Inside the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009[SIZE=-1]
The bill is unlikely to be intact by the time it reaches President Barack Obama's desk. (If you forgot your junior-high civics lessons, watch "I'm Just a Bill," part of the Schoolhouse Rock! series, to see how a bill becomes a law.) But among its current provisions, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 would:
? Fund retrofits of existing residential buildings to improve energy efficiency.
? Improve the U.S. Department of Energy's process for setting energy-efficiency standards and provide financial incentives to retailers who sell high volumes of best-in-class appliances. Read "Energy Star Has Lost Some Luster" and our post on the Appliance Standards Improvement Act of 2009.
? Require U.S. electric and gas utilities to work with customers to demonstrate savings in electricity and natural gas.
? Set limits on emissions of hydrofluorocarbons, used in refrigeration, air conditioning, and insulation, and black carbon, the product of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels or biomass.
? Require 25 percent of electricity generated for retail customers to come from renewable source by 2025 and reduce global-warming-causing pollution by 83 percent by 2050.
? Establish a market-based program for reducing global-warming pollution from electric utilities, oil companies, large industrial sources, and other industries.
? Extend programs for clean fuels, smart grids, and carbon sequestration. Federal and California clean-air and fuel-economy standards and EPA rules would be reconciled.
? Boost aid to states for clean energy and energy-efficiency projects.
? Award grants to universities and colleges to develop curriculum and training programs that prepare students for green-collar careers in renewable energy, and climate change mitigation.?Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter
Essential information: "Save Energy, Save Money" details how investing in energy-efficient appliances and heating systems can save you more than $2,000 per year.
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