Tournament: NU | Round: 2 | Opponent:  | Judge: 

1AC- Northwestern 1.0

Adv. 1- Warming

Warming is real, anthropogenic, and causes extinction without quick action.

Jerry McNerney and Martin Cheek 12, US Representative and Journalist, Clean Energy Nation: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels, p. 21-3

The scientific evidence demonstrates that global warming is a real danger that jeopardizes our planet’s
AND
energy independence in dealing with the issue of climate change in our future.

95% certainty anthropogenic warming is happening.

Nina Chestney and Alister Doyle 12/14/12, Reuters – Quoting the IPCC, http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=63076

International climate scientists are more certain than ever that humans are responsible for global warming
AND
2007 that suggested seas may rise by up to 2 metres by 2100.

Multiple scenarios for extinction.

Deibel ’7 (Terry L. Professor of IR @ National War College, 2007. "Foreign Affairs Strategy: Logic for American Statecraft", Conclusion: American Foreign Affairs Strategy Today)

Finally, there is one major existential threat to American security (as well as
AND
States, but potentially to the continued existence of life on this planet.

Only a federal feed-in tariff assures clean tech investment enough to meet 440pm targets – best studies prove.

John Lorinc 9, New York Times, 10/27, http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/climate-change-policy-and-safe-investing/

Countries that adopt policies obliging utilities to purchase a percentage of their power from renewable
AND
The technology, he said, won’t make any substantial inroads by 2020.

Our emission reduction makes adaptation work.

Romm ’10 (Joe, PhD in Physics from MIT, senior fellow at American progress, editor of Climate Progress, "Real adaptation is as politically tough as real mitigation, but much more expensive and not as effective in reducing future misery," Climate Progress, August 27, 2010, PM)

Rhetorical adaptation, however, is a political winner. Too bad it means preventable
AND
in Southwest and around the globe How exactly do you adapt to that? 

Electricity sector is key

Mormann 11 (Felix, German JD and JSD from University of Passau School of law, as well as an LMM from UC BerkeleySchool of Law and is a research Fellow at Stanford’s Steyer Center for Energy Policy and Finance, writing for Economic Law Quarterly, "Requirements for a Renewables Revolution." 05/02/11. http://www.boalt.org/elq/documents/elq38_4_03_2012_0808.pdf)

Renewable sources of energy are relevant not only to electricity generation but also to other
AND
this Article focuses on the use of renewables for the generation of electricity.

That transition gets modeled

Joseph J. Romm 10, Senior Fellow at the Centre for American Progress, Straight Up : America’s Fiercest Climate Blogger Takes on Status Quo Media, Politicians, and Clean Energy Solutions, p. 219-222

Ironically, for those who want to avoid total planetary warming of 2°C
AND
to get China and the other big emitters to formalize a binding deal.

Adv. 2- Natural Gas

Natural Gas volatility inevitable now—Decreased production

Rosenberg 12* (Bill, Co-Developer of Indiana Gasification LLC*Last Date cited July 24, 2012 "Natural Gas: Low Prices May Prove Unsustainable" http://indiana-gasification.com/natural-gas-low-prices-may-prove-unsustainable/)
The volatility and uncertainty of natural gas prices provide a fundamental rationale for diversification of
AND
long-term purchase agreement for gas produced from the coal gasification facility.

Peak Shale

Chris Nelder 12/29/2011 (Energy analyst and consultant, "What the Frack" www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/future_tense/2011/12/is_there_really_100_years_wortw_of_natural_gas_beneath_the_united_states_.html)

Assuming that the United States continues to use about 24 tcf per annum, then
AND
, yet those same advocates never adjust their years of supply estimates accordingly.

Renewables prevent natural gas lock in

Restuccia 12 (Andrew, The Hill, "Utility president warns of natural-gas price volatility" 4/26/12 http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/224035-aep-president-warns-of-natural-gas-price-volatility)
American Electric Power President Nick Akins warned Thursday against over-reliance on natural gas
AND
our generation fleet will burn coal," Akins said during his remarks Thursday. 

Fuel diversity prevents price spikes

Doran and Reed 8/13/2012 (Kevin, J.D. and  an institute fellow and assistant research professor at the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), a joint institute of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the University of Colorado at Boulder AND* Adam Reed J.D.,  is a research associate at RASEI, August 13th, 2012, "Natural Gas and Its RoleIn the U.S.’s Energy Endgame" e360.yale.edu/feature/natural_gas_role_in_us_energy_endgame/2561/)

A full-throttle shift to a gas-dominated electricity system, which now
AND
is more economically and environmentally sustainable. We should opt for the latter.

Scenario 1: Chemical Industry

Volatility kills US chem industry

CCES 2012 – Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, May 2012, "Natural Gas in the Industrial Sector,"http://www.c2es.org/docUploads/natural-gas-industrial-sector.pdf)

For the chemicals industry, natural gas also serves a unique function, providing a
AND
prices are relatively low, as is currently the case with natural gas.

US Critical to World Chem Industry
Heintz and Pollin 11* (James and Robert, Political Economy Research Institute, "The Economic Benefits of a Green Chemical Industry in the United States" *last date cited 2011 http://www.bluegreenalliance.org/news/publications/document/Green-Chemistry-Report_FINAL.pdf)
The value of the output of the U.S. chemical ¶ industry totaled
AND
just over 12 percent in 1989 ¶ to roughly 22 percent in 2009. 

Extinction
Baum 99 – editor-in-chief of the American Chemical Society’s Chemical and Engineering News ~Rudy M. Baum, C%26E News, "Millennium Special Report," 12-6-99, http://pubs.acs.org/hotartcl/cenear/991206/7749spintro2.html~~  LDK
The pace of change in today’s world is truly incomprehensible. Science is advancing on
AND
water by the end of the 1980s or 1990s have proven utterly wrong.  
While I do not count myself as one of the technological pessimists who see technology
AND
up in real public fear of genetic manipulation and corporate control over food.

Scenario 2: Econ

Natural Gas volatility kills the economy—Kills key industries and causes energy price spikes
 Stones 9 (Edward, Director of Energy Risk Dow Chemical Company in a presentation to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, "The Role of Natural Gas in Mitigating Climate Change" 10/28/9 http://www.energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=9b7877b6-e616-76f1-3513-0c3fe4cda514)
When it comes to natural gas and climate policy, Dow favors policies that will
AND
energy costs in the US remain globally competitive and avoid economically devastating volatility. 

The US is key to the global economy

Caploe 9 David is the Chief Political Economist at Economy Watch and holds a PhD in International Political Economy from Princeton. April 7, 2009, The Straits Times, "Focus still on America to lead global recovery,"  http://acalaha.com/STarticle07Apr09.pdf
IN THE aftermath of the G-20 summit, most observers seem to have
AND
- has cascaded into the worst global economic crisis since the Great Depression. 

Economic stagnation leads to nuclear war.

Merlini, Senior Fellow – Brookings, 11 ~Cesare Merlini, nonresident senior fellow
AND
-Secular World?  Survival, 53:2, 117 – 130~
Two neatly opposed scenarios for the future of the world order illustrate the range of
AND
theocratic absolutes, competing or converging with secular absolutes such as unbridled nationalism.

Global economic crises cause war — strong statistic support

Royal, ’10 (Jedediah, Director of Cooperative Threat Reduction Program — DOD, Economics of War %26 Peace: Legal and Political Perspectives, ed. Goldsmith %26 Brauer, p. 213-15)
Less intuitive is how periods of economic decline may increase the likelihood of external conflict
AND
such, the view presented here should be considered ancillary to those views.

Adv. 3- Water

Dependence on large power plants are the prime cause of water shortages

UCS, Union of Concerned Scientists, June 11 (Energy and Water at Risk, ucs.org)

ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, our demand for electricity is colliding with our need for
AND
felt by the power sector, its customers, and other water users.

Solar and wind solve – consume less water than any other energy source.

