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Welcome to the Green Career Tip of the Week
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Online Version of this Issue Green Career Tips Archive
Looking for a Green Career Conference in southern California? You're in luck! Read the Highlighted Event section for more information on Solar Living Institute's first Green Career Conference in Los Angeles!
Learn about new green legislation, and how it affects you. Read this week's Tip of the Week to learn more about the American Clean Energy and Security Act (i.e. the Waxman-Markey climate legislation).
Did you get a f.r.e.e month on the Green Career Central site this week? Scroll down to see if the beginning of your email is next to the treasure chest. We do this every week!
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Highlight: Green Career Conference in Los Angeles: Sponsored by the Solar Living Institute.
Although this is the first Green Career Conference in Los Angeles, the Solar Living Institute has put on a similar event in the Bay Area for several years. We’ve attended each year and have been very impressed by the content, the speakers, and the networking. Join us in LA!
Carol will give a key note presentation (Find Your Green Niche) and facilitate a break out group (Outshining Your Competition: How to Develop an Edge in the Green Job Market) at this conference.
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
- Click here for the full agenda and to register for the event
Tip of the Week: The American Clean Energy & Security Act – The Good, Bad and Ugly
American Clean Energy & Security Act (H.R. 2454 is also known as the Waxman-Markey climate legislation) passed out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on May 21, 2009 with 33 votes for and 25 votes against. Said by many to be a landmark as it is a “comprehensive approach to America's energy policy that charts a new course towards a clean energy economy.”
(If you think this legislation is beyond you or doesn’t impact your green career, think again! Whatever this legislation becomes through the legislative process will shape the green economy in significant ways. If you understand the issues, engage, and share your opinion with your elected representatives, you can use your power to influence this process.)
According to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce website:
The American Clean Energy and Security Act will create millions of new clean energy jobs, save consumers hundreds of billions of dollars in energy costs, enhance America's energy independence, and cut global warming pollution. To meet these goals, the legislation has four titles:
- A clean energy title that promotes renewable sources of energy, carbon capture and sequestration technologies, clean electric vehicles, and the smart grid and electricity transmission.
- An energy efficiency title that increases energy efficiency across all sectors of the economy, including buildings, appliances, transportation, and industry.
- A global warming title that places limits on emissions of heat-trapping pollutants. This legislation would cut global warming pollution by 17% compared to 2005 levels in 2020, by 42% in 2030, and by 83% in 2050. These are science-based targets and within the range agreed to by USCAP.
- A title that protects U.S. consumers and industry and promotes green jobs during the transition to a clean energy economy.
The legislation has received wide support from electric utilities; energy companies; manufacturing, industry, and corporate companies; labor unions; and community and environmental organizations.
The Up Side of the News
Various factions came together in a historic way to create a climate/energy bill that was able to pass the committee, which is a first for a bill of this nature. The bill takes steps toward reducing greenhouse gases, increasing national security, decreasing our dependence on foreign oil, encouraging innovation, and creating millions of green economy jobs.
The Down Side of the News
Although many of the words and phrases one would expect to be in a climate/energy bill are there in writing, the details bear out that the bill is not as powerful as many environmental groups would like. In fact, a number of environmental groups that once supported the bill have pulled their support.
Greenpeace distributed a prepared statement for a coalition of environmental groups including Friends of the Earth, Public Citizen, Citizen Power, Center for Biological Diversity, Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, The Utility Reform Network, Sustainable Energy & Economy Network, Green Delaware, Massachusetts Environmental Energy Alliance, Massachusetts Forest Watch, Coal Moratorium Now! to say the bill "reflects the triumph of politics over science, and the triumph of industry influence over the public interest... today's bill is not only inadequate it is counterproductive."
Let’s All Take a Breath
One environmental group missing from the list above is the Sierra Club, generally very focused on environment, put some perspective on where we are in the process of finalizing this bill into law. As noted above, this bill has just passed through a committee. From here it goes to the House of Representatives for debate and a full house vote, which is likely to occur before the August recess. There is still room to work with allies within the House to strengthen the bill before the vote. Keep calling your Representatives to make your views known!
