South Dakota Argus Leader: Chamber Supports Developing Clean Energy

Chamber supports developing clean energy

By Dan L. Kirby and Karen A. Harbert

A My Voice column by Zachary Keith in the Oct. 24 Argus Leader unfortunately left the impression that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce does not support the development of clean-energy technologies. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

In fact, the chamber has a strong record of supporting the development of clean-energy sources and recognizes the positive impact they will have on local economies, particularly in states such as South Dakota that have strong potential for renewable energy.

As an example, the chamber was a strong supporter of extending tax credits for wind power for eight years, which passed Congress earlier this year, and currently is advocating for a similar extension for solar power. These tax credits are essential to providing the necessary certainty for investors to get projects up and running. But our support for these technologies goes much farther than that.

At the beginning of the year, the chamber's Institute for 21st Century Energy delivered specific recommendations to President Obama and Congress about ways to better develop and deploy clean-energy sources such as wind and solar power. These include new federal programs to promote research and development, creating a Clean Energy Bank to provide capital to clean-energy projects and streamlining the process for siting transmission lines to transmit new electricity sources. While some of our recommendations have seen action, others still need attention.

In addition, Keith mentions the chamber's Campaign for Free Enterprise, which has set a national goal of creating 20 million new jobs. It is the free-enterprise system that creates opportunity, encourages innovation, rewards hard work and promotes growth. Harnessing our natural resources to meet our energy challenges - in South Dakota and across the country - will help us meet that goal and is an example of the innovative spirit that will be needed if we are to meet the needs of the current American work force and replace the jobs lost in the recession.

While developing clean-energy sources will help create jobs, our federal government must be careful not to implement policies that take them away. It is for this reason that we opposed legislation to create a cap-and-trade system that passed the U.S. House of Representatives this summer.

The Waxman-Markey bill, which narrowly passed the House in June and was opposed by Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, would cause more than 8,000 South Dakotans to lose their jobs, according to a study by the American Council for Capital Formation. It would reduce South Dakota's gross domestic product by up to $158 million a year by 2020 and up to $1.3 billion by 2030. Most of these economic hardships would be caused by a spike in electricity prices, which are projected to increase by up to 64 percent.

The Senate is considering a companion bill to Waxman-Markey known as the Kerry-Boxer bill. It will be critically important for South Dakotans to remain engaged with their senators in the debate over this legislation.

Rather than creating ineffective government mandates that will cost us jobs, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports a sound energy policy that will reduce carbon emissions and create jobs.

The Institute for 21st Century Energy will continue to make sound energy policy recommendations and educate lawmakers and the public about our energy future, and the business community will develop the solutions needed to meet our energy challenges and create jobs for the future.

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20091112/VOICES05/911120325/Chamber-supports-developing-clean-energy

Additional Facts

MY VOICE
Dan L. Kirby, 63, of Sioux Falls is a businessman and a board member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Karen A. Harbert, 44, of Washington, D.C., is president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Chamber's Institute for 21st Century Energy.