DC Hill climate update: recovery bill half-way there--2/2 UPDATED

My apologies for not posting a roundup last week – I was a little under the weather on Friday. Here’s a general breakdown of what we’re seeing on the Hill. Expect more detailed communication about the recovery package as more details emerge.

Recovery passes through the House, new bill introduced in the Senate

In general, the House recovery bill is great for us – it could certainly be greener, but it is a huge step in the right direction for the movement. Here's a great article on the recovery package from Grist.

Pressure from key members and organizations was crucial to making the package greener as it was marked up and amended, particularly in the area of public transportation. Some less-favorable investments passed through (like new roads), but the real fight on this will most likely present itself in the Senate, where a $50 billion loan guarantee is currently being discussed for new nuclear projects, and ~$5Billion or so for coal. However, the Center for American Progress analysis points to more clean energy investments in the Senate version. We’ll be sending you a more detailed as the political landscape becomes more clear.

Climate Bill 2009

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she has the votes to pass a bill in the House, and wants a floor debate this year - presumably on Henry Waxman’s bill. On the Senate side, Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is set to release principles that will guide a Senate bill due out on Tuesday, February 3rd.

Obama’s EPAwill reconsider California cars waiver ruling

Since 2002, California has been fighting the federal government for the right to regulate auto emissions within their state. The EPA's expected ruling advances the idea that states have the right to lead the way on all emissions reductions. Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) and other business advocates have campaigned against such preemption, while Boxer, Waxman, Obama and others have supported states taking the lead on climate. This single action is 25% of the Sierra Club’s “clean slate” platform, which includes IPCC –based 2020 targets, and strict regulations for coal. Read more about the ruling on our blog, at CCAN's blog and the NY Times.

Also, in an all-staff e-mail within the EPA, Administrator Lisa Jackson said that regulating CO2 under the clean air act is her top priority -- which should help to get Congress moving on a climate bill.

New Reports

There are several new and noteworthy reports out this week:

Pathways to a Low-Carbon Economy: A new version of the much- lauded “McKinsey Report” was released this week. Their infamous “marginal abatement curve” plots cost/savings as a function of global emissions reduction potential, yielding a curve that shows we can achieve substantial reductions and still make a profit. Some highlights:

• The curve demonstrates that with a global carbon price of 60 Euros, we’ll have a reasonable chance of containing global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius;
  
  
• In order to achieve 35% reductions below 1990 globally by 2030, the report shows that the global cost of this measure would be 230 billion Euros by 2020, and $850 billion Euros by 2050. For a shot at global climate stabilization, that’s a great deal.

2009 State of the World (PDF) (Worldwatch Institute): This report includes bold talk about the 2-degree threshold. Some highlights:

• 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels constitutes “dangerous climate change”;
  
  
• Shooting to stabilize at 450ppm CO2e will give us a 50/50 chance at avoiding the 2 degrees threshold.

Recently, 1Sky Scientific Advisory Council member Bill Hare published a chapter in a Worldwatch Publication advocating for 85% reductions GLOBALLY by 2050 – and 95% cuts in developed countries. Even such drastic reductions would give us a 30% chance or so of eclipsing 2 degrees. For the most part, climate NGOs worldwide have advocated for reductions ranging from 45%-80% below 1990 levels – all with the 2-degree threshold in mind. Read more about the report from the Christian Science Monitor.

Let us know what you think of last week's climate policy news in the comments!

UPDATE: The original version of this post said the EPA had already granted the California waver. It has since been corrected. -- Luis