| 09/18/2012 | Tournament: Gonzaga | Round: | Opponent: | Judge:
PLAN
The United States federal government ought to make available a permanent production tax credit for systems referenced in United States Code Title 42, Chapter 100, § 9210(2). Obama Has Announced Support For the Extension of the PTC But It Wont Happen Until After the Election
Des Moines Register 2012 8/15 Wind credit likely to stay
All the huff and puff on the campaign
for Iowa’s congressional delegation said.
That Delay Will Tank the Industry
Bloomberg 2012 Aug 21 Extend Wind-Power Tax Credit Now, So It Can Die Later http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-21/extend-wind-power-tax-credit-now-so-it-can-die-later.html
With companies rushing to finish before
industry to ramp up its plans.
This Renewal Will Be Another Short-Term Extension of the PTC – Short-Term Extensions Create Uncertain Markets That Stifles the Industry – 5 Reasons
Dr. Ryan Wiser, Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 2007 March 29 “Wind Power and the Production Tax Credit: An Overview of Research Results” Testimony Prepared for a Hearing on ‘Clean Energy: From the Margins to the Mainstream’ Senate Finance Committee
Though the historical impacts
domestic market demand for those advanced technologies.
And Scalability Would Be Fast – Industries Are Just Waiting on a Signal From a Stable Federal Policy
Clean Technica 08 (“The “Unlimited” Potential of American Wind Power: AWEA”, April 22, http://cleantechnica.com/2008/04/22/the-unlimited-potential-of-american-wind-power-awea/)
The American Wind Energy Association held
e to build, which relies upon the PTC.
All Alternatives to the PTC Are Insufficient
Bolinger et al. November 2007 Ryan Wiser staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Mark Bolinger research scientist in the Electricity Markets and Policy Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Galen Barbose Staff Research Associate in the Electricity Markets and Policy Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory “Using the Federal Production Tax Credit to Build a Durable Market for Wind Power in the United States” Electricity Journal Pg. 77 Vol. 20 No. 9 ISSN: 1040-6190 LexisNexis
Though the purpose of this article has
well as the alternative uses of the required funds.
Advantage 1 is the economy
Sustained Growth is Key – The Economy Cant Survive Another Shock to the System
By Paul B. Farrell, MarketWatch 07/31 2012 “The Real Crash is dead ahead as 2008 is forgotten” http://www.marketwatch.com/Story/story/print?guid=4D03D32E-DA5E-11E1-8194-002128049AD6
Think history folks: Remember 2000
without forcing a newer, tougher Glass-Steagall law on the banks.
A Permanent Extension is Key to Create Investor Certainty in the Longterm
Huffington Post 7/6 (12, “Investment will follow If congress renews PTC” http://www.thecleanenergyexchange.org/posts/view/investment-will-follow-if-congress-renews-ptc/d709khtkaw/)
This tax credit has been
global leadership in a rapidly emerging new sector.
Production Tax Credit key – Failure to Extend it Tanks the Industry
Matthews 12 (Richards, 3/7, Global Warming is Real, “Why Congress Must Extend the PTC for Wind Power”, http://globalwarmingisreal.com/2012/03/07/why-congress-must-extend-the-ptc-for-wind-power/)
The expiration of the production tax credit (PTC) at the end of this year constitutes a
anticipated in the second half of 2012.
Failure to Extend Now Causes Job Loss in the Near Term
Hitt 6/6/12 (Mary Anne, director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, which is working to eliminate coal's contribution to global warming and repower the nation with clean energy, Wind Works: Time to Pass the Production Tax Credit, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-anne-hitt/wind-energy_b_1571662.html) kc
The wind industry supports more
transitions to a clean energy economy.
That Spills Over to Other Parts of the Economy
Philip Warburg Environmental Lawyer and president of the Conservation Law Foundation 2012 Harvest the Wind: America’s Journey to Jobs, Energy Independence, and Climate Stability Beacon Press, Boston Pg95
Under the 20% Wind Energy by 2030 scenario,
– isn’t this a path worth taking?
Production Tax Credit key – Failure to Extend it Tanks the Industry
Matthews 12 (Richards, 3/7, Global Warming is Real, “Why Congress Must Extend the PTC for Wind Power”, http://globalwarmingisreal.com/2012/03/07/why-congress-must-extend-the-ptc-for-wind-power/)
The expiration of the production tax credit
anticipated in the second half of 2012.
Tanks the Manufacturing Industry
BusinessWire 12/12/11 (New Study: Wind Energy Success Story at Risk with 54,000 American Jobs in the Balance, http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20111212005589/en/Study-Wind-Energy-Success-Story-Risk-54000) kc
“American manufacturing jobs
ucts, the PTC effectively expires at the end of this year.
Manufacturing is Key to the US Economy
Oak Ridge National Laboratory 2011 “Innovations in New Technology” http://www.ornl.gov/adm/partnerships/industrial/ManufactBrochureSml.pdf
The US manufacturing industry
manufacturing ¶ innovations in the coming decades.
Sustaining US Job Growth is Key to the US Economy – Collapse Would Go Global
AP, 7-24-‘12 (“Another global recession on the horizon?”)
Reinvigorating the US economy prevents global economic
falls off the so-called fiscal cliff.
Nuclear War
Brzezinski 2-9-12 (Zbigniew, “After America,” Foreign Policy Iss 191 pg 26, Proquest, Mike)
For if America falters, the world
order where there would normally be conflict.
A Short Term Extension After the Election is Insufficient
Leone, 12 (Steve, Associate Editor@ RenewableEnergyWorld.com, “¶ On the Edge of the Subsidy Cliff: Will the US PTC Expire?”, 7/31/12, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/07/on-the-edge-of-the-subsidy-cliff-will-the-us-ptc-expire?page=all) WP
¶ The Timetable¶ ¶ At Windpower
not only to renew, but to put in a cycle that people can be assured that they can make decisions two years, three years and five years down the road,’ he added.
Advantage 2 is Energy Leadership
US environmental leadership is low – domestic policies are key to international modeling
Desombre, 10 (Elizabeth R, Frost Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Associate Professor of Political Science focusing on international environmental politics @ Wellesley, “The United States and Global Environmental Politics: Domestic Sources of U.S. Unilateralism”, 2010, http://www.polisci.ufl.edu/usfpinstitute/2010/documents/readings/DeSombre%20Chapter.pdf) WP
U.S. leadership (or even level of
climate change happens in the reverse, pushed by industry impacted by¶ international (or subnational) regulation.
Now is key to curbing climate change – wind power sends an international signal
Global Wind Energy Council ’12 (“Wind Energy Must be Key Climate Change Solution,” http://www.gwec.net/index.php?id=136, Mike)
Climate change is now generally
wind power to reach its full potential.
PTC is Key to Energy Leadership
By Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. Member, House Ways And Means Committee, 2012 August 7 “Congress Should Extend PTC Immediately” http://energy.nationaljournal.com/2012/08/should-wind-tax-credit-stay-or.php
The world is in the midst
for decades to come by extending the PTC.
Electrical Grid is Key Factor in Emissions
Environmental Protection Agency No Date http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html
Electricity is a significant source of energy in the United States and is used to power homes, business, and industry. The combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity
type of fossil fuel used to generate electricity will emit different amounts of CO2. To produce a given amount of electricity, burning coal will produce more CO2 than oil or natural gas.
Wind Power Solves Warming
Greenpeace ‘6 (“Wind Power Key to Fight Climate Change,” September 20, http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/wind-power-key-to-fight-climat/, Mike)
Over a third of the world's electricity
economic situation for many decades to come."
