The report from the Pew Center reccomends six areas in which the U.S. must take action: (I) science and technology research, (II) marketbased emissions management, (III) emissions reductions in key sectors, (IV) energy production and use, (V) adaptation, and (VI) international engagement.
The report calls for significantly ramping up renewables for electricity and fuels, including an extension and expansion of the production tax credit, a uniform system for tracking renewable energy credits, and increased emphasis on biomass.
The report says that a significant expansion of renewable capacity will probably require a mix of policies to encourage generation and production and to reduce barriers for distributed sources. It calls for Congress to enact legislation to grant a longerterm extension of the federal production tax credit available to some GHG-emission-free generation, extend the same credit to other zero-GHG electricity sources, and create incentives for uniform grid interconnection standards at the state level.
A uniform system should also be established to track renewable energy credits in a consistent way across the country and to facilitate trading between programs.
Federal policies and R&D funding should support the use of ethanol and biodiesel today, and drive toward more advanced uses of biomass in the future. Biomass can be used for very low-GHG energy in a large number of ways, including direct combustion, gasification, and conversion of cellulosic material using enzymes. To be viable on a larger scale, and to become cost-competitive with fossil fuels, a significant, sustained R&D effort will be required both on conversion technologies and on energy crop yields and characteristics.
In the areas of science and technology research, the report calls for increased stable funding for both, along with approaches to distribute funds efficiently. The report also calls for a GHG reporting system,
