Clean Energy Standard Legislation Introduced In Senate

On March 1, 2012 Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (DNM) introduced the Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012, legislation that seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage low-carbon energy sources through the establishment of a federal clean energy standard (CES). The legislation builds off of past renewable energy standard (RES) proposals, such as the RES program included in the heavily debated, and ultimately defeated, cap-and-trade legislation of 2009.¹ Although similar to past proposals, the legislation takes a broader view as to the types of energy that can be used to meet the CES, including not only renewables such as wind and solar, but also other low-emission sources such as natural gas, nuclear power, and certain "clean" coal carbon-capture technology.