Sustained Leadership is Key – Wind Power Can Replace Fossil Fuels Globally in 4 Years
Bloomberg 11 (10/11, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, “Onshore wind energy to reach parity with fossil-fuel electricity by 2016” http://bnef.com/PressReleases/view/172)
London and New York, 10
would bring forward the timing of grid parity for wind.
Climate change results in multiple scenarios for extinction – it’s try or die for the aff
Sawin Senior Director of the Energy and Climate Change Program at the WorldWatch Institute Aug. ’12 (Janet, “Climate Change Poses Greater Security Threat than Terrorism,” http://www.worldwatch.org/node/77, Mike)
As early as 1988, scientists cautioned that human
-term targets that incorporate gradually declining caps.
Warming is conclusively real and anthropogenic – acting now key to mitigate weather-disasters
Beinecke President of the Natural Resources Defense Council 8-1-12 (Frances, “Connecting the Dots on Climate Change,” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frances-beinecke/connecting-the-dots-on-cl_b_1728809.html, Mike)
On Wednesday, the Senate Environment and Public Works committee takes up the important issue of climate change science and adaptation. Hopefully, it's a first
wise to act now -- before the next weather disaster strikes.
Scientific Consensus Based on Climate Models and Observational Data That Warming is Real and Anthropogenic
By Joe Romm on Aug 28, 2012 at 12:29 pm OE ROMM is a Fellow at American Progress and is the editor of Climate Progress “Meteorological Society: Warming Is ‘Unequivocal’, We’re The ‘Dominant Cause’, We Need ‘Rapid Reduction’ Of CO2”
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/08/28/757991/meteorological-society-warming-is-unequivocal-were-the-dominant-cause-we-need-rapid-reduction-of-co2/
The American Meteorological Society
amplifying the impact of human-induced increases in other greenhouse gases….
Independently Energy leadership is uniquely key to soft power
Lugar 8 (Richard, US senator, Jan., http://lugarenergycenter.iupui.edu/forum.html)
Third, energy is the underlying condition
Azerbaijan. Those benefits can also be reaped in Central Asia¶ .
Soft Power key to solve multiple extinction scenarios
Joseph Nye, professor of international relations at Harvard University, 2008 or later (n.d.) (“American Power After the Financial Crises,” http://www.foresightproject.net/publications/articles/article.asp?p=3533)
Power always depends on context
largest country cannot achieve its aims without the help of others.
Environmental Leadership is Key to Shaping the Durban Platform
by Elliot Diringer Executive Vice President at C2ES 05/18/2012 Climate Negotiators Open A New Round http://www.c2es.org/blog/diringere/climate-negotiators-open-new-round-bonn
A new round of climate talks
talks along, the real work right now is back at home.
Success of the Durban Platform Creates a Relationship of Mutual Trust Between the US and China
Alvin Lin is the China Climate and Energy Policy Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council and Michael Davidson is the US-China Climate Policy Coordinator at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Durban Climate Talks and Bridging the Trust Gap December 19, 2011
After a marathon session into early
will have a chance of coming together to effectively address climate change.
US Leadership on Clean Energy is Key to Establishing That Relationship
by Deborah Seligsohn on December 16, 2011 China At Durban: First Steps Toward A New Climate Agreement http://insights.wri.org/news/2011/12/china-durban-first-steps-toward-new-climate-agreement
It seems the coverage thus far has overlooked
international context will be less of a motivation. Strong U.S. – Sino relations prevents extinction – it is the only way to solve economic stability, terrorism, crime, prolif, and disease spread.
Wenzhong, PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2-7-2K4 (Zhou, “Vigorously Pushing Forward the Constructive and Cooperative Relationship Between China and the United States,” http://china-japan21.org/eng/zxxx/t64286.htm)
China's development needs a peaceful international….three joint communiqués and firmly grasp the common interests of the two countries, we will see even greater accomplishments in China-US relations. |
| 09/29/2012 | Tournament: Gonzaga | Round: Finals | Opponent: CSUF CT | Judge:
Plann: The United States federal government ought to make available a permanent production tax credit for systems referenced in United States Code Title 42, Chapter 100, § 9210(2).
Observation 1 : Inherency
Obama Has Announced Support For the Extension of the PTC But It Wont Happen Until After the Election
Des Moines Register 2012 8/15 Wind credit likely to stay
All the huff and puff on the campaign trail in Iowa aside, it’s likely
AND
credit won’t happen before the election, aides for Iowa’s congressional delegation said.
That Delay Will Tank the Industry
Bloomberg 2012 Aug 21 Extend Wind-Power Tax Credit Now, So It Can Die Later http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-21/extend-wind-power-tax-credit-now-so-it-can-die-later.html
With companies rushing to finish before another expiration on Dec. 31, building this
AND
it would take some time for the industry to ramp up its plans.
This Renewal Will Be Another Short-Term Extension of the PTC – Short-Term Extensions Create Uncertain Markets That Stifles the Industry – 5 Reasons
Dr. Ryan Wiser, Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 2007 March 29 “Wind Power and the Production Tax Credit: An Overview of Research Results” Testimony Prepared for a Hearing on ‘Clean Energy: From the Margins to the Mainstream’ Senate Finance Committee
Though the historical impacts of the PTC are well known, somewhat less recognized is
AND
given uncertainty in the future ¶ domestic market demand for those advanced technologies. And Scalability Would Be Fast – Industries Are Just Waiting on a Signal From a Stable Federal Policy
Clean Technica 08 (“The “Unlimited” Potential of American Wind Power: AWEA”, April 22, http://cleantechnica.com/2008/04/22/the-unlimited-potential-of-american-wind-power-awea/)
The American Wind Energy Association held a press conference today (4/21/
AND
they need is enough time to build, which relies upon the PTC. All Alternatives to the PTC Are Insufficient
Bolinger et al. November 2007 Ryan Wiser staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
AND
. 77 Vol. 20 No. 9 ISSN: 1040-6190 LexisNexis
Though the purpose of this article has not been to defend any particular policy outcome
AND
those policies, as well as the alternative uses of the required funds. Observation 2: Warming
US environmental leadership is low – domestic policies are key to international modeling
Desombre, 10 (Elizabeth R, Frost Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Associate Professor of Political Science focusing on international environmental politics @ Wellesley, “The United States and Global Environmental Politics: Domestic Sources of U.S. Unilateralism”, 2010, http://www.polisci.ufl.edu/usfpinstitute/2010/documents/readings/DeSombre%20Chapter.pdf) WP
U.S. leadership (or even level of participation) in international environmental
AND
, pushed by industry impacted by¶ international (or subnational) regulation.
Now is key to curbing climate change – wind power sends an international signal
Global Wind Energy Council ’12 (“Wind Energy Must be Key Climate Change Solution,” http://www.gwec.net/index.php?id=136, Mike)
Climate change is now generally accepted to be the greatest environmental threat facing the world
AND
and the finance sector need for wind power to reach its full potential.
PTC is Key to Energy Leadership
By Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. Member, House Ways And Means Committee, 2012 August 7 “Congress Should Extend PTC Immediately” http://energy.nationaljournal.com/2012/08/should-wind-tax-credit-stay-or.php
The world is in the midst of an energy revolution. Due to rising fossil fuel prices, the instability of oil rich regions, and the increasing dangers of global climate change, communities all over the planet are looking for new, modern, sustainable sources of energy. The United States should lead the way in investment and innovation that will pay dividends both economically and environmentally for decades to come by extending the PTC.
Electrical Grid is Key Factor in Emissions
Environmental Protection Agency No Date http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html
Electricity is a significant source of energy in the United States and is used to
AND
electricity, burning coal will produce more CO2 than oil or natural gas.
