PV Magazine covered what to look out for during Midterm Elections on the ballot in Arizona, Nevada, Washington, and what a shift in party control in the U.S. House of Representatives could mean for advanced energy. Commentary by Dylan Reed, Head of Congressional Affairs at AEE, was included, along with reference to AEE’s nine-state gubernatorial education campaign. Link to the full article here.
Excerpts of the pv Magazine story are below:
The U.S. midterm elections are being closely watched for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the potential impacts for energy and climate issues. Two states have ballot initiatives to increase renewable energy mandates, a third has a carbon tax, and many others have state-level races which could significantly affect clean energy policies…
The piece went on to cover Arizona’s Proposition 127 (to institute an RPS for utilities) and Nevada’s two ballot initiatives to transition to a competitive energy market and to increase the RPS to 50% (Questions 3 and 6, respectively), and its gubernatorial race, noting:
Finally, with Brian Sandoval reaching term limits, voters in Nevada will elect a new governor. This is one of nine states where Advanced Energy Economy has scored gubernatorial candidates on their clean energy policies, showing a stark contrast between democratic candidate Steve Sisolak and republican Adam Laxalt.
He also covered the proposal in Washington state for a $15 per ton carbon emissions fee, with proceeds to be used for clean energy investments.
And in his review of the U.S. House of Representatives, he noted...
The balance of power in the U.S. House is in play this election season, with the potential for the Democratic Party to regain its first majority in eight years. This has the potential to reverse control of several key committees, including the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the very powerful Committee on Ways and Means.
What Democrats could accomplish with a Republican Senate and President Donald Trump in office is unclear. However, Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) has suggested that there are opportunities for bipartisan legislation.
“There is an opportunity for an infrastructure package,” AEE Head of Congressional Affairs Dylan Reed told pv magazine. He mentioned in particular the potential for transmission build-outs and support electric vehicle (EV) charging networks, as well as tax credits for EVs.
See the complete pv Magazine story here.