EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson was called to testify before the Environment and Public Works Committee this past Thursday. The issue? A waiver request that would allow California to regulate vehicle greenhouse gas emissions. Senator Boxer, Chairwoman, believes the issue has been handled in an entirely unsatisfactory manner and demanded an explanation.

This issue will have huge repercussions. There are already 13 states waiting to adopt California’s emission standards, something they can only do if California’s waiver is approved. Support S. 1785 which will require the EPA make a decision on the issue by September 30th. After being delayed 1.5 years, it is far past time.

Under the Clean Air Act, California has the legal ability to increase fuel efficiency standards. However, to do so, it needs permission in the form of a waiver from the EPA. So they asked – in December 2005. Now the EPA says it wont have a decision until December, a full 2 years after the initial request. Even more concerning, Senator Boxer is convinced the Bush Administration is working to make sure California doesn’t receive any waiver, saying it is so obvious “you would have to be born yesterday not to see it.”

When asked the reason the decision has taken so long, Mr. Johnson gave multiple answers, none of which were sufficient for Senator Boxer. Initially, the EPA wouldn’t accept that CO2 can be regulated under the Clean Air Act – that it isn’t pollution. This argument lead to the landmark Supreme Court decision this past April saying that the EPA does have the authority to regulate CO2.

Finding a new excuse, the EPA argued it has received 60,000 letters, “an unprecedented number,” and that they must all be reviewed before making a decision. Boxer came back stating that 54,000 were 2 different mass mailing letters. Even more, those 54,000 were in support of California! Yet, Mr. Johnson insisted it still takes “rigorous analysis.”

The questioning then shifted to whether Mr. Johnson has discussed the waiver with the Bush Administration, which he admitted to – but only as part of routine conversations. While avoiding direct answers, he maintained the administration understands it is his decision to make. When Boxer attempted, for sake of clarity, to wrap-up what he said – that nobody in the White House had contacted him regarding the waiver, or given him their opinion – Johnson insisted that “to the best of my recollection” be added.

Senator Boxer later produced an internal document from the Department of Transportation (part of the administration) which read, “if asked our position, we say we are in opposition to the waiver.” When questioned about this, Mr. Johnson refused to condemn the statement, instead saying he wasn’t responsible for what they wrote. When pressured, he said “I defer to the DOT” 4 times in a row. Eventually he admitted to contacting the Department Secretary asking her to check with her constituency on the issue. Boxer came back immediately, “who is her constituency?!” A bit taken aback, Mr. Johnson defined them as interested members of congress and governors. Boxer was appalled, insisting that the duty of the DOT, not being an elected office, is to the American people.

Boxer ended by saying “your job is to protect, not to bow down to special interests, or call Rove, or anything else,” insisting that “the Environmental Pollution Agency” has “wasted time on purpose.” She gave her full permission for states to sue the EPA, saying this hearing hasn’t reassured her at all.

To combat the issue, Senators Boxer, Nelson, and Feinstein, have introduced S. 1785, a bill which would set a September 30 deadline for the EPA decision. It would also mandate that all future waiver requests be processed within 180 days. This bill is currently working its way through the Environment and Public Works committee, but it is never too early (or too late) to contact your senators asking for support.

Hopefully the waiver will be approved, but Senator Boxer is already fed up with Mr. Johnson. “When history is written, I think they’ll look back on your tenure as a missed opportunity, and that’s the nicest way I could put it.”

Climate Myth Debunked:

Climate skeptics have often held to the theory that global warming is due to an increase in solar intensity; that human greenhouse gas emissions aren’t the problem - the sun is. Well, that belief ends today. A study published Wednesday in the journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society A, destroys this argument.

The report’s introductory paragraph says it all:

There is considerable evidence for solar influence on the Earth’s pre-industrial climate and the Sun may well have been a factor in post-industrial climate change in the first half of the last century. Here we show that over the past 20 years, all the trends in the Sun that could have had an influence on the Earth’s climate have been in the opposite direction to that required to explain the observed rise in global mean temperatures.

The sun may have had influence in the past, but over the past 20 years – when we have seen the most dramatic effects of global warming – the sun has not been the cause. This study further confirmed the terribly sobering fact – humans are to blame for the global warming we see. There are no scapegoats.

Solar Prospects:

But all is not lost! The issue of global warming is being tackled by people all over the world – by those who see the danger it presents to the planet we know and love. In just the past few days, exciting advances have been made in the realm of solar power.

Near the city of Granada, Spain, the second phase of the largest solar power plant in the world – 480 acres of solar power goodness – has begun. The leading companies, Spanish ACS and German partner Solar Millenium, will invest $360 million in the plant. Expected to come online in early 2009, this second phase will supply enough power for roughly 200,000 people. Germany and Spain, both European leaders when it comes to renewable energy, are on top of their game.

Plans for a third installation are currently underway with the Portuguese energy group EDP. Even Rwanda and South Korea are taking major steps towards solar projects. The US likes to say it is a world leader in innovation and technology, but I’m just not seeing it. It seems odd that, though millions of lives are at stake, Americans are more concerned with seeing a $300 million Spiderman movie than seeing a solar power plant constructed. What are our true priorities? Cities and States have taken some amazing steps, but nationally, we are falling behind.

It’s not all bad here in the United States though. A California based solar power company specializing in photovoltaic innovation has secured funding to begin large-scale manufacturing of “thin-film” photovoltaic modules. The goal of the company, Solopower, is to address a huge obstacle – high cost per watt compared to the alternatives (i.e. coal). By using “thin-film” technology, expensive polysilicon can be avoided.

After receiving a grant from the Department of Energy last month for $2.37 million, Solopower found financial backing and support with the Norwegian company, Convexa Capital. $30 million was raised in series B financing, which will allow Solopower to continue its fight, making solar power a more competitive energy source. American investors were approached, but the Norwegian company offered a better contract. Again, Europe is at the forefront of the climate crisis.

Climate on the Hill:

The United States Congress is certainly trying. Well, at least part of Congress is trying. There are still those who are pushing for nuclear energy and clean-coal investments as a global warming solution. Wind and solar power may seem an obvious choice to environmentalists, but they are fighting an uphill battle.

Though slow, there is legislation fighting its way through the political standoff. “The Solar Energy Research and Advancement Act of 2007″ (H.R. 2774) was recently approved by The House Science and Technology Committee.

Sponsored by Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz), this bill would help to expand the use of solar technology. To accomplish this, the bill would establish a research and development program, examine the possibility of incorporating solar plants into existing electricity grids, and study ways to reduce the water used in these plants. The bill would also establish a grant program that would strengthen the solar industry workforce through trainings and internships.

The overall cost of the legislation would be about $347 million from 2008-2012. A pittance compared to defense budgets. I wish we could go to war against global warming, then we wouldn’t have to worry about the checkbook.

Global warming has become a hot topic on Capital Hill and will continue to be addressed over the coming year – but will the necessary legislation make it through the swamp of politics? Coal and nuclear power are not the answer. We need to invest in a clean energy future, one not marred by new coal plants or nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain.

A fundamental change in infrastructure is necessary if we are to truly reach 80% carbon reductions by 2050. The sun on my face and the wind in my hair – that is my energy future. Call your representatives and demand (in a nice way) the clean energy future for you.

Thanks for reading!

-Matt