Wind Power Solves Warming
Greenpeace ‘6 (“Wind Power Key to Fight Climate Change,” September 20, http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/wind-power-key-to-fight-climat/, Mike)
Over a third of the world's electricity - crucially including that required by industry -
AND
will determine the world's environmental and economic situation for many decades to come." Environmental Leadership is Key to Shaping the Durban Platform
by Elliot Diringer Executive Vice President at C2ES 05/18/2012 Climate Negotiators Open A New Round http://www.c2es.org/blog/diringere/climate-negotiators-open-new-round-bonn
A new round of climate talks opened this week in Bonn, Germany, with
AND
the talks along, the real work right now is back at home.
Success of the Durban Platform Creates a Relationship of Mutual Trust Between the US and China
Alvin Lin is the China Climate and Energy Policy Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council and Michael Davidson is the US-China Climate Policy Coordinator at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Durban Climate Talks and Bridging the Trust Gap December 19, 2011
After a marathon session into early Sunday, the climate talks in Durban concluded this
AND
world will have a chance of coming together to effectively address climate change.
US Leadership on Clean Energy is Key to Establishing That Relationship
by Deborah Seligsohn on December 16, 2011 China At Durban: First Steps Toward A New Climate Agreement http://insights.wri.org/news/2011/12/china-durban-first-steps-toward-new-climate-agreement
It seems the coverage thus far has overlooked one development: the relationships that emerged
AND
domestic purposes, but the international context will be less of a motivation.
. Leadership is Key – Wind Power Can Replace Fossil Fuels Globally in 4 Years
Bloomberg 11 (10/11, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, “Onshore wind energy to reach parity with fossil-fuel electricity by 2016” http://bnef.com/PressReleases/view/172)
London and New York, 10 November 2011 – The cost of electricity from onshore
AND
fired turbines, would bring forward the timing of grid parity for wind. Warming guarantees multiple positive feedbacks triggering extinction, adaptation cannot solve
Tickell ‘8 (Oliver, Climate Researcher, “On a Planet 4C Hotter, All We Can Prepare for is Extinction,” The Guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/11/climatechange, Mike)
We need to get prepared for four degrees of global warming, Bob Watson told
AND
warming caused by human emissions could propel us towards a similar hothouse Earth. Observation 3- Defending Our Assumptions Warming is conclusively real and anthropogenic – acting now key to mitigate weather-disasters
Beinecke President of the Natural Resources Defense Council 8-1-12 (Frances, “Connecting the Dots on Climate Change,” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frances-beinecke/connecting-the-dots-on-cl_b_1728809.html, Mike)
On Wednesday, the Senate Environment and Public Works committee takes up the important issue
AND
would be wise to act now -- before the next weather disaster strikes. Scientific Consensus Based on Climate Models and Observational Data That Warming is Real and Anthropogenic
By Joe Romm on Aug 28, 2012 at 12:29 pm OE ROMM is a Fellow at American Progress and is the editor of Climate Progress “Meteorological Society: Warming Is ‘Unequivocal’, We’re The ‘Dominant Cause’, We Need ‘Rapid Reduction’ Of CO2”
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/08/28/757991/meteorological-society-warming-is-unequivocal-were-the-dominant-cause-we-need-rapid-reduction-of-co2/
The American Meteorological Society has updated and strengthened its statement on global warming.¶ Here
AND
, amplifying the impact of human-induced increases in other greenhouse gases….
Science should be trusted – philosophies dismissing scientific realism are ignorant
Sullivan, 1998 Phillip A., professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Toronto’s Institute for Aerospace Studies, “An Engineer Dissects Two Cases Studies”, A House Built on Sand: Exposing Postmodernist Myths about Science, edited by Noretta Koertge
With a telephone line held open to allow us immediate access to data on spacecraft
AND
with scientific knowledge reflect problems in those disciplines and not problems in science. Observation 4 Framework - The role of the ballot is to evaluate the simulated policy outcomes of government implementation of the plan
A. Predictable Limits – should which implies a question over federal action.
B. Education- Energy POLICY matters and we need policy action to address the pressing energy needs of the US and the world
Wirth, Gray and Podesta, very qualified, ‘3 The Future of Energy
AND
Clinton. Volume 82 • Number 4 Foreign Affairs 2003 Council on Foreign Relations
The big questions A century ago, Lord Selborne, the first lord of the
AND
challenges and the interests that can be mobilized for the necessary political change.
C. Advocacy: Framing climate change in terms of public policy is necessary to generate social change- debate is a unique opportunity to enlighten warming nay-sayers
Nisbet, ‘10 (Matthew, Professor of Communication, American University and AB in Government from Dartmouth College. August, Communicating Climate Change: Why Frames Matter for Public Engagement, Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 51:2, 12-23)
U.S. presidents, especially newly elected ones, are often given discretion
AND
a reexamination of the assumptions that have traditionally informed climate change communication efforts.
D. Abstract intellectualism is useless—environmental philosophers should orient themselves towards real-life problems.
Avner De-Shalit, 2k. Professor of Political Theory at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Associate Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Environment, Ethics, and Society, Mansfield College, Oxford University. “The Environment: Between Theory and Practice,” p. 20, Questia.
So animal rights philosophers have been missing the chance to find a way to many
AND
philosophers who suggest this idea, and scorn all such claims as nonsense.
E. Our discourse solves- Apocalyptic rhetoric is critical to effective solutions to climate change
Kamminga, IR @ Groningen, 8
(Menno, "The Ethics of Climate politics: four modes of moral discourse," Environmental politics 17(4), Informa) Elliot
The separate importance of prophetic discourse for climate ethics seems clear from the above treatment
AND
and thereby stress desirable, even if not very realistic, human possibilities.
Political responsibility requires a consideration of consequences
Jeffrey Isaac, James H. Rudy Professor of Political Science and director of the Center for the Study of Democracy and Public Life at Indiana University, Bloomington, Spring 2002, Dissent, vol. 49, no. 2 As writers such as Niccolo Machiavelli, Max Weber, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Hannah
AND
choices. But it should never be mistaken for a serious political commitment. |
| 10/02/2012 | Tournament: ISU | Round: Finals | Opponent: ISU CI | Judge:
1AC Plan: The United States federal government ought to make available a permanent production tax credit for systems referenced in United States Code Title 42, Chapter 100, § 9210(2).
Observation 1 : Inherency
Obama Has Announced Support For the Extension of the PTC But It Wont Happen Until After the Election
Des Moines Register 2012 8/15 Wind credit likely to stay
All the huff and puff on the campaign trail in Iowa aside, it’s likely
AND
credit won’t happen before the election, aides for Iowa’s congressional delegation said.
That Delay Will Tank the Industry
Bloomberg 2012 Aug 21 Extend Wind-Power Tax Credit Now, So It Can Die Later http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-21/extend-wind-power-tax-credit-now-so-it-can-die-later.html
With companies rushing to finish before another expiration on Dec. 31, building this
AND
it would take some time for the industry to ramp up its plans.