Gail Rajgor 9/19/12, Renewable Energy Focus Writer, http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/blog/2012/9/19/water-use-in-electricity-generation-the-sobering-facts-that-make-a-case-for-wind-and-solar-power/651.aspx

Water use in electricity generation: the sobering facts that make a case for wind
AND
and offshore projects, range from just 55 to 85 gallons per MWh.

Scenario 1 – Ag

Future water shortages cause global food shortages igniting every hotspot.

Jeff Horwich and Rob Bailey 12 Interim host of Marketplace Morning Report %26 Royal Institute of International Affairs, http://www.marketplace.org/topics/world/us-drought-could-have-global-impact-food-prices

Bailey: Well America is an agricultural superpower as well as a traditional global superpower
AND
to rise and this could actually have implications for China, quite seriously.

Causes global war – defense is outdated.

Jane Warren 12/11/12, Daily Express – Quotes Multiple Think Tanks and International Organizations, http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/363891/Food-wars-Stocks-are-low-prices-high-are-riots-inevitable-

Her observations are borne out by the statistics. Shop food prices in the UK
AND
Abdolreza Abbassian, a senior economist with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

Those conflicts go nuclear.

Wenyu et al, 6 ~Xie, Prof. Phil. @ Shandong U., Zhihe Wang, Prof. @ School of Phil. And Soc. Sci. @ Beijing Normal U., and George E. Derfer, School of Philosophy and the Social Sciences, and George E. Derfer, Prof. Emeritus @ Cal. Poly. Pomona, "Whitehead and China: Relevance and Relationship", p. 28, Google Print~
The threats posed by war, imperialism, nuclear weapons, and terrorism are,
AND
with hatred of imperialism combined with nuclearism makes for a very volatile mixture. 

Scenario 2 – Biodiversity

Energy water shortages deplete the Ogallala.

UCS, Union of Concerned Scientists, June 11 (Energy and Water at Risk, ucs.org)

A matter of time. The high-stakes competition for access to groundwater among
AND
century18), demand for both water and energy in the region may increase.

Ogallala depletion causes extinction from biodiversity loss.

ENS Quoting Ehrlich 97 (Paul Ehrlich is a bit of a hippy at Stanford University, Environmental News Service, http://news.stanford.edu/pr/97/970207ehrlich.html)

Ehrlich coined the term "brownlash" to describe the efforts of those trying to
AND
implementing steps to sustain its life-support systems and thus preserve civilization.

Plan

The United States federal Government should establish a renewable energy payment program that creates long-term purchase contracts for new qualifying facilities in the United States that use wind or solar power for energy production to ensure a reasonable rate of return.

Solvency

Only a federal feed-in tariff causes a clean energy transition and ends patchwork policies.

Chris Nelder 11, Columnist for SmartPlanet, 11/9, http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/energy-futurist/why-america-needs-a-feed-in-tariff/174

Given the obvious success of FiTs as a policy tool in Europe, one must
AND
rest of the world pulls rapidly ahead in the race to energy transition.

Plan is simple to enforce – overcoming the unpredictability of the current patchwork of state and federal policies.

John Farrell 9, Heinrich Böll Foundation North http://www.ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/files/feed-in%20tariffs%20in%20america.pdf

In the United States, renewable energy policy consists of an uncoordinated and often haphazard
AND
facility to be installed in the first place may lower long term costs.

Only a feed-in tariff expands renewables fast enough to solve our advantages.

Chad Laurent 9, Meister Consultants Group, Inc, with Wilson Rickerson %26 Hilary Flynn, http://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/fileadmin/user_upload/PDF/FITness_Testing_Myths.pdf

The US currently generates close to nine percent of its electricity from renewable sources such
AND
argument derived from published literature and interviews with governmental representatives and industry experts.

Renewables are inevitable in the long run both domestically and internationally and ready for quick short-term expansion now – effective incentives are key.

Phyllis Cuttino 12, Director, Pew Clean Energy Program 5/16, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phyllis-cuttino/a-bright-future-for-renewable-energy_b_1521445.html

The current market for the renewable energy sector in the United States and around the
AND
competitive clean energy technologies for Americans to use and export around the world.

Err Aff – the least biased data concludes feed-in tariffs are only net positive.

Chad Laurent 9, Meister Consultants Group, Inc, with Wilson Rickerson %26 Hilary Flynn, http://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/fileadmin/user_upload/PDF/FITness_Testing_Myths.pdf

As the US continues to ponder its position in the global renewable energy market,
AND
do not reflect on the merits of feed-in tariff policies more broadly

Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge: 

Tournament: NDT | Round: 1 | Opponent: Dartmouth CK | Judge: Buntin, Hall, Delong

1AC- Warming

Anthropogenic warming is true

Andrew Guzman 13, Law Professor and Associate Dean for International and Executive Education at UC Berkeley, Overheated: The Human Cost of Climate Change, p. 20-4

Multiple scenarios for extinction.

Deibel ‘7 (Terry L. Professor of IR @ National War College, 2007. “Foreign Affairs Strategy: Logic for American Statecraft”, Conclusion: American Foreign Affairs Strategy Today)

CO2 kills Ocean biodiversity causes extinction

Romm 12 (Joe, Climate Progress, “Science: Ocean Acidifying So Fast It Threatens Humanity’s Ability to Feed Itself” 3/2/12 http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/03/02/436193/science-ocean-acidifying-so-fast-it-threatens-humanity-ability-to-feed-itself/?mobile=nc)

Only a federal feed-in tariff assures clean tech investment enough to meet 440pm targets – best studies prove.

John Lorinc 9, New York Times, 10/27, http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/climate-change-policy-and-safe-investing/

Our emission reduction makes adaptation work.

Romm ‘10 (Joe, PhD in Physics from MIT, senior fellow at American progress, editor of Climate Progress, “Real adaptation is as politically tough as real mitigation, but much more expensive and not as effective in reducing future misery,” Climate Progress, August 27, 2010, PM)

Electricity sector is key

Mormann 11 (Felix, German JD and JSD from University of Passau School of law, as well as an LMM from UC BerkeleySchool of Law and is a research Fellow at Stanford’s Steyer Center for Energy Policy and Finance, writing for Economic Law Quarterly, “Requirements for a Renewables Revolution.” 05/02/11. http://www.boalt.org/elq/documents/elq38_4_03_2012_0808.pdf)

That transition gets modeled

Joseph J. Romm 10, Senior Fellow at the Centre for American Progress, Straight Up : America's Fiercest Climate Blogger Takes on Status Quo Media, Politicians, and Clean Energy Solutions, p. 219-222

1AC- Adv. 2

Distributed Generation

First, Grid

Feed in tariffs best promote distributed renewables.

Woolsey et al 10 (R. James Woolsey, Rachel Kleinfeld and Chelsea Sexton, World Affairs, “No Strings Attached: The Case for a Distributed Grid and a Low-Oil Future” September/October 2010 http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/no-strings-attached-case-distributed-grid-and-low-oil-future)

Grid attack takes out C and C-~--causes retaliation and nuclear war

Tilford 12 Robert, Graduate US Army Airborne School, Ft. Benning, Georgia, “Cyber attackers could shut down the electric grid for the entire east coast” 2012, http:~/~/www.examiner.com/article/com/article/cyber-attackers-could-easily-shut-down-the-electric-grid-for-the-entire-east-coa

Successful grid cyber-attack causes US lash out and nuclear war

Habiger, 2/1/2010 (Eugue – Retired Air Force General, Cyberwarfare and Cyberterrorism, The Cyber Security Institute, p. 11-19)

Feed in tariffs revitalize rural economies.

Jan Ahlen 12, NFU government relations representative, http://www.nfu.org/blog/?p=328

That’s key to small farms.

PCAP 7 (Presidential Climate Action Project, Ann Sorenson contributor, Sorensen holds a B.A. from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. She worked in IPM for the Texas Department of Agriculture and as assistant director, Natural Resources Division, for American Farm Bureau before joining American Farmland Trust, “Chapter 11:  Agriculture’s Role in Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change” 10/30/07)

Small farms prevent monocultures that cause extinction.

