This morning, Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources, introduced The Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012 to the Senate floor. The CES 2012 plan would function to
…create a national, market-oriented standard for electric energy generation that stimulates clean energy innovation and promotes a diverse set of low- and zero-carbon generation solutions in the U.S. at the lowest incremental cost to consumers.
The bill requires utilities and large power companies to obtain a percentage of all electricity sold from clean energy sources, beginning in 2015 with a 24% requirement that will increase yearly. The definition of “clean energy” in this instance includes nuclear power, carbon capture and storage, natural gas and renewables, among other technologies.
The legislation has eight co-sponsors, including New England representation from Sens. Sanders (I-VT), Whitehouse (D-RI) and Kerry (D-MA). All co-sponsors of this bill are Democrats.
Read more about the CES 2012 bill here.
The New England Clean Energy Council, working with our Policy Committee, submitted a letter on federal clean energy standards to the Senate Energy & Commerce committee last June, though we have not yet fully studied the Bingaman release as compared to requests made in the letter.
