Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today chaired a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to discuss his proposal to require electric utilities to produce 20 percent of their power from renewable resources – such as wind and solar -- by 2021.  

Bingaman, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, won Senate passage three times in the past for a so-called Renewable Electric Standard, or RES.   Now that the White House supports such a measure, Bingaman is hopeful Congress can send an RES bill to President Obama in the near future.         

“The reasons to pass such a provision are as compelling as ever, if not more so.  A renewable standard can reduce our dependence on fossil fuel sources, reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.  Such a standard diversifies our resource base, lessening the effect of supply disruptions or shortages, creating greater economic stability.  It reduces our dependence on foreign sources of energy, creating greater energy security.  It would also spur the development of a national green energy economy, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, many in rural areas,” Bingaman said.

“Over the years we have seen many economic analyses of renewable standards.  All of them that are done by independent analysts conclude that the cost of implementing this standard range from negligible to positive, with many showing significant reductions in the overall cost of energy to Americans,” he added.

Bingaman’s new proposal would allow utilities to achieve 5 percent of the requirement from energy efficiency; it also includes new hydropower at existing dams that currently do not have generation.

New Mexico has an RES.  Bingaman is working to create one for the entire country.