Boyce 4 (James, Paper prepared for the Conference on Egalitarian Development in the Era of Globalization, “A Future for Small Farms? Biodiversity and Sustainable Agriculture” April 2004 http://www.peri.umass.edu/fileadmin/pdf/Boyce_paper_griffin_conference.pdf)

Small farms critical to solve agro-terror

Molly D. Anderson 7, FFPP Research Coordinator http://www.foodsystems-integrity.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/The_Case_for_Local__Regional_Food_Marketing.28645058.pdf

Agro-terror is most likely—causes economic collapse, disease and lashout

Daugherty 8 (Avery, James Madison University, “Securing the Agricultural Sector: ¶ An Investigation of the Potential Economic Impact of an ¶ Agro-Terrorist Attack” 2008 http://www.thepresidency.org/storage/documents/Fellows2008/Daugherty.pdf)

Econ Collapse causes extinction

Merlini, Senior Fellow – Brookings, 11 Cesare Merlini, nonresident senior fellow at the Center on the United States and Europe and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Italian Institute for International Affairs (IAI) in Rome. He served as IAI president from 1979 to 2001. Until 2009, he also occupied the position of executive vice chairman of the Council for the United States and Italy, which he co-founded in 1983. His areas of expertise include transatlantic relations, European integration and nuclear non-proliferation, with particular focus on nuclear science and technology. A Post-Secular World?  Survival, 53:2, 117 – 130

Retaliation leads to extinction

Corsi 05 - Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University Jerome Corsi (Expert in Antiwar movements and political violence), Atomic Iran, pg. 176-178

Disease spread leads to extinction

Feiger, ‘4 (MD and Published Author, http:~/~/www.lesliefieger.com/articles/htm(% style="font-size:8.0pt" %))

Water

Dependence on large power plants are the prime cause of water shortages

UCS, Union of Concerned Scientists, June 11 (Energy and Water at Risk, ucs.org)

Solar and wind solve – consume less water than any other energy source.

Gail Rajgor 9/19/12, Renewable Energy Focus Writer, http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/blog/2012/9/19/water-use-in-electricity-generation-the-sobering-facts-that-make-a-case-for-wind-and-solar-power/651.aspx

Shortages collapse exports

Sovacool 9 Benjamin K., Assistant Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, part of the National University of Singapore. He is also a Research Fellow in the Energy Governance Program at the Centre on Asia and Globalization. He has worked in advisory and research capacities at the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Electric Power Networks Efficiency and Security Program, Virginia Tech Consortium on Energy Restructuring, Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Semiconductor Materials and Equipment International, and U.S. Department of Energy’s Climate Change Technology Program. He is the co-editor with Marilyn A. Brown of Energy and American Society: Thirteen Myths (2007) and the author of The Dirty Energy Dilemma: What’s Blocking Clean Power in the United States (2008). He is also a frequent contributor to such journals as Electricity Journal, Energy and Environment, and Energy Policy, Identifying future electricity–water tradeoffs in the United States, Energy Policy, Volume 37, Issue 7, July 2009, Pages 2763–2773

US ag key to prevent global food wars.

Klare 12 Michael, Professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College, As Food Prices Rise, Dangers of Social Unrest Seem Imminent, August 9, http://highbrowmagazine.com/1459-food-prices-rise-dangers-potential-social-unrest-seem-imminent

Extinction

Wenyu et al, 6 Xie, Prof. Phil. @ Shandong U., Zhihe Wang, Prof. @ School of Phil. And Soc. Sci. @ Beijing Normal U., and George E. Derfer, School of Philosophy and the Social Sciences, and George E. Derfer, Prof. Emeritus @ Cal. Poly. Pomona, “Whitehead and China: Relevance and Relationship”, p. 28, Google Print

Plan

The United States federal Government should fund a renewable energy payment program that creates long-term purchase contracts for new qualifying facilities in the United States that use wind or solar power for energy production to ensure a reasonable rate of return.

Solvency

Only a federal feed-in tariff causes a clean energy transition and ends patchwork policies.

Chris Nelder 11, Columnist for SmartPlanet, 11/9, http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/energy-futurist/why-america-needs-a-feed-in-tariff/174

Plan is simple to enforce – overcoming the unpredictability of the current patchwork of state and federal policies.

John Farrell 9, Heinrich Böll Foundation North http://www.ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/files/feed-in%20tariffs%20in%20america.pdf

Renewables are inevitable in the long run both domestically and internationally and ready for quick short-term expansion now – effective incentives are key.

Phyllis Cuttino 12, Director, Pew Clean Energy Program 5/16, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phyllis-cuttino/a-bright-future-for-renewable-energy_b_1521445.html

Err Aff – the least biased data concludes feed-in tariffs are only net positive.

Chad Laurent 9, Meister Consultants Group, Inc, with Wilson Rickerson and Hilary Flynn, http://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/fileadmin/user_upload/PDF/FITness_Testing_Myths.pdf

Tournament: NDT | Round: 1 | Opponent: Dartmouth CK | Judge: Hall, Delong, Buntin

the FERC ruling was definite and crystal clear on that question.

Steven Ferrey 12, Law Prof, Suffolk University Law School (7 Tex. J. Oil Gas and Energy L. 59)

Different court decisions guarantee patchwork

Kopetsky 8 (Brad A., J.D. from University of Wisconsin (09) and thanks Joan Pratt for a lifetime of unconditional love, support and sacrifice. “Deutschland Uber Alles: Why German Regulations Need to Conquer the Divided U.S. Renewable-Energy Framework to Save Clean Tech (And The World)” Wisconsin Law Review. 12/01/08. http:~/~/hosted.law.wisc.edu/lawreview/issues/2008_5/3_-_pdf)

Only the plan is modeled.

CFR 12, July 5, 2012, http://www.cfr.org/climate-change/global-climate-change-regime/p21831

Plan solves Chinese FDI—solves Chinese renewables and relations

Hart 2/11/13 (Melanie, Center for American Progress, “Increasing Opportunities for Chinese Direct Investment in U.S. Clean Energy” 2/11/13 http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/china/report/2013/02/11/52576/increasing-opportunities-for-chinese-direct-investment-in-u-s-clean-energy/)

Solves Chinese instability—solves extinction

Yee and Storey 02 Herbert Yee, Professor of Politics and IR, Hong Kong Baptist University --AND-- Ian Storey, Lecturer in Defence Studies at Deakin, 02 “The China Threat: Perceptions, Myths and Reality,” p5

High risk of war and causes extinction.

Anatol Lieven 12 is a professor in the War Studies Department of King’s College London and a senior fellow of the New America Foundation in Washington http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/13/opinion/avoiding-a-us-china-war.html

Tournament: NDT | Round: 1 | Opponent:  | Judge: 

FITS are financial incentives

Siegel 11. (Bari Faye, technology writer and marketing consultant for Noveda Technologies. “When It Comes to Rebates, SRECs Make Long-Term Sense.” Written for Clean Techies. 07/20/11. http:~/~/blog.cleantechies.com/2011/07/20/when-it-comes-to-rebates-srecs-make-long-term-sense/http://blog.cleantechies.com/2011/07/20/when-it-comes-to-rebates-srecs-make-long-term-sense/)

Counter-Interpretation—Financial Incentives are ONLY per kwh payments—no “its” in the resolution means we don’t have to increase government incentives

Pace and Gatrell 9. (James, Masters in Geography from Indiana State University AND Jay D., PhD in Geography. “Spatial Analysis, Policy, Planning, and Alternative Energy Production.” 02/03/09 http:~/~/www.springerlink.com/content/h65n12q537383q47/pdf)

Tournament: NDT | Round: 1 | Opponent:  | Judge: 

Nothing will pass, Obama isn’t using pol cap, and Obama isn’t key.