This Renewal Will Be Another Short-Term Extension of the PTC – Short-Term Extensions Create Uncertain Markets That Stifles the Industry – 5 Reasons
Dr. Ryan Wiser, Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 2007 March 29 “Wind Power and the Production Tax Credit: An Overview of Research Results” Testimony Prepared for a Hearing on ‘Clean Energy: From the Margins to the Mainstream’ Senate Finance Committee
Though the historical impacts of the PTC are well known, somewhat less recognized is
AND
given uncertainty in the future ¶ domestic market demand for those advanced technologies. And Scalability Would Be Fast – Industries Are Just Waiting on a Signal From a Stable Federal Policy
Clean Technica 08 (“The “Unlimited” Potential of American Wind Power: AWEA”, April 22, http://cleantechnica.com/2008/04/22/the-unlimited-potential-of-american-wind-power-awea/)
The American Wind Energy Association held a press conference today (4/21/
AND
they need is enough time to build, which relies upon the PTC. Our advantage is warming
Obama is perceived as a nationalist on energy because of dirty energy production—the US currently views the world through the lens of exploitation
Klare Professor of Peace and World Security Studies at Hampshire College 6-21-12 (Michael, “Is Barack Obama Morphing Into Dick Cheney?” http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/06/barack-obama-energy-dick-cheney, Mike)
As details of his administration's global war against terrorists, insurgents, and hostile warlords
AND
but copying the Cheney energy blueprint is bound to produce the exact opposite.
International emitters look to domestic leaders
Desombre, 10 (Elizabeth R, Frost Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Associate Professor of Political Science focusing on international environmental politics @ Wellesley, “The United States and Global Environmental Politics: Domestic Sources of U.S. Unilateralism”, 2010, http://www.polisci.ufl.edu/usfpinstitute/2010/documents/readings/DeSombre%20Chapter.pdf) WP
U.S. leadership (or even level of participation) in international environmental
AND
, pushed by industry impacted by¶ international (or subnational) regulation.
Now is key to curbing climate change – wind power sends an international signal
Global Wind Energy Council ’12 (“Wind Energy Must be Key Climate Change Solution,” http://www.gwec.net/index.php?id=136, Mike)
Climate change is now generally accepted to be the greatest environmental threat facing the world
AND
and the finance sector need for wind power to reach its full potential.
PTC is Key to Energy Leadership
By Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. Member, House Ways And Means Committee, 2012 August 7 “Congress Should Extend PTC Immediately” http://energy.nationaljournal.com/2012/08/should-wind-tax-credit-stay-or.php
The world is in the midst of an energy revolution. Due to rising fossil fuel prices, the instability of oil rich regions, and the increasing dangers of global climate change, communities all over the planet are looking for new, modern, sustainable sources of energy. The United States should lead the way in investment and innovation that will pay dividends both economically and environmentally for decades to come by extending the PTC. Permanent extension of PTC Is necessary to be viewed as a clean energy leader
Erin Dewey, 5- ’11 (“SUNDOWN AND YOU BETTER TAKE CARE: WHY SUNSET PROVISIONS HARM THE RENEWABLE ENERGY INDUSTRY AND VIOLATE TAX PRINCIPLES”, 52 B.C. L. Rev 1105)
The permanent extension of the PTC is necessary to promote renewable energy in the United
AND
in the interest of realizing the social and economic benefits of renewable energy. Electrical Grid is Key Factor in Emissions
Environmental Protection Agency No Date http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html
Electricity is a significant source of energy in the United States and is used to
AND
electricity, burning coal will produce more CO2 than oil or natural gas.
Wind Power Solves Warming
Greenpeace ‘6 (“Wind Power Key to Fight Climate Change,” September 20, http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/wind-power-key-to-fight-climat/, Mike)
Over a third of the world's electricity - crucially including that required by industry -
AND
will determine the world's environmental and economic situation for many decades to come." Leadership is Key – Wind Power Can Replace Fossil Fuels Globally in 4 Years
Bloomberg 11 (10/11, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, “Onshore wind energy to reach parity with fossil-fuel electricity by 2016” http://bnef.com/PressReleases/view/172)
London and New York, 10 November 2011 – The cost of electricity from onshore
AND
fired turbines, would bring forward the timing of grid parity for wind.
Warming guarantees multiple positive feedbacks triggering extinction, adaptation cannot solve
Tickell ‘8 (Oliver, Climate Researcher, “On a Planet 4C Hotter, All We Can Prepare for is Extinction,” The Guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/11/climatechange, Mike)
We need to get prepared for four degrees of global warming, Bob Watson told
AND
warming caused by human emissions could propel us towards a similar hothouse Earth. Observation 2- Defending Our Assumptions
Warming is conclusively real and anthropogenic – acting now key to mitigate weather-disasters
Beinecke President of the Natural Resources Defense Council 8-1-12 (Frances, “Connecting the Dots on Climate Change,” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frances-beinecke/connecting-the-dots-on-cl_b_1728809.html, Mike)
On Wednesday, the Senate Environment and Public Works committee takes up the important issue
AND
would be wise to act now -- before the next weather disaster strikes. Scientific Consensus Based on Climate Models and Observational Data That Warming is Real and Anthropogenic
By Joe Romm on Aug 28, 2012 at 12:29 pm OE ROMM is a Fellow at American Progress and is the editor of Climate Progress “Meteorological Society: Warming Is ‘Unequivocal’, We’re The ‘Dominant Cause’, We Need ‘Rapid Reduction’ Of CO2”
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/08/28/757991/meteorological-society-warming-is-unequivocal-were-the-dominant-cause-we-need-rapid-reduction-of-co2/
The American Meteorological Society has updated and strengthened its statement on global warming.¶ Here
AND
, amplifying the impact of human-induced increases in other greenhouse gases….
Science should be trusted – philosophies dismissing scientific realism are ignorant
Sullivan, 1998 Phillip A., professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Toronto’s Institute for Aerospace Studies, “An Engineer Dissects Two Cases Studies”, A House Built on Sand: Exposing Postmodernist Myths about Science, edited by Noretta Koertge
With a telephone line held open to allow us immediate access to data on spacecraft
AND
with scientific knowledge reflect problems in those disciplines and not problems in science. Observation 3 Framework - The role of the ballot is to evaluate the simulated policy outcomes of government implementation of the plan
A. Predictable Limits – should which implies a question over federal action.
B. Education- Energy POLICY matters and we need policy action to address the pressing energy needs of the US and the world
Wirth, Gray and Podesta, very qualified, ‘3 The Future of Energy
AND
Clinton. Volume 82 • Number 4 Foreign Affairs 2003 Council on Foreign Relations
The big questions A century ago, Lord Selborne, the first lord of the
AND
challenges and the interests that can be mobilized for the necessary political change.
Energy policy NEEDS to happen in the context of politics – Our wirth gray and podesta evidence says politics has failed thus far and a purposeful strategyis necessary. You cant solve issues overnight without targeted policy interventions – that’s wirth gray and podesta Extend Nisbet ev
C. Advocacy: Framing climate change in terms of public policy is necessary to generate social change- debate is a unique opportunity to enlighten warming nay-sayers
Nisbet, ‘10 (Matthew, Professor of Communication, American University and AB in Government from Dartmouth College. August, Communicating Climate Change: Why Frames Matter for Public Engagement, Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 51:2, 12-23)
U.S. presidents, especially newly elected ones, are often given discretion
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a reexamination of the assumptions that have traditionally informed climate change communication efforts.
D. Abstract intellectualism is useless—environmental philosophers should orient themselves towards real-life problems.
Avner De-Shalit, 2k. Professor of Political Theory at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Associate Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Environment, Ethics, and Society, Mansfield College, Oxford University. “The Environment: Between Theory and Practice,” p. 20, Questia.
So animal rights philosophers have been missing the chance to find a way to many
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philosophers who suggest this idea, and scorn all such claims as nonsense. E. Our discourse solves- Apocalyptic rhetoric is critical to effective solutions to climate change
Kamminga, IR @ Groningen, 8
(Menno, "The Ethics of Climate politics: four modes of moral discourse," Environmental politics 17(4), Informa) Elliot
The separate importance of prophetic discourse for climate ethics seems clear from the above treatment
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and thereby stress desirable, even if not very realistic, human possibilities.
