After reviewing the President’s Climate Action Place for 2014, which was released in June of 2013, there were three specific initiatives from the President’s Climate Action Plan that I found interesting. These three specific initiatives revolved around unlocking long-term investment in clean energy innovation, reducing energy bills for American families and businesses, and reducing methane emissions.
The first interesting initiative is the President’s plan for long-term investment in clean energy innovation. The Obama administration is committed to clean energy innovation through efforts in clean energy research, development, and deployment. The proposed budget plans to increase funding for clean energy technology in all agencies by 30%. The fiscal year 2014 budget wanted to invest $8 billion into clean energy innovation. The purpose of this investment is to help reduce greenhouse gas emission in the future by attempting to discover more efficient uses of energy that can help reach financial and policy goals. Considering the United States is one of the biggest greenhouse gas emitters this would be a step in the right direction to a cleaner future. Long-term investment in clean energy is very important to ensure energy efficiency in future years. The Administration planned on conducting a Quadrennial Energy Review which will be led by the White House Domestic Policy Council and Office of Science and Technology Policy. This would be the first review of its kind and it would provide insightful information on infrastructure challenges, risks and opportunities for the United States to consider when it comes to increasing energy efficiency.
Another interesting initiative in the President’s Climate Action Plan was to cut energy bills through more efficient uses of energy. The President has set a goal to double energy efficiency by 2030 in comparison to energy efficiency in 2010. The Obama Administration planned on taking a wide variety of steps towards increasing energy efficiency, especially because energy efficiency is a cost-effective ways to help American families and business save money. It is evident how committed the President is to completing this goal, for example during his first term, Department of Energy and the Department of Housing and Urban Development completed efficiency upgrades in more than one million homes. These upgrades helped cut hundreds of dollars out of energy bills by the end of the first year and save a lot of energy from being wasted. Another way the President’s Administration is attempting to reduce energy bills is through setting efficiency standards for appliances and federal buildings. Setting such standards would waste less energy, therefore save money. Doubling energy efficiency by 2030 would be a huge step for the United States.
The last interesting initiative was the President’s plan was to reduce methane emissions. To my surprise, it turns out that methane has a global warming potential that is more than 20 times greater than carbon dioxide. Although since 1990, the emissions of methane have fallen by 8%, the gas contributes to about 9% of the United State’s greenhouse gas emissions. Methane emissions are most prevalent in coal mines, landfills, agriculture, and oil and gas development. Innovators have recently created a devices called ‘methane digesters’, which can safely and efficiently remove the gas from the air. The Administration has attempted to increase the adoption of methane digesters through offering loans and other forms of assistance. Through working with state governments and private sectors, the Obama administration plans on reducing emissions and increasing energy efficiency throughout multiple sectors.
