiPasquale
Phone: 202.481.8181
Email: cdipasquale@americanprogress.org

Washington, D.C. – Today Kate Gordon, Vice President for Energy Policy at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement following the introduction of a bill by Senator Jeff Bingaman, which will create a clean energy standard for the United States:

Sen. Jeff Bingaman’s (D-NM) proposal would be a tremendous contribution to the United States’ clean energy economy. By prioritizing low-carbon energy sources, a clean energy standard would drive investments in renewable energy and other low-carbon energy infrastructure that will put Americans back to work while also improving our air quality and reducing the likelihood of catastrophic climate change. This bill will also create stable demand that’s critical for growing our domestic clean energy manufacturing base, and will help spur new innovations in the low-carbon energy technologies of the future.

This proposal is the result of years of hard work, and incorporates valuable feedback from a diverse range of stakeholders, including industry. In “How to Shape the Clean Energy Future of the United States,” the Center for American Progress’s response to a white paper circulated by Sens. Bingaman and Lisa Murkowski (R-AL) in early 2011, we advocate for allowing some funds to flow back to states to build up their renewable energy and efficiency programs. Sen. Bingaman’s proposal includes this recommendation. I’m also pleased that this proposal allows for utilities to use a wide range of clean energy resources to meet its goals, so that each region of the country can leverage its own unique natural resources and economic strengths.

The conventional wisdom is that no significant energy legislation will pass this year. The Senate should prove that conventional wisdom wrong and pass this bill.

See also:

• How to Shape the Clean Energy Future of the United States by Richard W. Caperton, Kate Gordon, Bracken Hendricks, and Daniel J. Weiss
• Helping America Win the Clean Energy Race by Richard W. Caperton, Kate Gordon, Bracken Hendricks, and Daniel J. Weiss

To speak with CAP experts, please contact Christina DiPasquale at 202.481.8181 or cdipasquale@americanprogress.org.

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