Darrell Delamaide 3/27/13, http://articles.marketwatch.com/2013-03-27/commentary/38051670_1_obama-gains-climate-change-second-term/2

Won’t pass – Border security.

David Grant 3/27/13, CSM Staff, http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2013/0327/How-border-security-trigger-could-stop-immigration-reform

Obama isn’t spending pc on immigration.

AP 3/28/13, http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/28/obama-says-immigration-bill-could-pass-by-summer/

Obama will XO immigration reforms

Lillis 2-16 – Mike Lillis, February 16th, 2013, "Dems: Obama can act unilaterally on immigration reform" thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/administration/283583-dems-recognize-that-obama-can-act-unilaterally-on-immigration-reform

No vote until August.

Ted Hesson 3/27/13, http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/Politics/reasons-immigration-reform-timeline-matters/story?id=18822563#.UVWF5avWE98

-- Plan’s a win – Sandy created space for presidential leadership.

Peter Behr and Joel Kirkland 11/7, EandE reporters http://www.eenews.net/public/energywire/2012/11/07/1

Winners win – political capital doesn’t explain agenda success, but victories do.

Michael Hirsh 2/7, Chief correspondent for National Journal. He also contributes to 2012 Decoded. Hirsh previously served as the senior editor and national economics correspondent for Newsweek, based in its Washington bureau, http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/there-s-no-such-thing-as-political-capital-20130207

-- Turn – Bully Pulpit – Obama would use it to overcome opposition.

James Gerstenzang and Dan Becker 12/7/12, USA Today, http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/13205-obamas-chance-to-change-political-climate

Tournament: NDT | Round: 1 | Opponent:  | Judge: 

AND – War turns structural violence

Bulloch 8 Millennium - Journal of International Studies May 2008 vol. 36 no. 3 575-595 Douglas Bulloch, IR Department, London School of Economics and Political Science. He is currently completing his PhD in International Relations at the London School of Economics, during which time he spent a year editing Millennium: Journal of International Studies

Structural violence metaphor kills alt solvency and not true.

Boulding, ’77 Kenneth, Prof Univ. of Michigan and UC Boulder,  Journal of Peace Research; 14; 75 p.  Boulding p.   83-4

-- Turn – Solar Economy – Aff’s speech act important – using the ballot to imagine a solar economy realized through the plan’s mandates de-legitimizes the dominant fossil fuel economy.

Scheer 2. (Hermann, Member of the German Parliament, President of the European Association for Renewable Energy, PhD in Economy, Social Science, Public Law at Free University Berlin and recipient of the alternative Nobel Prize. “The Solar Economy: Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Global Future.” Earthscan Publications. 2002. Pgs. 24-25)

Profit motives incentivize peace—its best for business

Bandow, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, Nov 10, 2005 Doug, Spreading Capitalism is Good for Peace, http:~/~/www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=5193url:http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=5193

Only the state can solve climate -- Testing simulated energy policy making is crucial to actualizing action and advocacy skills.

Ruth Stevenson 9 Graduate School of the Environment, Centre for Alternative Technology, Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 2009, volume 27, pages 512-526 http://www.envplan.com/epc/fulltext/c27/c08100h.pdf

Tournament: NDT | Round: 1 | Opponent:  | Judge: 

Squo triggers the link.

Renee Cho 9/19, http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2012/09/19/rare-earth-metals-will-we-have-enough/

Alt supplies solve.

Cho 12 (Renee, PhsyOrg, “Rare earth metals: Will we have enough?” 9/20/12 http://phys.org/news/2012-09-rare-earth-metals.html)

Aff causes distributed generation and innovation.

Kopetsky 8. (Brad A., J.D. from University of Wisconsin (09) and thanks Joan Pratt for a lifetime of unconditional love, support and sacrifice. “Deutschland Uber Alles: Why German Regulations Need to Conquer the Divided U.S. Renewable-Energy Framework to Save Clean Tech (And The World)” Wisconsin Law Review. 12/01/08. http:~/~/hosted.law.wisc.edu/lawreview/issues/2008_5/3_-_pdf(%%))

Solves the impact.

Science Daily 12, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120821093850.htm

Trade frictions over rare earths won’t escalate.

Qingfen 5/30/12, Din, China Daily, “Frictions to 'heat up' over trade”, http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2012-05/30/content_15418479.htm

Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge:
1AC- New
Feed in tariffs are most certain for foreign investors
Felix Mormann 12, Stanford Law School; University of Miami School of Law, http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2020803
Policy impact on Investment-Based Factors 

By comparison, feed-in tariffs offer' the highest overall level of certainty to
AND
energy generation facilities, such as those found in Spain. (247)

National policy is key for clean tech innovation
Will Coleman 11 Partner – Mohr Davidow Ventures, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-112shrg67633/pdf/CHRG-112shrg67633.pdf

The third obstacle is that where we do have incentives and tax credits to support
AND
technologies more rapidly and give investors the incentives to take larger capital risks.
Scenario 1 – India
Strong US renewable innovation is key to Indian renewables– investment spills-over.
Nishant Shah 10 recently graduated with a Master’s in International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where he studied Energy and Environmental Policy. He is currently on the founding team of a technology startup, and in the past has worked with the Acumen Fund in Pakistan, with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation as a solar energy consultant, in corporate strategy at the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, and as an Indicorps fellow based in Surat, India working with migrant diamond workers. http://leadenergy.org/2010/12/cross-border-innovation-the-united-states-and-india/

A mainstay in the conversation around energy innovation is the clean energy ‘race’ between
AND
, and increase American competitiveness in the clean energy sector in the process.

Solving Indian energy needs sustains growth—renewables are the only option
Manprett Sethi 2010 (written extensively in national and international journals on nuclear power, proliferation, and disarmament. She is the author of Nuclear Strategy: India’s March towards Credible Deterrence (2009), Argentina’s Nuclear Policy (1999), editor of Towards a Nuclear Weapons Free World (2009) and Global Nuclear Challenges (2009) and co-author of Nuclear Deterrence and Diplomacy (2004). “The Nuclear Energy Imperative,” http://www.idfc.com/pdf/report/Chapter-14.pdf)
India is severely energy deficient—…. as Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam’.10

India is severely energy deficient—more than half its rural households are resigned to
AND
have to pass through politically unstable nations that harbour open hostility towards India.
The impact is war, disease, environmental destruction, and terrorism
Mira Kamdar 2007(World Policy Institute, 2007, “Planet India: How the fastest growing democracy is transforming America and the world” , p. 3-5)

No other country matters more to the future of our planet than India. There
AND
fractious, multipolar world. India's gambit is truly the venture of the century
Terrorism causes extinction.
Hellman 8 (Martin E, emeritus prof of engineering @ Stanford, “Risk Analysis of Nuclear Deterrence” SPRING, THE BENT OF TAU BETA PI, http://www.nuclearrisk.org/paper.pdf)

The threat of nuclear terrorism looms much larger in the public’s mind than the threat
AND
assume that  preventing World War III is a necessity—not an option.
Pandemics cause extinction
Quammen 12 David, award-winning science writer, long-time columnist for Outside magazine for fifteen years, with work in National Geographic, Harper's, Rolling Stone, the New York Times Book Review and other periodicals, 9/29, “Could the next big animal-to-human disease wipe us out?,” The Guardian, pg. 29, Lexis
Infectious disease is all around us. It's one of the basic processes that ecologists
AND
collapses? One possible factor is infectious disease, and viruses in particular.
Indian electrification prevents Indo-Sino war.
Sumit Ganguly 12, holds the Rabindranath Tagore chair in Indian cultures and civilizations at Indiana University in Bloomington and is a senior fellow with the Philadelphia-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, Foreign Policy, July 5, 2012, "Think Again: India's Rise", http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/07/05/think_again_india_s_rise?page=full

Globally, China and India have begun to compete for long-term oil and
AND
anytime soon, especially because India remains acutely dependent on external energy sources.
War goes global and nuclear
Kahn 9 (Jeremy, Newsweek, “Why India Fears China”, 10-19, 154:16, L/N)

