Senate Takes Up Climate Bill in September, Will Have Big Impact on Autos
By John O'Dell July 9, 2009Bill Was Passed by House, but Senate Okay Isn't Certain; Reid Sets December Deadline
We're still trying to get a solid understanding of how the proposed climate and energy bill will affect the cars we drive - now and in the future.
So we offer up a quiet "thank you" to Sen. Barbara Boxer, the California Democrat who chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee and just said she'll hold off hearings until after the August recess.
That gives us a little more time to digest the bill (and opponents and proponents more time to argue about it).
To Obama By December
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), said today that he wants to place the measure on President Obama's desk before the big U.N. climate talks set for Copenhagen in December - a location sure to give the climate warming non-believers lots to shout about as they stand in the center of Denmark's capital city and throw snowballs).
There's some doubt as to whether the Senate can muster the 60 votes needed to pass the bill - Republicans are pretty much united in their opposition and more than a few Democrats in the Democrat-controlled upper chamber are iffy.
Most Congress watchers figure that if a bill does come out of the Senate, it will be considerably watered down from the House version, necessitating a potentially heated joint committee session to iron out differences and make compromises.
What We Know
Incentives
Right now, the House version has lots of goodies for green car boosters, including a doubling of the federal loan program to help car makers revamp old factories to build a new generation of advanced technology vehicles (plug-in hybrids, battery electric, natural gas and more).The House wants to make a total of $50 billion in loans available.
There's a sizable section on cap-and-trade systems with carbon offsets and allowances, and it seems to give a bunch of credits to the auto industry - one report has automakers getting more credits than they need to cover their present carbon footprint, meaning they could sell the excess to other companies that emit more carbon than they've got permits for.
But the details are, well, murky, and we're still trying to clear the air.
EV Charging
The bill also would require electric utilities to plan for providing an infrastructure for plug-in vehicles, including private and public chargers, and for a common standard for vehicle-to-charger connections.
Flex Fuel
The House measure also gives the Department of Transportation the power, but not a mandate, to require specific numbers of flex-fuel (ethanol and biodiesel) vehicles from the auto industry.
Emissions
It also requires the EPA to prepare a report on the emissions benefits of using natural gas as an automotive fuel and to come up with recommendations for maximizing benefits from use of natural gas fuel.
The environmental agency also would be required to establish rules for a national transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan; regulations for cutting "black carbon" emissions - diesel particulates, or soot, is one type of black carbon; and rules for cutting use of hydroflurocarbons (HFCs) including those used in automotive air conditioning systems.
How much of that will survive the Senate remains to be see, but stay tuned and we'll fill you in.John O'Dell, Senior Editor
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