EPA Gives High Grades to the Waxman-Markey Climate Bill

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a positive review of the energy and climate bill now before the House Energy Committee. In a 43-page analysis, the EPA — which last week declared carbon emissions a threat to human health that must be regulated by the Clean Air Act — said the Waxman-Markey bill will “drive the clean energy transformations” of the U.S. economy and cut carbon emissions and energy consumption. According to the EPA analysis, low-carbon energy sources such as wind, solar and nuclear would comprise about 26 percent of the nation’s energy portfolio by 2030 if the plan is enacted; by 2050, that share could jump to about 46 percent. Without the plan, low-carbon sources will remain at about 14 percent, the EPA stated. Democratic lawmakers say the legislation would cut carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020, establish a carbon cap-and-trade system, and boost U.S. renewable energy sources. The legislation is expected to face a tough fight in the Senate, where Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has called it a “giant government slush fund.” The EPA analysis said the bill’s cap-and-trade policy would have “a relatively modest impact on U.S. consumers.”