Western Governors Create Energy Wish List for Obama

By Courtney Lowery, 11-28-08

The bi-partisan Western Governors’ Association has given President-elect Barack Obama a four-page letter detailing its recommendations for the new administration’s energy policy, including an “aggressive and achievable national greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal.”

The letter, signed by Utah Gov. John Huntsman Jr. and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer also urges Obama to “promptly” (within the first 100 days of office) to, among other things: Propose a national mandatory system of emissions reductions through “market-based mechanisms;” Pursue a national energy efficiency program; Establish an oil import reduction goal; and spend tens of billions of dollars each year to encourage private investment in clean energy.

And why should Obama listen to the WGA? Huntsman tells the Associated Press, “To begin with, it’s a very energy relevant region geographically. No. 2, it’s a very substantial road map that speaks to the whole moonshot (philosophy). If we’re going to do something, we need to do it right. We need to be big and bold.”

Here is the detailed list of the WGA’s seven recommendations (click here to download the PDF of the full letter):

1. Establish an aggressive and achievable national greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal that will put the United States on a path to contribute to global
   climate stabilization.
2. Propose a mandatory national system for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that makes maximum use of market-based mechanisms. Revenue raised should
   support the energy policy principles in this letter and not be used as a means of sustaining or expanding general governmental operations.
3. Aggressively pursue a national energy efficiency program to reduce existing and future energy demand and thereby reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
4. Establish an oil import reduction goal that strengthens energy security and independence. Since nearly 90% of oil is used for transportation, propose a plan
   that:
   • Brings more fuel efficient and near-zero emission vehicles into the market;
   • Increases the supply of domestically produced, low-carbon fuels;
   • Minimizes the economic and technological uncertainties inherent in deploying high efficiency vehicles and developing and using nonpetroleum
     transportation fuels; and
   • Reduces vehicle miles travelled and increases mass movement of people
     and goods.
5. Create a substantial, long-term national public investment on the scale of tens of billions of dollars annually, and encourage at least the same investment from the
   private sector, to support the kind of basic and applied research and deployment of clean energy technology and infrastructure that will result in:
   • Near-zero greenhouse gas emissions from new coal-fired electricity generation in 10 years and from existing generation no later than 2030;
   • Dramatically increased energy from wind, solar, geothermal, hydro and biomass resources;
   • Expansion and upgrade of the electricity transmission grid and storage capabilities;
   • Advanced vehicle and battery technologies and alternative transportation fuels; and
   • Next generation energy efficiency technologies and practices.
6. Ensure affordability for lower income energy consumers through energy efficiency and cost assistance programs.
7. Provide for workforce development and clean energy jobs, adaptation to climate change impacts, reduced consumer impacts, particularly for low-income
   consumers, and transition assistance to industries.

More info:
Associated Press: Western governors: ‘Obama, act quickly on energy’
Western Governor’s Association: Download PDF of letter.
American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity: Statement on WGA letter.