Political responsibility requires a consideration of consequences
Jeffrey Isaac, James H. Rudy Professor of Political Science and director of the Center for the Study of Democracy and Public Life at Indiana University, Bloomington, Spring 2002, Dissent, vol. 49, no. 2 As writers such as Niccolo Machiavelli, Max Weber, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Hannah
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choices. But it should never be mistaken for a serious political commitment. Extra If have time
Environmental Leadership is Key to Shaping the Durban Platform
by Elliot Diringer Executive Vice President at C2ES 05/18/2012 Climate Negotiators Open A New Round http://www.c2es.org/blog/diringere/climate-negotiators-open-new-round-bonn
A new round of climate talks opened this week in Bonn, Germany, with
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the talks along, the real work right now is back at home.
Success of the Durban Platform Creates a Relationship of Mutual Trust Between the US and China
Alvin Lin is the China Climate and Energy Policy Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council and Michael Davidson is the US-China Climate Policy Coordinator at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Durban Climate Talks and Bridging the Trust Gap December 19, 2011
After a marathon session into early Sunday, the climate talks in Durban concluded this
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world will have a chance of coming together to effectively address climate change.
US Leadership on Clean Energy is Key to Establishing That Relationship
by Deborah Seligsohn on December 16, 2011 China At Durban: First Steps Toward A New Climate Agreement http://insights.wri.org/news/2011/12/china-durban-first-steps-toward-new-climate-agreement
It seems the coverage thus far has overlooked one development: the relationships that emerged
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domestic purposes, but the international context will be less of a motivation.
. 2AC DA 1
Apocalyptic rhetoric is critical to effective solutions to climate change
Kamminga, IR @ Groningen, 8
(Menno, "The Ethics of Climate politics: four modes of moral discourse," Environmental politics 17(4), Informa) Elliot
The separate importance of prophetic discourse for climate ethics seems clear from the above treatment
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and thereby stress desirable, even if not very realistic, human possibilities. Link - Our Aff is not the type of consumption they criticize- Wind panels don’t consume anything rather are just a transfer energy into a different form
Dustin Cohen 2010 March 10 Some Notes on Heidegger’s Question Concerning Technology (Enframing, Standing Reserve and Virtual Technologies) http://cybject.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/some-notes-on-heidegger%E2%80%99s-question-concerning-technology-enframing-standing-reserve-and-virtual-technologies/
Martin Heidegger was concerned about the status of the human amidst modern technology. Tied
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does not commandeer nature’s energy or store it for future use (Mitcham).
2. Permutation do the plan with a focus on consumption based approach to energy resources – solves better and the aff is a net-benefit
Bryant and Goodman 4 - * PhD in Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, Professor of Communication Studies
Raymond and Michael, “Consuming Narratives: The Political Ecology of 'Alternative' Consumption,” Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, New Series, Vol. 29, No. 3
The consumption practices of the conservation- and solidarity-seeking commodity cultures described here
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along the powerful socio-economic and ecological networks of production and development.
3. Their K doesn’t deny that the plan is bad– you can vote aff for another justification
Hargraves, 12 July, Robert, Robert Hargraves has written articles and made
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than coal, ISBN: 1478161299, purchased online at Amazon.com
New technology makes clean energy, cheaper than coal. New energy technology solves more
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agree to an energy technology that both improves both the environment and productivity.
5. Perm: Do the plan and all parts of alt that don’t reject the AFF
Our Robertson evidence is much better than any impact they have – tech friendly counterculture like our affirmative has been able to solve for the problems of the K. this proves as uniqueness for how we have solved the problems of consumption with civilization. Robertson also said we can redefine civilization which is exactly what our permutation is talking about
6. Environmental management and tech are key to prevent extinction-there is no more “natural” state to retreat to.
Robertson 7 Ross, Associate Editor, What Is Enlightenment, previously worked for the National Resources Defense Council, “A Brighter Shade of Green: Rebooting Environmentalism for the 21st Century”, http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/j38/bright-green.asp, AVLB
It was a philosophy that completely reversed the fulcrum of environmental thinking, shifting its
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boldly enough and we may fail completely.”¶ GENDERED LANGUAGE SAID IN CONTEXT¶
History demonstrates the resilience of capitalism and the inevitability of growth despite periodic recessions and government intervention
Gross,Writer for Newsweek, ‘9 (Daniel, “Decline? I’ll Decline: Our best days aren't necessarily behind us”, Newsweek, 2009, http://www.newsweek.com/id/183667?from=rss)
The dumb, willfully blind optimists who dominated the late boom have been evicted—
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of American history have shown that it can be a pretty good guide. Impact - Extinction in the short term matters—Tickell evidence says warming will conclusively lead to extinction—Greenpeace says we have till 2020 to stop climate change, that gives us 80 years for policy makers to come up with a solution to the collapse of civilization
2. Extend Issac—A consideration of political consequences is key—To not means we’re failing our responsibility as policy makers
Alternative - Permutation—do the plan and reject civilization.
2. Permutation—do the plan as a means of positive resistance.
3. The alternative is self-rupturing and results in a vacuum of human nihilism that destroys value to life—civilization is not only inevitable, but even the most radical authors wouldn’t follow their path—Perm resolves this
Trotter ‘3 (Alex, “The Question of Primitivism,” July 30, http://insurgentdesire.org.uk/questionofprimitivism.htm)
The radical anthropology that many anarchists have recently taken interest in has the merit of
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we want to call it) and its quarrel with Marxism and leftism.
4. They have No evidence that the ALT—
A. Causes a mindset shift or
B. Spill over to other nations
They have to win both of these things to win their Alt solves the links—We have evidence that says the plan is molded internationally
5. Zerzans criticism devolves into circular logic about civilization—language and symbols that existed prior to civilization prove its inevitability—this construction of civilization turns all of their reasons its bad
Albert ‘5 (Michael, “Anthropology and John Zerzan: A Brief Critique,” March 27, http://www.insurgentdesire.org.uk/anthropologyandzerzan.htm)
John Zerzan is anarcho-primitivism’s most famous and vocal thinker. He has published
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our ways of life can often be a reflection of our greater context.
6. The Alt doesn’t offset emissions—Even if they win a civ collapse—Only wind power prevents RUNAWAY warming, that’s Global Wind Energy Council
7. The Alt can’t overcome human condition
Allenby 7 (Brad, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Arizona State University, “The Benefits of Our Hardwired Need to Consume,” GreenBiz.com, March 7, 2007, http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2007/03/08/the-benefits-our-hardwired-need-consume, AD: 7-6-9)
That humans are inclined to make choices that offer more pleasure than pain comes as
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who seek to impose such behavior change, regardless of their good intentions.
8. The K is totalizing—Some aspects of civilization are likely bad, but a wholesale rejection undermines ANY benefit to civ
9. The alternative fails—idealism cannot save the environment, only specific reforms.
Martin Lewis, 1994. Lecturer in history and director of the International Relations program at Stanford. Green Delusions, p. 12-3, Google Books.
It is certainly not my belief that ideas are insignificant or that attempting to change
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creation of an ecologically sustainable society becomes little more than an impossible dream.
10. The alternative isn’t feasible – production-focus is net-better
Winter 3 – PhD in Psychology, Professor @ Whitman
Deborah, “The Psychology of Environmental Problems,” Google Book
Giving up comforts and conveniences may be more than we can fathom, and reverting
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lot easier than reducing our use of hot water (Stern, 2000).- Environmental solutions must be sustainable—ignoring human needs means there will be an inevitable backlash that dismantles the alternative.
