Public Power - September/October 2007 - (Page 12)

10 QUESTIONS 2 Rep. Jim McDermott Congressman Jim McDermott is a Democrat from Washington state. Jeanne LaBella interviewed him on Aug. 2, 2007. 1 What is your view about a carbon tax versus a cap-and-trade emissions You are a member of the House program? Climate Change Caucus and the I don’t have a fixed view of which way House Renewable Energy and Energy would be the best way to change things. Efficiency Caucus. What kind of Politically, a cap and trade may be a climate change legislation do you little more doable. I put a bill in a hope to see emerge from Congress this number of years ago for a carbon tax— year? back in the ’90s. But you have to write it I have wanted a comprehensive bill and in such a way that it does not severely impact people who are at the lower I think we’re going to get a reasonable part of that done here in the next couple rungs of the economic ladder. For of days. I don’t think some of the things people like myself, another 50 cents a gallon for gasoline is not a killer, but for that need to be done are going to be in there. It’s a bill being put together in five someone working a minimum wage job as a waitress in a restaurant or as a maid different committees and it’s a in a hotel or something, it is a big deal. complicated thing. We worked on the part dealing with energy conservation Many states have enacted renewable and new energy production credits. portfolio standards. Do you think There some other things like CAFE Congress should enact a national RPS [corporate average fleet economy] or is it better to have multiple and standards and a carbon tax that may be varied state standards? put off until the fall. We’re trying to get My own view is that we would be best things done that we can get now—kind of the low-hanging fruit and get that into served by having a national standard that’s a floor, but not as a roof. I’m law and then come back in September worried about pre-empting states. and do another iteration. This is like California—West Coast states—have trying to change the direction of a led the way. Sometimes these guys from supertanker—it takes 20 miles to turn. the East think they know everything We’re trying to change energy policy in and they’re dominated by other kinds of this country that’s been rooted for 100 interests. There should not be any years. This is really the first time that reduction in California’s ability to lead we’re trying to make some major the way, but there ought to be a alterations, so it’s never going to go as standard that everybody comes up to. fast as I want it to. 3 Do you think it is really likely that the legislation will reach the president by the end of the year? If we don’t, then we are a failure as a Congress. This issue is on the public’s mind. It is beyond question an issue that we must deal with both from a national security standpoint and from the standpoint of protecting the global climate. So, for both national preservation and human preservation, this is an issue we have to deal with. It won’t be easy. The interests are well entrenched and there’s a lot of people who don’t want to believe that things have got to change—or how much they’re going to have to change. But every journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. 5 6 Do you expect that to show up in legislation this year? There was talk in the caucus about a standard of 15 percent for renewables. Now, whether that makes final passage, I don’t know, but there is serious consideration about a floor. Electric generating plants are the largest and easiest target for mandatory carbon controls, but transportation accounts for one third of carbon emissions in the United States. What measures do you support for reducing carbon emissions in the transportation sector? I drive a Prius and my wife drives a Prius. I get 35 miles a gallon because my car is a 2002. Hers is a 2004 and she gets 45 to 50 miles per gallon. The first thing that has to happen is an increase in CAFE standards. The automobile industry has dragged its feet. They have fought everything for 50 years. They fought air bags, seatbelts, catalytic converters. The rest of the country is just going around them and the Japanese have sold more cars in the United States than the Americans are. Americans are tired of what’s going on in the automobile industry. Whether the auto industry in this country has the power to stop us from [raising] CAFE standards over the next couple months—who knows. We should raise CAFE standards to 35 miles a gallon. It could be done. What’s missing is the political will. The auto industry says, “It’s going to put us into bankruptcy.” Well, they said that about airbags. Last April you introduced a bill to extend and reform the Clean Renewable Energy Bond program, [created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005]. What kinds of reforms do you want to see made to the CREBs program? I think the government should be able to provide the financing and backing to make it possible for local and state governments to be creative with alternative energy proposals. I saw that San Francisco put solar paneling on roofs, using a local bond initiative, a PUBLIC POWER 4 7 12 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2007

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - September/October 2007

Contents Washington Focus 10 Questions Public Power (Every) Week Training Tomorrow’s Work Force What’s in Your Wallet? U.S. Lags in Broadband Deployment Now What? For Engineers Safety Community Broadband For Governing Boards Human Resources Hometown Connections Customer Service DEED Index to Advertisers Advertisers by Category Parting Shot

Public Power - September/October 2007

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