APA Summary

A 21-page summary of the American Power Act, with the full bill scheduled for release tomorrow and now lacking the outspoken support of Senator Lindsay Graham, has leaked online [pdf]. I've read it -- lots of words, few numbers. It places a good deal of legislative language behind CCS research and deployment, as well as nuclear power. If I had to guess, I'd say that the language on offshore oil exploration and drilling has been pulled back significantly. It does unfortunately preempt the states from engaging in cap-and-trade programs of their own design. Title IV defines and outlines a kind of green jobs strategy, and attention is paid to international climate-related activities.

Now, this is a climate and energy bill. At this point, judging from this admittedly rudimentary summary, I can't help but notice the language weighing heavily on the side of climate provisions. Much more is said about allowances, emissions audits and the dreaded carbon offsets than is spent strategizing a new energy infrastructure deployment, whether by clean or dirty tech. Climate advocates may be encouraged by the amount of legislation devoted to emissions reduction, but I'd consider that excitement premature if it does indeed arise. The language of the summary is spent on defining goals and aspirations more than mechanisms for accomplishment, and the architecture of the legislation seems fraught with opportunity for abusing loopholes. We'll see what the final bill enacts, but I'm not optimistic.

I'll be especially interested in the details of Section 1801:

Clean Energy Research and Development: Establishes a Clean Energy Technology Fund to support programs that enhance economic, energy, and environmental security of the U.S through the deployment of energy technologies and promotes U.S. leadership in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies.