EESI Submits Recommendations to House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis

(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) today submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on the Climate Crisis an extensive set of policy recommendations for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing climate change.

“The Select Committee’s work is establishing a critical foundation of information and ideas that will inform climate policy development for years to come,” said Daniel Bresette, executive director of EESI. “Addressing climate change is a monumental challenge. We take this opportunity to provide our comments and suggestions very seriously.”

EESI’s response to the request for information issued by the Select Committee in September covers a wide range of topics and provides specific recommendations for Congress to consider as climate policy continues to take shape. In addition to suggestions on how to advance clean energy research, development, demonstration, and deployment; reduce the carbon-intensity of the transportation sector; increase the use of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in new and existing buildings; and enact new nationwide policies to lower greenhouse gas emissions, EESI also offered three high-level principles for the Select Committee to consider:

1. The urgency of climate change demands near-term actions as longer-term policies are developed and implemented.

2. Reducing the risks of the worst climate change outcomes, and adapting to their increased frequency, magnitude, and severity, will require a cohesive, coordinated set of policies that are complex and interconnected.

3. Congress should recognize and support efforts by states and local governments to reduce GHG emissions and implement measures for climate change adaptation.

The Committee will release public policy recommendations for Congress by March 31, 2020. READ MORE

Excerpts from recommendations: Congress should immediately restore the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards previously set to take effect in 2022. CAFE standards and the use of high-octane, low-carbon fuel as the “lowest-cost CAFE compliance option available” for light-duty vehicles would deliver immediate emission reductions.3 Taken another way, abandoning CAFE standards will needlessly contribute to higher GHG emissions that will be more difficult and costlier to make up for in other sectors. Biofuels can support efforts to meet the CAFE standards because they are by far the lowest GHG-emitting, cleanest, and cheapest octane provider available. As long as the internal combustion engine is the predominant technology in cars and trucks, vehicle manufacturers will need higher octane fuels to achieve fuel economy and performance needs.

Commercial aviation propulsion technology requires a robust research and development (R&D) program to transition away from liquid fuels. In the transportation sector, commercial aviation presents the most challenging transition to net-zero emissions by 2050 because of the energy intensity of flight operations and predicted growth of air travel and air freight lines. The civil aviation industry has set aspirational goals for carbon-neutral growth in international aviation after 2020 and efficiency improvements of two percent per year through 2050. The industry strategy for reducing aviation sector emissions involves technology improvements in propulsion, aircraft design, and the use of composites to reduce weight; sustainable alternative fuels (SAF) that lower emissions by up to 80 percent and reduce particulates in jet engine exhaust; operational efficiency gains in air traffic control and airport operations; and carbon offsets for overall operations.

Congress should encourage the transition to sustainable alternative fuels that can be used in place of fossil fuel-based kerosene. Large passenger and freight aircraft that travel over long routes will require liquid fuels for decades. Therefore, the development and market deployment of SAF for commercial aviation is essential to rein in emissions from this fast-growing sector.4 SAF can be created out of a variety of bio-based products (as is the case for biofuels for cars and trucks). Establishing a SAF market should be a priority for the transportation sector. To accomplish this, the federal government should work with SAF producers and the aviation sector to promote fuel conversion (i.e., from feedstock to fuel), test and evaluate fuels, and initiate new lines of R&D to meet scientific and technical challenges.
The greatest potential contribution to achieving a clean aviation sector will be the electrification of aircraft. Electric propulsion is unlikely for double-aisle, long-range heavy aircraft by mid-century. However, the electrification of single-aisle (up to 300 passengers) and smaller regional planes by 2050 is an achievable goal that Congress should prioritize. On a small scale, technology currently exists for battery-powered electric flight for small regional aircraft.5 READ MORE