Daniel Farber, 1999. Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota. Eco-Pragmatism, Pg. 12-3.
The ultimate challenge for environmental law is social sustainability. It will do little good
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a few years. Environmental protection is a marathon, not a sprint.
12. The world of the alternative would be comparatively worse—returning to nature would put too much pressure on the environment, hastening extinction.
Martin Lewis, 1994. Lecturer in history and director of the International Relations program at Stanford. Green Delusions, p. 8, Google Books.
Finally, the radical green movement threatens nature by advocating a return to the land
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devastation that occurs when economic growth stalls out in an already industrialized society.
13. Alt Fails- The Transition to a de-developed society will destroy environmental protection
Lewis , Professor of Environmental studies at Duke University, ’92 (Martin W., “Green Delusions: An Environmentalist Critique of Radical Environmentalism”)
If the most extreme version of the radical green agenda were to be fully enacted
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devestation that occurs when economic growth stalls out in an already industrialized society.
14. They Should Specify the Agent of the Alternative – That’s a Voting Issue First, our Solvency Arguments against the alternative are -there is a distinction in the literature between attitudinal change based on social location- means they have utopian fiat because they can make significant structural barriers to transformation disappear–alt will solve every case by the 2nr Second, is ground –we are forced to impact turn which they will say don’t apply or we have to link turn the criticism the AFF barely wins on 1AR
Ext – 2AC 1 Cohen
Our Cohen Evidence proves no link – we don’t use nature, the blowing of the wind is left up to nature and we accept that. There is no manipulation of the energy proving there is no link based on control. All their cards based off of consumption in the context of excess. Excess is inevitable with every energy type OTHER than wind Ext 2AC 2 Bryant Goodman
Extend Permutation do the plan with a focus on consumption, Our Bryant and Goodman evidence explains focusing on production can create dualities necessary to breaking down constructions of production
Even if they win a link, we solve the residual impacts because self-correction happens Ext Framerk
Energy policy NEEDS to happen in the context of politics – Our wirth gray and podesta evidence says politics has failed thus far and a purposeful strategyis necessary. You cant solve issues overnight without targeted policy interventions – that’s wirth gray and podesta Extend Nisbet ev
Micropolitics Fail
( ) Our Hero-ism K of micro-politics – their fear of co-optation means they work outside the system to their detriment. Micro creates an opportunity cost with the macro. They have it backwards – curriculum needs to start with the macro. Jensen ‘9
Tim Jensen – Co-coordinator of the Ohio State University’s Digital Media Project. He coordinates “Candid Candidacy” and, at the time of this writing, is a PhD student in Philosophy, and is quoting Oliver Marchart is a professor in the Department of Sociology, University of Lucerne – Bridging Micro and Macro :: Setting the Stage – April 6, 2009 – http://candidcandidacy.wordpress.com/2009/04/06/bridging-micro-and-macro-setting-the-stage/ Oliver Marchart asks the same question in his essay, “Bridging the Micro-
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that is why he argues for theorization to begin at macro-levels. They have it backwards – Learning macro-politics is a pre-requisite to successful micro-politics. Without it, micro-political sub-culture can’t re-aggregate to become counter-culture.
Marchart ‘4
Oliver Marchart is a professor in the Department of Sociology, University of Lucerne – Peace Review 16:4, December (2004), 415-420 – http://www.csub.edu/~mault/subcultures3.pdf In what came to be called the "resistance through style" paradigm of early
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depoliticized account of subcultures—even as those theorists started with the opposite intention of politicizing cultural theory. Yet not all roads lead to Rome, and not
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take place on the roads to Rome but on the road to Damascus. ( ) Macro-politics should come before micro-politics
Peggy A. Sissel is assistant professor, Center for Research on Teaching and Learning, College of Education, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, NEW DIRECTIONS FOR ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION, no. 91, Fall 2001
These scholars and others point to the necessity of developing an analysis of adult education
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be understood without some comprehension of the external environment in which they function. ( ) Micro-politics – even when politically potent – is doomed to fail and cede politics.
Dery ‘96
Mark Dery is an American author, lecturer and cultural critic. He taught media criticism and literary journalism in the Department of Journalism at New York University.In January 2000, he was appointed Chancellor's Distinguished Fellow at the University of California, Irvine – BUILDING A PROGRESSIVE, PRAGMATIC FUTURISM AN E-MAIL INTERVIEW WITH MARK DERY BY GEERT LOVINK– it is regarding his book Escape Velocity: Cyberculture at the End of the Century – the interview is available at: http://www.thing.desk.nl/bilwet/TXT/dery.txt.
Of course, techno-bricoleurs like Mark Pauline of Survival Research Laboratories better embody
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, stood in relation to the American atom bombs simultaneously falling on Japan. ( ) Micro-politics fails and is comparatively-worse than macro-politics Cummings and Eagly ‘1
Scott L. Cummings – Staff Attorney, Community Development Project, Public Counsel Law Center, Los Angeles, California. J.D., Harvard Law School, 1996. Ingrid V. Eagly – Coordinating Attorney, Immigrant Domestic Violence Project, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), Los Angeles, California. J.D., Harvard Law School, 1995. UCLA Law Review – February, 2001 – lexis, lawrev section.
The law and organizing model privileges local organizing as the centerpiece of social change practice
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, New Left Rev., July-Aug. 2000, at 49.
