Congress to the RES-cue!

The House Energy Bill will begin floor debate this morning, with amendments–including a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES)–voted on this afternoon. But if they like to talk as much as the Senate, this could go late.

We hear that the Renewable Electricity Standard has been changed to allow states to meet 4 percent of the 15 percent standard through efficiency. This weakens the bill, but is hopefully enough of a compromise to get it passed.

A 15 percent federal Renewable Electricity Standard with strong definitions is an important step forward in energy policy and solving global warming. NWF still strongly supports this bill and a strong show of support from Members will set the stage for a global warming bill in the fall.

Cool Fact! Using 15 percent renewables by 2020 will save 180 million metric tons of global warming pollution annually–the same as taking more than 32 million passenger cars off the road. By 2020, that adds up to $16.4 billion that consumers will save on energy bills.