Energy-efficiency provisions of the climate change bill working its way through Congress could save the average West Virginia household $237 per year and create 1,900 new jobs statewide by 2020, according to a report issued Wednesday.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Energy-efficiency provisions of the climate change bill working its way through Congress could save the average West Virginia household $237 per year and create 1,900 new jobs statewide by 2020, according to a report issued Wednesday.
The savings would increase to $521 per year and 2,700 new jobs by 2030, according to the report issued by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the group Environment America.
If the Senate were to strengthen the energy efficiency language, the savings would jump to $288 per year and 2,900 new jobs, according to the report.
These provisions also would prevent 6 million metric tons of global warming emissions, the equivalent of removing 1 million cars from the road for a year.
Among other things, the bill requires utilities to by 2020 obtain 20 percent of their energy from a combination of renewable sources and efficiency improvements. Energy efficiency is allowed to meet up to 8 percent of the 20 percent goal.
Other provisions are designed to improve energy savings associated with building codes and retrofits, as well as appliance efficiency standards and better efficiency in the transportation and industry sectors.
"Americans know that energy efficiency is the cleanest, quickest, cheapest way of reducing our energy use and pollution," said Alison Adams, preservation associate at Environment America. "These common sense solutions will put cash back in our pockets and help protect the air we breathe, the water we drink and the future of the planet."
The report was released as coal industry officials and the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce gear up their campaign against the carbon dioxide "cap-and-trade" provisions of the American Clean Energy and Security Act.
All three of West Virginia's members of Congress voted against the bill when it passed the House of Representatives. Sens. Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller, both D-W.Va., have also expressed serious reservations about the legislation.
"Energy efficiency may not be as hot a topic as cap-and-trade, but it certainly gets the job done when it comes to saving consumers money and creating jobs," said Steven Nadel, ACEEE's executive director and co-author of the report. "As our report shows, the Senate can boost those benefits by improving the energy efficiency provisions in the Waxman-Markey bill."
The study did not consider the impact on consumers of the cap-and-trade provisions, but its authors said the energy efficiency savings "would more than offset" costs projected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"Energy efficiency policies offer a critical opportunity to offset increased energy costs that could result from the cap-and-trade provisions in the bill," the report said. "When compared to traditional generation sources, energy efficiency is the least-cost energy resource available today. Moreover, it offers the potential to create new jobs, support economic growth at both the national and state level, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions."
Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kw...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1702.
Read the report
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Energy-efficiency provisions of the climate change bill working its way through Congress could save the average West Virginia household $237 per year and create 1,900 new jobs statewide by 2020, according to a report issued Wednesday.
The savings would increase to $521 per year and 2,700 new jobs by 2030, according to the report issued by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the group Environment America.
If the Senate were to strengthen the energy efficiency language, the savings would jump to $288 per year and 2,900 new jobs, according to the report.
These provisions also would prevent 6 million metric tons of global warming emissions, the equivalent of removing 1 million cars from the road for a year.
Among other things, the bill requires utilities to by 2020 obtain 20 percent of their energy from a combination of renewable sources and efficiency improvements. Energy efficiency is allowed to meet up to 8 percent of the 20 percent goal.
Other provisions are designed to improve energy savings associated with building codes and retrofits, as well as appliance efficiency standards and better efficiency in the transportation and industry sectors.
"Americans know that energy efficiency is the cleanest, quickest, cheapest way of reducing our energy use and pollution," said Alison Adams, preservation associate at Environment America. "These common sense solutions will put cash back in our pockets and help protect the air we breathe, the water we drink and the future of the planet."
The report was released as coal industry officials and the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce gear up their campaign against the carbon dioxide "cap-and-trade" provisions of the American Clean Energy and Security Act.
All three of West Virginia's members of Congress voted against the bill when it passed the House of Representatives. Sens. Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller, both D-W.Va., have also expressed serious reservations about the legislation.
"Energy efficiency may not be as hot a topic as cap-and-trade, but it certainly gets the job done when it comes to saving consumers money and creating jobs," said Steven Nadel, ACEEE's executive director and co-author of the report. "As our report shows, the Senate can boost those benefits by improving the energy efficiency provisions in the Waxman-Markey bill."
The study did not consider the impact on consumers of the cap-and-trade provisions, but its authors said the energy efficiency savings "would more than offset" costs projected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"Energy efficiency policies offer a critical opportunity to offset increased energy costs that could result from the cap-and-trade provisions in the bill," the report said. "When compared to traditional generation sources, energy efficiency is the least-cost energy resource available today. Moreover, it offers the potential to create new jobs, support economic growth at both the national and state level, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions."
Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kw...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1702.
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The dots they are connecting draw a picture that suggests the alts must be viable before turning off the coal powered utilities. These are reasonable and thoughtful people.
Too, they realize coal will be available for a couple hundred years to produce the most cost effective source of electricity.
Even the alts developement must be done with private capital and not further govt spending and dictating.
"How about them dots", and how they connect to the future?
The dots they are connecting draw a picture that suggests the alts must be viable before turning off the coal powered utilities. These are reasonable and thoughtful people.
Too, they realize coal will be available for a couple hundred years to produce the most cost effective source of electricity.
Even the alts developement must be done with private capital and not further govt spending and dictating.
"How about them dots", and how they connect to the future?
Climate Change is real- we need to think about our children. Don't you care about what disasters you are leaving your children with?
Does Ken Ward write anything after giving some thought to the outcome?