1AR AT : Collapse Inevitable Capitalism is self-correcting, ensures sustainability
Eichenwald, 2’ (Kurt, Staff writer, The New York Times, June 30, )
Could the short-term, self-rewarding mentality of a handful of capitalists
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which will wash away the next time unbridled exuberance creates a booming market. The whole world believes cap is inevitable
Ash, 7’ (Timothy Garton Ash, professor of European Studies at Oxford, 2/22/2007, The Guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/02018381,00.html)
What is the elephant in all our rooms? It is the global triumph of
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era of globalised capitalism. His prescription failed but his description was prescient. Even people in their anti-capitalist movement know there’s no alternative
Socialism Today, 6’ (“Fighting For Socialism: One Hundred Issues,” official magazine of the socialist party of England, April/May)
But what is the alternative to capitalism? The collapse of Stalinism – a caricature
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succumbed to the notion that there is no alternative to the capitalist market. |
| 01/03/2013 | Tournament: USC | Round: 1 | Opponent: Dartmouth CL | Judge: Plan: The United States Department of Energy ought to approve applications for exportation of liquefied natural gas to the country referenced in United States Code Title 22, Chapter 44, § 2902. There is a movement in Japan to re-arm now over the Senkaku Islands – it causes a war that draws in the U.S. and goes nuclearHallinan 10-19-12 (Conn Hallinan is a Foreign Policy In Focus columnist, a columnist for the Berkeley Daily Planet, former professor and chair of journalism at UC Santa Cruz, and Provost at UC Santa Cruz. "Japan’s Right Sees Nuclear Arms in Island Dispute," http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/opinion/japans-right-sees-nuclear-arms-in-island-dispute-304643.html-http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/opinion/japans-right-sees-nuclear-arms-in-island-dispute-304643.html, Mike)
Behind the current impasse among China, Japan, and Taiwan over five tiny specks
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the words of John Hersey, "the atomic bomb flashed above Hiroshima." Natural Gas competition is the FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM that triggers the miscalc war over the Senkaku IslandsWeitz Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute 9-18-12 (Richard, "Senkaku Dispute Reflects China-Japan Struggle for Regional Primacy," http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/12342/global-insights-senkaku-dispute-reflects-china-japan-struggle-for-regional-primacy-http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/12342/global-insights-senkaku-dispute-reflects-china-japan-struggle-for-regional-primacy**, Mike)
The large-scale anti-Japanese protests that swept across China over the weekend
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continue to support sustained dialogue and other mechanisms for containing their escalatory potential. Auslin Resident Scholar at the AEI American Enterprise Institute 10-10-12 (Michael, "The Looming Danger of an Asian Cold War," http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/the-looming-danger-of-an-asian-cold-war-1.1087108-http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/the-looming-danger-of-an-asian-cold-war-1.1087108, Mike)
There is a strong possibility that politics will trump economics in the new tension that
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plunging the world’s second and third-largest economies into actual conflict. This
would harm both economies, destabilise world markets and force the US into excruciatingly difficult choices over whether to uphold its mutual defence treaty with Japan and put at risk its entire relationship with China. That causes a naval arms race between China and the U.S. that escalates—Causes global nuclear warLantier 10-16-12 (Alex, "US Stokes China-Japan Dispute Over Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands," http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/oct2012/senk-o16.shtml-http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/oct2012/senk-o16.shtml**, Mike)
The United States is deepening its support for Japan in its standoff with China over
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imperialism against Iran and China, to assert control over key sea lanes. Natural Gas is the MAIN TRIGGER of conflict— No Alt CausesLavelle and Smith National Geographic 10-26-12 (Marianne and Jeff, Marianne Lavelle is an investigative reporter for The Center for Public Integrity, She previously worked for U.S. News and World Report and The National Law Journal and has received numerous journalistic honors, including the George Polk Award and the Investigative Reporters and Editors Award. "Why Are China and Japan Sparring Over Eight Tiny, Uninhabited Islands,"news.nationalgeographic.com/ news/energy/ 2012/10/121026-east-china-sea-dispute/-http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/ 2012/10/121026-east-china-sea-dispute/, Mike)
A team of Japanese surveyors prepares to depart for the Senkaku Islands, where oil
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visits to both Japan and China to urge the two nations to talk. Ziangyang Director of the National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academcy of Social Sciences 10-22-12 (Li, "China, South Korea to accelerate FTA negotiations without Japan," http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/china/AJ201210220004-http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/china/AJ201210220004**, accessed 10-22-12, Mike)
Amid the dispute over the Senkaku Islands, Chinese officials refused to interact with their
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will not yield, even if we have to pay some economic costs. Island tensions prevent regional economic integration causing Asian FTAs to fail in the status quoFukagawa Professor of the East Asian Economy at Waseda University 10-22-12 (Yukiko, "China, South Korea to accelerate FTA negotiations without Japan," http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/ china/AJ201210220004-http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/ china/AJ201210220004, accessed 10-22-12, Mike)
With political tensions between Japan and China becoming this strained, we cannot expect any
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in which they seek out countries other than China when making new investments. Seattle Times 9-27-12 ("Senkaku Islands Dispute Could Paralyze Asian Economy," http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2019281476_guestgregnancexml.html-http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2019281476_guestgregnancexml.html, Mike)
THE long-simmering rivalry between Japan and China, triggered by Japan’s purchase of
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, Washington has a major stake in keeping Asia’s maritime trade routes open. Reuters 12-20-12 ("Early Japan Reactor Restarts Unlikely Despite LDP Win," http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201212200087-http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201212200087, Mike)
Hopes within an anxious business community that Japan’s idle nuclear power stations would be rapidly
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, may also encourage policymakers to put off decisions to a later date." Das Founder of UniversalPegasus International ’11 (D.K., "Issues Facing U.S. Shale Gas Exports To Japan," December, Pipeline %26 Gas Journal, Lexis, Mike)
Japan has limited energy resources and its energy self-sufficiency, even after inclusion
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presents a unique opportunity for gas producers to sell more LNG to Japan. World Gas Conference ’12 ("Japanese LNG Dependence Will Continue," June 7, http://www.epmag.com/Production/WGC-Poll-Japanese-LNG-Dependence-Continue_101556-http://www.epmag.com/Production/WGC-Poll-Japanese-LNG-Dependence-Continue_101556**, Mike)
Delegates at the World Gas Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, believe Japan’s dependence
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country’s reliance on LNG will end in the short to medium-term." Terry-Cobo ’12 (Sarah, The Journal Record "Asian Markets Could Create Opportunity for U.S. LNG Exports," May 11, Lexis, Mike)
In the wake of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Japan in March 2011
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All of these things will affect domestic demand, in turn affecting prices. Envall Postdoctoral Fellow of IR at ANU and MacArthur Foundation Security Initiative ’10 (David, "Implications for Asia in Japan’s Economic Decline," August 11, http://www.eastasiaforum.org/ 2010/08/11/implications-for-asia-in-japans-economic-decline/-http://www.eastasiaforum.org/ 2010/08/11/implications-for-asia-in-japans-economic-decline/, Mike)
’To lose one decade may be a misfortune…’ ran a recent article
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decline, meaning that solutions should focus on strengthening the region’s security architecture. Ennis Brookings Institute ’11 (Peter, "Why Japan Still Matters," http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2011/05/10-japan-ennis-http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2011/05/10-japan-ennis, Mike)
Last October, during a largely-overlooked press briefing at the American Embassy at