This bill has a number of hurdles to clear before Obama can sign comprehensive climate legislation into law, which he says he wants to do. Here are the stops we’ll make on this journey.
- If the bill passes the House, the bill is referred to the Senate.
- Then the Senate must move the bill through its process, from committee to floor vote. The Senate can approve the bill, reject it, ignore it, or amend it.
- After the legislation passes both chambers, a conference committee is convened that contains members from both chambers. They work together to create a version of the legislation that irons out the differences between the two versions of the bill. If an agreement cannot be reached, the bill dies. If an agreement is reached, both chambers must vote again on the bill.
- Assuming both chambers approve (a big assumption, mind you), the President then signs the legislation into law or takes actions to keep the bill from becoming law.
As you can see, we have a ways to go before we make any conclusions about how this law will impact the green economy. If you’d like to refresh your memory about how a law becomes law, read this straightforward description of the legislative process.
The Details Many Would Like to See Strengthened
Foreign countries and environmental groups are noting that the standards set forth in this particular version of the bill are so weak, companies have no real motivation to take action to lower their greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, many worry that with these standards we will reach the point of no return on global warming without having made any appreciable effort to lower emissions.
Articles are beginning to appear that uncover ways the current is weaker than what was described in the original draft of the Waxman-Markey climate legislation. Given that the legislation is over 900 pages long, so the comparison between the original and the passed versions may take a while. We will continue to watch for comments about legislation and keep you posted. If you want to read the Bill, all 932 pages of it, you can download it here.
Below is just a sampling of the issues in question.
- President Obama called for a Renewable Energy Standard in which 25% of all electricity would come from renewable energy. The bill currently stats that only 12% of electricity must come from wind, solar by 2020 and another 8% reduction in power due to energy efficiency.
- The reduction of greenhouse gases by 17% from 2005 by 2020 and 83 % by 2050 through a cap and trade system. Industrial sources, such as power plants, factories, refineries, and electricity and natural gas distributors must cap their emissions and purchase permits to emit greenhouse gases. Companies will be allowed to invest in carbon offset projects such as tree planting and forest conservation. The concern is that emitting companies will continue to produce greenhouse gasses by taking advantage of various strategies offered to “help” companies out.
- Tighter performance standards for coal-fired power plants seem to be depending on carbon capture and sequestration technologies that don’t exist yet on a commercial scale. There’s no sign what happens if this technology never comes to pass.
- The new bill may limit the EPAs ability to regulate greenhouse gases, limiting how greenhouse gases are categorized as pollutants. This appears to be a nod to industry that is nervous about how the EPA may impact their businesses.
- More info likely to come…stay tuned.
Why Should You Track This Legislation?
As the name of the bill implies, the form of this legislation as it is signed into law will impact every green industry that makes up the green economy. Some industries will flourish as a result of the regulations, while others are likely to fold. If the legislation remains as it is now, it is likely that carbon based industries will continue to profit and pollute with little regard to how they are impacting the planet.
We encourage you to educate yourself on the issues involved in this legislation. Take action in any and every way you can think of. Communicate your thoughts to your representatives. Educate those around you who may not be aware of how important this legislation really is.
Copyright © 2009 Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc.
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Green Career Central Blog:
Green Career Trends: Developments this week include several large companies entering the smart grid and power meter industries. In addition Obama makes his announcement about fuel efficiencies and two companies combine forces to move the electric car forward.
Follow the Money: Discover which solar company and which lighting company have received funding for key projects and what project the City of San Francisco is planning.
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Green Career CentralTM is a virtual career center for motivated professionals who are ready to find a green career that fully expresses their passions, skills, values, and talents.
Carol McClelland, PhD, founder and Executive Director of Green Career Central, has helped thousands of people discover their dream career through her book Your Dream Career For Dummies and her work with individuals, groups, and students. Together with her team of experts, researchers and writers, Carol has pulled together sixteen years of experience into a broad collection of how-to articles, resources, support, and teleclasses to help you find your way to make a difference and prosper.
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