Obama seeks new path to environmental goals

By FREDERIC J. FROMMER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Facing a Congress that is more hostile
to environmental regulation, President Barack Obama is moderating his
environmental goals: a clean energy standard that mixes nuclear, natural
gas and "clean coal" with wind, solar and other renewable sources.

In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Obama called for 80 percent of the nation's electricity
to come from clean sources by 2035. That goal represents a new strategy
to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide blamed for global warming,
following the death of cap-and-trade legislation that Obama pushed in
Congress for the last two years.



The new target would double the percentage of
electricity that comes from clean energy sources, according to a White
House fact sheet. Clean coal, which would be produced by an experimental
technology not yet available commercially, and "efficient natural gas"
would be given only partial credits toward the goal.

The clean energy standard represents a second
fallback position to cap and trade. Under the cap-and-trade system,
government places a limit on pollution and allows companies to buy and
sell pollution permits under that ceiling. Companies that can reduce
their emissions cheaply can then sell their unused credits to those that
cannot afford the costs of emission controls.

Last year, a powerful coalition of renewable energy
producers, environmental groups, governors and even some utilities
couldn't push a renewable electricity standard of 15 percent across the
finish line, in part because of regional resistance. In the Southeast,
for example, it was argued that the region lacks renewable sources like
abundant levels of wind.

The nuclear industry soon touted the idea of a broader clean energy standard, which got a nod from Energy Secretary Steven Chu
last month. Chu said a goal of 50 percent by 2050 would be "about
right" — but it turned out to be much less than Obama is proposing. The energy secretary told reporters Wednesday that he had been responding to a suggested level.

"Now, since that time, we have gone back and looked
at it and it depends on how you define it," Chu said after an online
clean energy town hall. The U.S., he said, already gets about 40 percent
of its electricity from clean energy sources and more than 30 percent
from carbon-free sources.

Chu called the new proposal "a recognition that
solutions can be different in different parts of the United States, but
... this is the goal we're looking for and depending on the region, you
have different options of getting to that eventual goal."

Whether the administration can win over many
Republicans isn't clear yet. Rep. Doc Hastings, a Washington Republican
who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, said Obama "needs to
embrace a robust plan to produce all types of American energy — from
renewable to American-made oil and natural gas — and it has to be done
without harmful government subsidies or unrealistic mandates."

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., a big proponent of nuclear power, said the policy was an improvement over a renewable energy standard, which he dismissed as "just a national windmill policy." But he said he didn't support a clean energy standard either.

At the other end of the political spectrum, several environmental groups were opposed to elements of the broader mandate.

"Developing clean energy sources for more of our
electricity is another way to skin the carbon cat," said Bob Deans, a
spokesman for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "It's important, though, that we do the job right, not simply redefine the cat."

Deans called clean coal an oxymoron and said the
government should not be subsidizing nuclear power because of concerns
over waste and nuclear proliferation.

"Coal, nuclear power, biofuels and natural gas are
inherently dirty," said Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth.
"Telling Americans anything else is just misleading."

But Obama received some support from key Democratic lawmakers.

"This year we need to double down instead of walking
away," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., one of the leaders of the climate
legislation effort last year. "Today's energy economy is a $6 trillion
market, and the fastest-growing segment is clean energy."

Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., a longtime supporter of a
renewable energy standard, said that the country needs an
"all-of-the-above approach," including natural gas and nuclear.

"I was encouraged to hear President Obama agrees with me," said Udall, D-Colo.


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Associated Press writers Dina Cappiello and Matthew Daly contributed to this report.

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