WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said the administration won't support a federal renewable portfolio standard.
Some of the legislation that will be coming up in Congress, including a bill in the Senate, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, propose a federal renewable portfolio standard.
Some committee members at Wednesday's hearing said they felt the president's goal of reducing the U.S. gasoline consumption by 20 percent over the next 10 years would be easier to meet under a federal RPS.
That's something that's best handled at the state level, Bodman said. By building on the research coming from government laboratories, many of the major solutions will come from the private sector, he said. He was also opposed to a long-term extension of renewable production-tax credits while 10-year extensions have gained bipartisan support from the Energy Committee, according to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.
Also called into question was the mandate set by President Bush during his State of the Union last month of producing 35 billion gallons of ethanol and alternative fuel by 2017. Bingaman suggested experts have said it is not a realistic goal, but Bodman said through cooperation with the agriculture industry the goal was possible to achieve.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