On June 21, two Chinese military helicopters swooped low over Demchok, a tiny
AND
of Taiwan, or as a mediator trying to separate the two sides.
Scenario Two – China
Existing federal policy limits Chinese foreign investment in clean energy.
Hart 2/11/13 (Melanie, Center for American Progress, “Increasing Opportunities for Chinese Direct Investment in U.S. Clean Energy” 2/11/13 http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/china/report/2013/02/11/52576/increasing-opportunities-for-chinese-direct-investment-in-u-s-clean-energy/)

President Obama’s administration made great strides in his first term toward building a sustainable U
AND
looking for is incentive programs that can reduce project costs from day one.¶
Chinese investment crucial to Chinese and US industries – spreads innovation to both
Jeffrey Ball 12 Scholar-in-residence at Stanford University's Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, June 24, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303610504577418361651607288.html

A new innovation has the U.S. clean-energy business buzzing,
AND
energy capitalists from both countries are scrambling to sign on the dotted line.
Innovation key – Chinese renewables fail without it.
Louis Schwartz 1/23/13, China Strategies, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/01/china-needs-a-game-changing-renewable-energy-technology

Despite all the evident progress in China in fostering renewable energy, energy conservation and
AND
nagging energy and environmental challenges on the horizon, is cause for optimism.
Clean tech key to their economy, internal stability, and solves extinction  
Paul Denlinger 10, consultant specializing in the China market who is based in Hong Kong, 7/20/10, “Why China Has To Dominate Green Tech,” http://www.forbes.com/sites/china/2010/07/20/why-china-has-to-dominate-green-tech/

On the policy level, the Chinese government has to perform a delicate balancing act
AND
century. For all practical purposes, we’re all in the same boat.
Lashout and war.
Kristen Gunness and Dr. Jacqueline Newmeyer 9, US Navy and Long-Term Strategy Group, April 8, http://cnponline.org/index.php?ht=a/GetDocumentAction/i/12503

So I think either way, either because of the insecurity that is stoked by
AND
the downturn would lead to a greater chance of conflict abroad for China.   
Pollution pushes party instability over the brink –extinction
Yee and Storey 02 Herbert Yee, Professor of Politics and IR, Hong Kong Baptist University --AND-- Ian Storey, Lecturer in Defence Studies at Deakin, 02 “The China Threat: Perceptions, Myths and Reality,” p5 

The fourth factor contributing to the perception of a China threat is the fear of
AND
disintegrating China would also pose a threat to its neighbours and the world.
High risk of war and extinction.
Anatol Lieven 12 is a professor in the War Studies Department of King’s College London and a senior fellow of the New America Foundation in Washington http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/13/opinion/avoiding-a-us-china-war.html

Relations between the United States and China are on a course that may one day
AND
— for example in Washington’s neglect of the crumbling states of Central America.

Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge:
FITs are the financial incentives for production- your examples are financial incentives but not for production
SRECTrade 10/16
SRECTrade hosts monthly auctions for SRECs that serve as a leading tool for price discovery and one of the few public listings of SREC pricing in the industry. In addition to monthly auctions, SRECTrade works with a large institutional client base to broker spot and forward transactions between large sellers and utilities in the market. “The Argument for SRECs” http://www.srectrade.com/blog/tag/feed-in-tariff

Occasionally SRECTrade is asked to defend the efficacy of the SREC system. The harsh
AND
-term optimization and maintenance of the systems to maximize lifetime electricity production.
Aff isn’t a mandate – FiT’s support energy production, not mandate it.
Karlynn Cory et al 9, NREL – National Renewable Energy Laboratory, with Toby Couture, and Claire Kreycik, http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/45549.pdf

It is important to note the main differences between FIT and RPS policies to understand
AND
are focused on the quantity, leaving the price up to competitive bidding.

It’s an incentive
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions 12, http://www.c2es.org/technology/factsheet/solar

Feed-in tariffs and other financial incentives Feed-in tariffs (FiTs)
AND
. Solar power in both countries is forecasted to grow quickly.45

Tournament: NDT | Round: 6 | Opponent: Missouri State BR | Judge: 

1AC- Warming

Warming is real and anthropogenic

Andrew Guzman 13, Law Professor and Associate Dean for International and Executive Education at UC Berkeley, Overheated: The Human Cost of Climate Change, p. 20-4

As Much Consensus as a Political Issue Can Get Climate change can be a polarizing
AND
debate exists outside the scientific community, the scientists themselves are in agreement.

Multiple scenarios for extinction.

Deibel ‘7 (Terry L. Professor of IR @ National War College, 2007. “Foreign Affairs Strategy: Logic for American Statecraft”, Conclusion: American Foreign Affairs Strategy Today)

Finally, there is one major existential threat to American security (as well as
AND
States, but potentially to the continued existence of life on this planet.

CO2 kills Ocean biodiversity causes extinction

Romm 12 (Joe, Climate Progress, “Science: Ocean Acidifying So Fast It Threatens Humanity’s Ability to Feed Itself” 3/2/12 http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/03/02/436193/science-ocean-acidifying-so-fast-it-threatens-humanity-ability-to-feed-itself/?mobile=nc)

Paleoceanographer James Zachos with a core of sediment from some 56 million years ago¶
AND
climate may well be the greatest challenge the human race has ever faced.”

Only a federal feed-in tariff solves 440pm targets – best studies prove.

John Lorinc 9, New York Times, 10/27, http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/climate-change-policy-and-safe-investing/

Countries that adopt policies obliging utilities to purchase a percentage of their power from renewable
AND
The technology, he said, won’t make any substantial inroads by 2020.

Our emission reduction makes adaptation work.

Romm ‘10 (Joe, PhD in Physics from MIT, senior fellow at American progress, editor of Climate Progress, “Real adaptation is as politically tough as real mitigation, but much more expensive and not as effective in reducing future misery,” Climate Progress, August 27, 2010, PM)

Rhetorical adaptation, however, is a political winner. Too bad it means preventable
AND
in Southwest and around the globe How exactly do you adapt to that? 

Electricity sector is key

Mormann 11 (Felix, German JD and JSD from University of Passau School of law, as well as an LMM from UC BerkeleySchool of Law and is a research Fellow at Stanford’s Steyer Center for Energy Policy and Finance, writing for Economic Law Quarterly, “Requirements for a Renewables Revolution.” 05/02/11. http://www.boalt.org/elq/documents/elq38_4_03_2012_0808.pdf)

Renewable sources of energy are relevant not only to electricity generation but also to other
AND
this Article focuses on the use of renewables for the generation of electricity.

That transition gets modeled

Joseph J. Romm 10, Senior Fellow at the Centre for American Progress, Straight Up : America's Fiercest Climate Blogger Takes on Status Quo Media, Politicians, and Clean Energy Solutions, p. 219-222

Ironically, for those who want to avoid total planetary warming of 2°C
AND
to get China and the other big emitters to formalize a binding deal.

1AC- Distributed Gen.

Feed in tariffs best promote distributed renewables.

Woolsey et al 10 (R. James Woolsey, Rachel Kleinfeld and Chelsea Sexton, World Affairs, “No Strings Attached: The Case for a Distributed Grid and a Low-Oil Future” September/October 2010 http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/no-strings-attached-case-distributed-grid-and-low-oil-future)
With regard to electricity, our investigation has led us to conclude that distributed generation
AND
known price, it could easily lower the price of the Volt itself.

Scenario 1: Cyber-terror

Grid attack takes out command and control---causes nuclear war

Tilford 12 Robert, Graduate US Army Airborne School, Ft. Benning, Georgia, “Cyber attackers could shut down the electric grid for the entire east coast” 2012, http://www.examiner.com/article/cyber-attackers-could-easily-shut-down-the-electric-grid-for-the-entire-east-coa
To make matters worse a cyber attack that can take out a civilian power grid
AND
include the use of “nuclear weapons”, if authorized by the President.

