DALLAS – The renewable energy standard (RES), backed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and three Republicans, is yet another, Washington knows best, one-size-fits-all piece of proposed federal legislation that is nothing more than a back-door energy tax, according to the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) Senior Fellow H. Sterling Burnett.
"The proposed standard would force states to adopt green energy-which can be unreliable and expensive-whether it makes sense in their state or not," Dr. Burnett said. "Worse, if an expensive grid is not built-and private property would have to be taken to build it-the law will have been for naught."
The bill, sponsored by Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Sam Brownback (R-KS), requires utilities to obtain 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2021. Sen. Reid has said he supports passage of an RES, but he concedes it currently has little chance of passage.
"There is never a good time for bad policy," Burnett added, "but during a recession is an especially bad time to add additional costs to people's energy bills just so Congress can say they did something on energy. This bill doesn't deserve a hearing, much less a vote."