Markey Bill to Create International Renewable Energy Agency
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Select Committee, 202-225-4081
Markey Bill to Create International Renewable Energy Agency
Will Close “Clean Energy Divide” Between Developed and Developing World
To download a PDF of the Bill (H.R. 5529), please CLICK HERE.
To view the Bill (H.R. 5529) on THOMAS/ONLINE, please CLICK HERE.
WASHINGTON (March 5, 2008) – While Washington plays host to renewable energy companies, experts and officials from around the globe this week for the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference, Congress is taking a significant step towards making a codified, cooperative push for an international effort on renewable energy a reality. Late last night, Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chairman of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, introduced legislation that would create an international renewable energy agency to deploy renewable energy with all the speed and scale that the urgency of the world’s global warming challenge demands.
“If we are to solve the global climate crisis we all face, the world will need coordination and cooperation on an international scale, and we needed it yesterday,” said Markey. “This legislation will establish an international body that will speed the healing of the planet and the strengthening of the world’s economy, especially here in America.”
The legislation (H.R. 5529) would create the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which will provide the institutional support needed to address the technological, financial, informational, and policy barriers that keep renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies from reaching their full potential.
While new investment in clean energy technology worldwide topped $148 billion in 2007, an increase of 60 percent over 2006 and up from just $33 billion in 2004, about two thirds of this investment lies in just six countries. Meanwhile, over the next two decades, greenhouse gas emissions from developing countries are projected to grow at more than twice the rate of those in developed countries. Encouraging growth of renewable energy in developing countries reduces the extent and likelihood that these economies will follow a carbon-intensive, fossil energy development path. It also opens a valuable market for the clean energy companies that developed economies will rely on for growth over the coming century.
“An international agency pushing renewable energy technologies around the globe, not just in the rich, developed world, will help close the ‘clean energy divide’ that could doom our planet to the worst impacts of global warming,” said Markey.
Existing international energy agencies were formed to address narrow problems. The International Energy Agency (IEA) was formed to address oil security and fuel supply disruptions; the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for nuclear proliferation and safety. IRENA is needed to support the unique problems facing renewable energy: marketplace failures, political inertia, and information gaps. To this end, IRENA will:
- Support governments in drafting policies and programs for the promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures
- Assist governments in conducting studies that analyze the potential of renewable energies and the appropriateness of different technologies
- Provide long-term projections and scenarios based on existing data and policy in order to identify opportunities as well as gaps, barriers, and failures in markets and policies
- Organize training programs, information campaigns, and courses for civil servants, scientists, businesses, and non-government organizations
- Supply curriculum for schools and universities on relevant renewable energy topics
- Work with financial institutions to support innovative financing mechanisms for renewable energy projects
- Develop international norms and quality standards
- Gather and disseminate data, statistics, and reports on renewable energy deployment, policy approaches, and technology development
# # #
The Select Committee was active during the 110th and 111th Congresses. This is an archived version of the website, to ensure that the public has ongoing access to the Select Committee record. This website, including external links, will not be updated after Jan. 3rd, 2010.
del.icio.us
Digg this
Reddit
Stumbleupon
Print This Page