That causes US lash out and nuclear war

Habiger, 2/1/2010 (Eugue – Retired Air Force General, Cyberwarfare and Cyberterrorism, The Cyber Security Institute, p. 11-19)
However, there are reasons to believe that what is going on now amounts to
AND
based defenses, making us significantly more at risk of a major war.

Scenario 2: Data centers

Renewables are critical to Data Centers

DCK 13 (Data Center Knowledge at Verneglobal, “US POWER GRID HAS ISSUES WITH RELIABILITY” 1/6/13 http://www.verneglobal.com/node/146)
The threat of losing power is among the top stressors for industries such as data
AND
begin to change their responses by taking action and thinking outside the box.

Extinction

David Eagleman 11/9/2010 (Baylor college of Medicine, Author of "Why the Net Matters", "Six ways the internet will save civilization" www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2010/12/start/apocalypse-no)
Many great civilisations have fallen, leaving nothing but cracked ruins and scattered genetics.
AND
to suggest that the net may just be the technology that saves us.

1AC- FDI

Feed in tariffs are most certain for foreign investors

Felix Mormann 12, Stanford Law School; University of Miami School of Law, http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2020803
Policy impact on Investment-Based Factors 

By comparison, feed-in tariffs offer' the highest overall level of certainty to
AND
energy generation facilities, such as those found in Spain. (247)

National policy is key for clean tech innovation

Will Coleman 11 Partner – Mohr Davidow Ventures, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-112shrg67633/pdf/CHRG-112shrg67633.pdf

The third obstacle is that where we do have incentives and tax credits to support
AND
technologies more rapidly and give investors the incentives to take larger capital risks. 

That’s key to China
Existing federal policy limits Chinese foreign investment in clean energy.

Hart 2/11/13 (Melanie, Center for American Progress, “Increasing Opportunities for Chinese Direct Investment in U.S. Clean Energy” 2/11/13 http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/china/report/2013/02/11/52576/increasing-opportunities-for-chinese-direct-investment-in-u-s-clean-energy/)

President Obama’s administration made great strides in his first term toward building a sustainable U
AND
looking for is incentive programs that can reduce project costs from day one.¶ 

Chinese investment crucial to Chinese and US industries – spreads innovation to both

Jeffrey Ball 12 Scholar-in-residence at Stanford University's Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, June 24, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303610504577418361651607288.html

A new innovation has the U.S. clean-energy business buzzing,
AND
energy capitalists from both countries are scrambling to sign on the dotted line.

Clean tech key to their economy, internal stability, and solves extinction

Paul Denlinger 10, consultant specializing in the China market who is based in Hong Kong, 7/20/10, “Why China Has To Dominate Green Tech,” http://www.forbes.com/sites/china/2010/07/20/why-china-has-to-dominate-green-tech/

On the policy level, the Chinese government has to perform a delicate balancing act
AND
century. For all practical purposes, we’re all in the same boat.

Lashout and war.

Kristen Gunness and Dr. Jacqueline Newmeyer 9, US Navy and Long-Term Strategy Group, April 8, http://cnponline.org/index.php?ht=a/GetDocumentAction/i/12503

So I think either way, either because of the insecurity that is stoked by
AND
the downturn would lead to a greater chance of conflict abroad for China.   

Pollution pushes party instability over the brink –extinction

Yee and Storey 02 Herbert Yee, Professor of Politics and IR, Hong Kong Baptist University --AND-- Ian Storey, Lecturer in Defence Studies at Deakin, 02 “The China Threat: Perceptions, Myths and Reality,” p5 

The fourth factor contributing to the perception of a China threat is the fear of
AND
disintegrating China would also pose a threat to its neighbours and the world.

High risk of war and extinction.

Anatol Lieven 12 is a professor in the War Studies Department of King’s College London and a senior fellow of the New America Foundation in Washington http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/13/opinion/avoiding-a-us-china-war.html

Relations between the United States and China are on a course that may one day
AND
— for example in Washington’s neglect of the crumbling states of Central America.

Plan

The United States federal Government should fund a renewable energy payment program that creates long-term purchase contracts for new qualifying facilities in the United States that use wind or solar power for energy production to ensure a reasonable rate of return.

Solvency

Only a federal feed-in tariff causes a clean energy transition and ends patchwork policies.

Chris Nelder 11, Columnist for SmartPlanet, 11/9, http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/energy-futurist/why-america-needs-a-feed-in-tariff/174

Given the obvious success of FiTs as a policy tool in Europe, one must
AND
rest of the world pulls rapidly ahead in the race to energy transition.

Plan is simple to enforce – overcoming the unpredictability of the current patchwork of state and federal policies.

John Farrell 9, Heinrich Böll Foundation North http://www.ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/files/feed-in%20tariffs%20in%20america.pdf

In the United States, renewable energy policy consists of an uncoordinated and often haphazard
AND
facility to be installed in the first place may lower long term costs.

Renewables are inevitable in the long run both domestically and internationally and ready for quick short-term expansion now – effective incentives are key.

Phyllis Cuttino 12, Director, Pew Clean Energy Program 5/16, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phyllis-cuttino/a-bright-future-for-renewable-energy_b_1521445.html

The current market for the renewable energy sector in the United States and around the
AND
competitive clean energy technologies for Americans to use and export around the world.

Err Aff – the least biased data concludes feed-in tariffs are only net positive.

Chad Laurent 9, Meister Consultants Group, Inc, with Wilson Rickerson and Hilary Flynn, http://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/fileadmin/user_upload/PDF/FITness_Testing_Myths.pdf

As the US continues to ponder its position in the global renewable energy market,
AND
do not reflect on the merits of feed-in tariff policies more broadly

Tournament: NDT | Round: 6 | Opponent: Missouri State BR | Judge: 

Financial Incentives

We meet—
FITS are financial incentives
Siegel 11. (Bari Faye, technology writer and marketing consultant for Noveda Technologies. "When It Comes to Rebates, SRECs Make Long-Term Sense." Written for Clean Techies. 07/20/11. http://blog.cleantechies.com/2011/07/20/when-it-comes-to-rebates-srecs-make-long-term-sense/-http://blog.cleantechies.com/2011/07/20/when-it-comes-to-rebates-srecs-make-long-term-sense/)

One of the most important factors in moving the United States over from conventional to
AND
feed-in-tariff system doesn’t deal with quotas or minor goals.

Second our plan text mandates that the government directly pays for the feed in tariff which meets your interp

Counter-Interpretation—Financial Incentives are ONLY per kwh payments—no "its" in the resolution means we don’t have to increase government incentives
Pace and Gatrell 9. (James, Masters in Geography from Indiana State University AND Jay D., PhD in Geography. "Spatial Analysis, Policy, Planning, and Alternative Energy Production." 02/03/09 http://www.springerlink.com/content/h65n12q537383q47/fulltext.pdf-http://www.springerlink.com/content/h65n12q537383q47/fulltext.pdf)
The last tool used to promote renewable energy production is to provide financial incentives.
AND
billion (43.7%) of all Federal incentives (Bezdek 2007).

Prefer our interpretation:
Precision—In terms of energy production FITs are financial incentives
SRECTrade 10/16
~SRECTrade hosts monthly auctions for SRECs that serve as a leading tool for price discovery and one of the few public listings of SREC pricing in the industry. In addition to monthly auctions, SRECTrade works with a large institutional client base to broker spot and forward transactions between large sellers and utilities in the market. "The Argument for SRECs" http://www.srectrade.com/blog/tag/feed-in-tariff-http://www.srectrade.com/blog/tag/feed-in-tariff~~

Occasionally SRECTrade is asked to defend the efficacy of the SREC system. The harsh
AND
-term optimization and maintenance of the systems to maximize lifetime electricity production.

B. Predictability—feed in tariffs are the most predictable and widely discussed mechanism for increasing energy production

C. Aff Ground—pricing regime aff’s are the only way to effectively access renewables on this topic

Reasonability—topicality is an all or nothing standard for the affirmative so the negative should have to prove that we make the topic undebatable to get your ballot

T

A2- Procure Bad

Siegel says rebates-their evidence concludes those are fine—
~READ BLUE~

Procurement is not a financial incentive

Czinkota et al, 9 - Associate Professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University (Michael, Fundamentals of International Business, p. 69 – google books)

Incentives offered by policymakers to facilitate foreign investments are mainly of three types: fiscal
AND
import quotas, and local content requirements, and investments in infrastructure facilities.

Schoofs also agrees—production incentives and rebates are fine
~READ BLUE~

They expand limits to any rule that also requires spending by the government

Schoofs ’4 (Sam Schoofs, Calvin College, 2004, Washington Internships for Students of Engineering Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, 6 August 2004 "A federal Renewable Portfolio Standard: Policy Analysis and Proposal")
D. Renewable Energy Policy Overview There are two main categories of renewable energy policies
AND
financial incentives ~12~. Seven states currently have equipment certification programs in place

A2- Purchase Contract

Long-term purchasing agreements are a part of the incentive – it just says we will give you the financial incentive for a certain period of time.

PRA 11, Partners for Rural America, http://www.partnersforruralamerica.org/news.asp

The Act also creates a pilot program to provide a choice of direct incentives to
AND
bonus on their renewable energy certificates when applied to Maine’s portfolio standard requirement.

Even if you don’t think that long term contracts are part of a FIT they are still a financial incentive for production

Burr 11-15
~Chrystie, PhD Candidate in Economics  Department of Economics  The University of Arizona, "Subsidies, Tariffs and Investments  in Solar Power Market" http://econ.arizona.edu/docs/JobMarket/burr_jobmarket12.pdf-http://econ.arizona.edu/docs/JobMarket/burr_jobmarket12.pdf~~
The capacity-based or the upfront subsidy is an incentive policy that rewards every  
AND
the steep upfront cost which is often around %2430,000.6

A2- Mandate

Aff isn’t a mandate – FiT’s support energy production, not mandate it.

Karlynn Cory et al 9, NREL – National Renewable Energy Laboratory, with Toby Couture, and Claire Kreycik, http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/45549.pdf

It is important to note the main differences between FIT and RPS policies to understand
AND
are focused on the quantity, leaving the price up to competitive bidding.

It’s an incentive

Center for Climate and Energy Solutions 12, http://www.c2es.org/technology/factsheet/solar

Feed-in tariffs and other financial incentives Feed-in tariffs (FiTs)
AND
. Solar power in both countries is forecasted to grow quickly.~45~

Consumption/Production

Major distinction—incentives for consumption like grants and credits let the government give money back to the consumer at a later point, production incentives like the aff give money to the industry up front to develop—guarantees your link ground and checks extra-topicality claims because there’s always a literature base about development and upfront deployment.

FITs are the financial incentives for production- your examples are financial incentives but not for production

SRECTrade 10/16
~SRECTrade hosts monthly auctions for SRECs that serve as a leading tool for price discovery and one of the few public listings of SREC pricing in the industry. In addition to monthly auctions, SRECTrade works with a large institutional client base to broker spot and forward transactions between large sellers and utilities in the market. "The Argument for SRECs" http://www.srectrade.com/blog/tag/feed-in-tariff-http://www.srectrade.com/blog/tag/feed-in-tariff~~

Occasionally SRECTrade is asked to defend the efficacy of the SREC system. The harsh
AND
-term optimization and maintenance of the systems to maximize lifetime electricity production.

1AR- Reasonability

Sufficiency applies to competing interpretations—

There’s no such thing as better—choice between two is always subjective. 

Also causes topic distortion because it forces the debate away from things like energy investment which are a huge part of the topic. 

Causes substance crowd-out when we’re forced to have contrived T debates instead of topic discussions—turns topic education claims. 

Tournament: NDT | Round: 6 | Opponent: Missouri State BR | Judge: 

Immigration (Obama Good)

Nothing will pass, Obama isn’t using pol cap, and Obama isn’t key.
Darrell Delamaide 3/27/13, http://articles.marketwatch.com/2013-03-27/commentary/38051670_1_obama-gains-climate-change-second-term/2

President Barack Obama’s second term is only two months old, but it may not
AND
victory, it’s hard to imagine anything like real change from this administration.

Won’t pass – Border security.
David Grant 3/27/13, CSM Staff, http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2013/0327/How-border-security-trigger-could-stop-immigration-reform

As immigration reform negotiations continue, determining just what counts as a "secure border
AND
offering temporary work visas to the undocumented in the second year after enactment.

EPA rules thumps.
Juliet Eilperin 3/29/13, http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/epa-proposes-requiring-cleaner-fuel-cars-in-the-us/2013/03/29/73df0966-987f-11e2-b68f-dc5c4b47e519_story.html

The oil industry and key Republicans criticized the Obama administration Friday for moving ahead with
AND
gallon, or as much as 9 cents a gallon in some areas.

Labor nom thumps.
Carrie Johnson 3/27/13, Justice Correspondent – NPR, http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/03/27/175513560/obamas-labor-nominee-faces-gop-opposition-over-his-role-in-a-supreme-court-case

Thomas Perez, the president’s nominee to lead the Department of Labor and a high
AND
about the controversy, but that’s unlikely to satisfy Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Obama isn’t spending pc on immigration.
AP 3/28/13, http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/28/obama-says-immigration-bill-could-pass-by-summer/

While overhauling the nation’s patchwork immigration laws is a top second term priority for the
AND
new low-skilled workers was unlikely to "doom" the legislation.

Obama will XO immigration reforms
Lillis 2-16 – Mike Lillis, February 16th, 2013, "Dems: Obama can act unilaterally on immigration reform" thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/administration/283583-dems-recognize-that-obama-can-act-unilaterally-on-immigration-reform
President Obama can – and will – take steps on immigration reform in the event
AND
talented in, but there’s also a labor flow issue," he said.

No vote until August.
Ted Hesson 3/27/13, http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/Politics/reasons-immigration-reform-timeline-matters/story?id=18822563~~%23.UVWF5avWE98

If the so-called Senate "Gang of Eight" working on immigration reform is able to produce a bill in April, the Senate and House could feasibly vote and pass legislation before the August recess in Congress

— Plan’s a win – Sandy created space for presidential leadership.
Peter Behr and Joel Kirkland 11/7, E%26E reporters http://www.eenews.net/public/energywire/2012/11/07/1

Branko Terzic, executive director of the Deloitte Center for Energy Solutions, said Hurricane
AND
right moment, clear presidential leadership on this is essential," Detchon said.
Winners win – political capital doesn’t explain agenda success, but victories do.
Michael Hirsh 2/7, Chief correspondent for National Journal. He also contributes to 2012 Decoded. Hirsh previously served as the senior editor and national economics correspondent for Newsweek, based in its Washington bureau, http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/there-s-no-such-thing-as-political-capital-20130207

On Tuesday, in his State of the Union address, President Obama will do
AND
but to move. It’s your choice. The future is wide open.

— Turn – Bully Pulpit – Obama would use it to overcome opposition.
James Gerstenzang and Dan Becker 12/7/12, USA Today, http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/13205-obamas-chance-to-change-political-climate

So, taking a page from the nation’s first environmental president, Theodore Roosevelt,
AND
, from phasing in renewable energy to phasing out subsidies for fossil fuels.

Latin American instability is inevitable and there’s no impact – American intervention checks.
El Rincón del Vago, 2006 or later, http://html.rincondelvago.com/international-conflict.html
On the other hand, Donald Nuechterlein claimed that "the fundamental national interest of
AND
the Venezuelan Army reserves are three times the size of the American counterpart. 

Tournament: NDT | Round: 6 | Opponent: Missouri State BR | Judge: 

Energy Prices DA

2AC

Federal acceptance of costs makes the impact on electricity prices zero.
Kopetsky 8. (Brad A., J.D. from University of Wisconsin (09), "Deutschland Uber Alles: Why German Regulations Need to Conquer the Divided U.S. Renewable-Energy Framework to Save Clean Tech (And The World)" Wisconsin Law Review. 12/01/08. http://hosted.law.wisc.edu/lawreview/issues/2008_5/3_-_kopetsky.pdf)

During the first two years of the feed-in tariff, the bulk of
AND
point as to how much renewable energy will come online and from where.
High energy prices now.
ACCCE 1/18, http://m.americaspower.org/behind-plug-0
U.S. electricity consumers struggling to pay utility bills are getting hurt by
AND
electricity and energy costs," ACCCE President Mike Duncan said in a statement.
Err Aff – on balance FiT’s have a positive impact on the economy and result in a quick and significant net reduction in electricity prices.
Miguel Mendonça et al 9. Miguel Mendonça. Researcher, author and advocate of sustainability and resilience strategies. David Jacobs is a researcher and PhD candidate at the Environmental Policy Research Centre in Berlin (FFU) focusing on support mechanisms for renewable electricity. Dr. Benjamin K. Sovacool is an Assistant Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. He is also a Research Fellow in the Energy Governance Program at the Centre on Asia and Globalization. (Powering the Green Economy: The Feed-in Tariff Handbook, p. xxix- xxx)

Let us pre-empt a common objection to FITs here. When looking at
AND
, it has put the Germans well ahead of their renewables deployment targets.
FiT’s won’t hurt manufacturing competitiveness – Best evidence concludes impacts are minimal.
Chad Laurent 9, Meister Consultants Group, Inc, with Wilson Rickerson %26 Hilary Flynn, http://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/fileadmin/user_upload/PDF/FITness_Testing_Myths.pdf

A FIT is too expensive and will force energy-intensive industries out of business
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policies, however, increase the potential burden on other classes of ratepayers.

Tournament: NDT | Round: 6 | Opponent: Missouri State BR | Judge: 

Counterplan

Perm Do Both
No one supports an auction scheme and it creates more bureaucratic complexity – linking to our certainty offense.
Chad Laurent 9, Meister Consultants Group, Inc, with Wilson Rickerson %26 Hilary Flynn, http://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/fileadmin/user_upload/PDF/FITness_Testing_Myths.pdf

A related mechanism for creating competition between generators is an auction. Auctions have recently
AND
to entry and/or other trade-offs for renewable energy generators.

Competitive bidding fails and empirically FiT’s are better – RFP’s only incentivize larger developers which makes a transition impossible.
Chad Laurent 9, Meister Consultants Group, Inc, with Wilson Rickerson %26 Hilary Flynn, http://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/fileadmin/user_upload/PDF/FITness_Testing_Myths.pdf

Competitive bidding is "better" than standard offer feed-in tariffs. SUMMARY
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choice should be dictated by the specific objectives of each country or state.

Uncertainty kills solvency – makes investors perceive projects as risky
Fabrizio ’12 (KR, Duke University Fuqua School of Business, The Effect of Regulatory Uncertainty on Investment: Evidence from Renewable Energy Generation, J Law Econ Organ (2012), 4/2/12, http://jleo.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/04/02/jleo.ews007.full.pdf-http://jleo.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/04/02/jleo.ews007.full.pdf)

How does uncertainty about future regulatory change influence firms’ willingness to invest in new assets
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assets is smaller in states where firms are likely to perceive such risks.

We don’t pick winners
Shue 13. (Henry, Department of Politics and International Relations, Oxford University. "Climate Hope: Implementing the Exit Strategy." Chicago Journal of International Law. Winter 2013. Lexis. 

The most feasible kind of alternative seems to be a rapid enough increase in the
AND
either the US war in Iraq or the US war in Afghanistan. ^{n56-http://www.lexisnexis.com.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/lnacui2api/frame.do?reloadEntirePage=true%26rand=1362540325545%26returnToKey=20_T16847012591%26parent=docview%26target=results_DocumentContent%26tokenKey=rsh-20.357350.4642916121}
Err aff, their links are biased
Nedler 12. (Chris, energy analyst citing Jennifer Gleason, Adjuct Professor at University of Oregon Law School. Smart Planet, "Beyond carbon policy: A national feed-in tariff." 11/14/12. http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/take/beyond-carbon-policy-a-national-feed-in-tariff/231)

Incumbents will certainly recognize the existential threat of a FiT and resist it, accusing
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Either they’ll go along with the inevitable energy transition, or they’ll die.
Market fails – Squo picks fossil fuels as winners and empirical success of renewables promotion belies their bubble impact.
William Happer 13, Cyrus Fogg Brackett Professor of Physics Princeton University, Winter, http://www.issues.org/29.2/Forum.html

However, Everett argues that even well-designed and targeted policies to induce changes
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many financial and indirect subsidies and externalities enjoyed by the fossil fuel industry.

Aff causes distributed generation—That is key to innovation
Kopetsky 8. (Brad A., J.D. from University of Wisconsin (09) and thanks Joan Pratt for a lifetime of unconditional love, support and sacrifice. "Deutschland Uber Alles: Why German Regulations Need to Conquer the Divided U.S. Renewable-Energy Framework to Save Clean Tech (And The World)" Wisconsin Law Review. 12/01/08. http://hosted.law.wisc.edu/lawreview/issues/2008_5/3_-_kopetsky.pdf-http://hosted.law.wisc.edu/lawreview/issues/2008_5/3_-_kopetsky.pdf)
The lynchpin of the U.S. policy must be distributed generation. While
AND
solar systems 295 and invested %2410 billion in renewables in 2006. 296 

Must focus on soft-cost factors to get investors—they’re key
Mormann 12. (Felix, German JD and JSD from University of Passau School of law, as well as an LMM from UC BerkeleySchool of Law and is a research Fellow at Stanford’s Steyer Center for Energy Policy and Finance, writing for Environmental Law. "Enhancing the Investor Appeal of Renewable Energy." 8/03/12. http://law.lclark.edu/live/files/12872-42302mormannpdf-http://law.lclark.edu/live/files/12872-42302mormannpdf) 

Ultimately, the long-term success of any policy to promote renewables deployment depends
AND
, market-based factors, and behavioral factors related to social acceptance.

Prez Leadership

President does the plan and it’s key to presidential leadership over energy.
Nelder 11/14 (Chris, Contributers listed are experts in the field (Paul Gipe, Jennifer Gleason, Scott Thomasson, Elias Hinckley, and John Farrell), an energy analyst and consultant who has written about energy and investing for more than a decade. He is the author of two books on energy and investing, Profit from the Peak and Investing in Renewable Energy, and has appeared on BBC TV, Fox Business, CNN national radio, Australian Broadcasting Corp., CBS radio and France 24, "Beyond carbon policy: A national feed-in tariff" 11/14/12 http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/take/beyond-carbon-policy-a-national-feed-in-tariff/231-http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/take/beyond-carbon-policy-a-national-feed-in-tariff/231) 

Climate judo¶ A national FiT would take essentially the opposite approach to carbon mitigation
AND
be defined by climate and energy challenges. I hope he takes it.
That solves global conflict – specifically Central Asia.
Senator Dick Lugar 8, http://lugar.senate.gov/energy/press/speech/brookings2.cfm

Third, energy is the underlying condition that exacerbates almost every major foreign policy issue
AND
have expectations on energy policy that would rule out entire categories of action.
Nuclear war.
Blank 2K (Stephen J., Exepert on Post-Soviet States @ Strat Stud Inst. "American Grand Strategy and the Transcaspian Region," World Affairs.  www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m2393/2_163/67046851/p1/article.jhtml?term-http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m2393/2_163/67046851/p1/article.jhtml?term)
Thus many structural conditions for conventional war or protracted ethnic conflict where third parties intervene
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5) neither has willing proxies capable of settling the situation.(77)

FIT

AD1: Warming
AD2: New Foreign Investors