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at the hip," but because the countries so powerfully share common values. Fesharaki, Ph.D. in Economics at University of Surrey and Visiting Fellow at Harvard’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies ’12 (Dr. Fereidun Fesharaki’s work is well-recognized worldwide for pioneering oil and gas market analysis and studies of the Asia Pacific/Middle East energy markets since the early 1980s. In the late 1970s, he attended the OPEC Ministerial Conferences in his capacity as Energy Adviser to the Prime Minister of Iran. He is a Senior Fellow at the East-West Center, where he heads the energyrelated research. He joined the East-West Center in 1979. Dr. Fesharaki is the author of more than 70 papers and has authored or edited over twenty three books and monographs. He serves on the editorial boards of many journals, including Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Energy - The International Journal, Geopolitics of Energy, Hydrocarbon Asia, and Journal of Energy Finance %26 Development. Dr. Fesharaki was the 1993 President of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE), the key professional organization representing over 3,000 energy economists in more than 70 countries. In 1989, Dr. Fesharaki was elected a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Since 1991, he has been a member of the International Advisory Board of Nippon Oil. Dr. Fesharaki is also a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy. In 1995, Dr. Fesharaki was elected as a Senior Fellow of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics for distinguished services in the field of energy economics. In 1998, Dr. Fesharaki joined the Board of Directors of the American-Iranian Council. In 2002, Dr. Fesharaki was appointed a Senior Associate of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. In 2008, Dr. Fesharaki was appointed a member of the National Petroleum Council by the US Secretary of Energy. In 2009, Dr. Fesharaki was appointed a member of Dubai Mercantile Exchange Limited (DME) Board of Directors. March, http://www.hcasia.safan.com/mag/hca0112/r20.pdf-http://www.hcasia.safan.com/mag/hca0112/r20.pdf, Mike)
The Japanese government, in the form of MITI, now METI, the Ministry
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of a new era fast tracked by the Japanese government energy policy concerns. Economist 9-22-12 ("Foot on the Gas," http://www.economist.com/node/21563342-http://www.economist.com/node/21563342, Mike)
WITH doubts running high about how long the Japanese government can survive, its decision
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. Woolliness may be sensible economics. But it is bad politics nonetheless. Oil %26 Gas Journal, ’11 ("US LNG Exports Likely in Near Term," March 14, http://www.ogj.com/articles/ print/volume-109/issue-11/general-interest/comment-consultant-us-lng-exports-likely.html-http://www.ogj.com/articles/ print/volume-109/issue-11/general-interest/comment-consultant-us-lng-exports-likely.html, Mike)
*Also no-links the Russia Oil DA
We are on the brink of a new opening of LNG exports from an unexpected
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Sabine Pass, La., has attracted the most interest from prospective tenants. Levi Council on Foreign Relations, ’12 (Michael, June "A Strategy for U.S. Natural Gas Exports," http://www.brookings.edu/~~/media/research/files/papers/2012/6/13%20exports%20levi/06_exports_levi-http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2012/6/13 exports levi/06_exports_levi, Mike)
One also needs to know how natural gas exports would affect domestic natural gas production
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billion for every one-dollar increase in the overseas natural gas price. The plan reassures Japan and exports are commercially online before 2015Das Founder of UniversalPegasus International ’11 (D.K., "Issues Facing U.S. Shale Gas Exports To Japan," December, Pipeline %26 Gas Journal, Lexis, Mike)
Japan would obviously seek reliable suppliers with which it has had a long relationship who
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and quicker access to the Far East, prime area for LNG demand. Das Founder of UniversalPegasus International ’11 (D.K., "Issues Facing U.S. Shale Gas Exports To Japan," December, Pipeline %26 Gas Journal, Lexis, Mike)
Japan and other Asian nations have been known to place a great deal of importance
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JBIC) loan agreement of SI billion with Woodside Petroleum Limited in Australia. Experts agree and explicitly advocate the plan – the U.S. must reduce restrictions on LNG exports to JapanArmitage International Trustee of CSIS and former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Nye emeritus of Government at Harvard ’12 (Richard and Joseph, "The U.S.-Japan Alliance," August, http://project2049.net/documents/120810_armitage_usjapanalliance_web.pdf-http://project2049.net/documents/120810_armitage_usjapanalliance_web.pdf**, Ian)
Recent positive developments in natural gas could rekindle bilateral energy trade in ways few thought
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equal footing with other FTA customers for U.S. natural gas. At worst, the plan only increases Natural Gas Prices by %241
Crooks Financial Times 12-16-12 ~Ed, http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/53fcd6a8-47a0-11e2-a899-00144feab49a.html~~%23axzz2FHLYlcTE-http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/53fcd6a8-47a0-11e2-a899-00144feab49a.html, Mike Important note: The article calls Canada a better bet because it assumes unlimited nat gas exports – plan only makes it legal for Japan.~
North America presents companies seeking to export natural gas to Asia with an intriguing conundrum
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overcome. The pollution risk is lower for gas than for oil routes. Neg DAs don’t link and aren’t unique—The NEW report on Natural Gas Exports by NERA provides political cover for the plan and proves that ON BALANCE it benefits the US economy, U.S. Businesses to pushing hard for the plan now—Bloomberg 12-27-12 ("Exxon to Sempra can Export Half of U.S. Home Gas Supply," http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/12/27/exxon-to-sempra-can-export-half-of-u-s-home-gas-supply/-http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/12/27/exxon-to-sempra-can-export-half-of-u-s-home-gas-supply/, Mike)
Natural gas suppliers from Sempra Energy (SRE) to Exxon Mobil Corp. (
AND
Texas-based Exxon, said in a Dec. 9 blog post. |
| 5 | 01/26/2013 | Tournament: Weber RR | Round: 3 | Opponent: Southwestern | Judge: Cronin, Parker Klare Professor of Peace and World Security Studies at Hampshire College 6-21-12 (Michael, “Is Barack Obama Morphing Into Dick Cheney?” http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/06/barack-obama-energy-dick-cheney, Mike) As details of his administration's global …. to produce the exact opposite. Global Wind Energy Council ’12 (“Wind Energy Must be Key Climate Change Solution,” http:~/~/www.gwec.net/index.php?id=136url:http://www.gwec.net/index.php?id=136(%%), Mike) Climate change is … to reach its full potential. Desombre, 10 (Elizabeth R, Frost Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Associate Professor of Political Science focusing on international environmental politics @ Wellesley, “The United States and Global Environmental Politics: Domestic Sources of U.S. Unilateralism”, 2010, http:~/~/www.polisci.ufl.edu/usfpinstitute/2010/documents/readings/DeSombre%20Chapter.pdf(%%)) WP U.S. leadership (or even level …international (or subnational) regulation. Environmental Protection Agency No Date http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html Electricity is a significant …e more CO2 than oil or natural gas. Greenpeace ‘6 (“Wind Power Key to Fight Climate Change,” September 20, http:~/~/www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/wind-power-key-to-fight-climat/http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/wind-power-key-to-fight-climat/(%%), Mike) Over a third of … the world's environmental and economic situation for many decades to come." Bloomberg 11 (10/11, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, “Onshore wind energy to reach parity with fossil-fuel electricity by 2016” http://bnef.com/PressReleases/view/172) London and New York, 10 …turbines, would bring forward the timing of grid parity for wind. Steve Seidel is Senior Advisor at C2ES 02/17/2012 http://www.c2es.org/blog/seidels/how-us-can-lead-short-lived-climate-pollutants HOW U.S. CAN LEAD ON SHORT-LIVED CLIMATE POLLUTANTS With Secretary Clinton’s announcement … economic losses, these are investments well worth making. Science Daily 7 (IPCC Synthesis Report: Risks And Rewards Of Combating Climate Change, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071119122043.htm) The challenges and opportunities … access to resources, conflict and disease. Warming is real and anthropogenic—Skeptics are bought off clownsProthero 12 (Donald Prothero, Professor of Geology at Occidental College, Lecturer in Geobiology at CalTech, "How We Know Global Warming is Real and Human Caused," 3/1/12, EBSCO) How do we know that global warming is ….climatic change when it threatens their survival. Neither can we as a society. Dan Brown et al, vice president and Andy Redinger is managing director and seg- ment head at KeyBanc Capital Mar- kets’ Energy Group. 5- ‘11 (“The Role Of REITs In Wind Power Finance”, https://www.key.com/kco/images/nws-energy-wind-power.pdf) Over the last decade, one of the …., any new sources of capital would be welcome. IRS REIT expansion guarantees massive investment- overcomes all alt causes and is key to certaintySturtevant, 10 – George Washington University Solar Institute (Josh, J.D. from George Washington University Law School, Legal Associate at Distributed Sun LLC, in-house legal fellow at a renewable energy financing and development firm, "The Solar REIT: A Vision for the Future of German Solar Development," BlawgConomics, 11-10-2010, blawgconomics.blogspot.com/2010/11/solar-reit-vision-for-future-of-german.html, accessed 10-12-12) Frequent visitors to the site …, whether politically or economically generated. And Scalability Would Be Fast – Industries Are Just Waiting on a Signal From a Stable Federal Policy Clean Technica 08 (“The “Unlimited” Potential of American Wind Power: AWEA”, April 22, http://cleantechnica.com/2008/04/22/the-unlimited-potential-of-american-wind-power-awea/) The American Wind Energy Association http://www.awea.org/(% style="font-size:5.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt" %)…. time to build, which relies upon the PTC. Nisbet 10 (Matthew, Professor of Communication, American University and AB in Government from Dartmouth College. August, Communicating Climate Change: Why Frames Matter for Public Engagement, Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 51:2, 12-23) U.S. presidents, especially …. communication efforts. Hutcheon 93—former prof of sociology of education at U Regina and U British Columbia. Former research advisor to the Health Promotion Branch of the Canadian Department of Health and Welfare and as a director of the Vanier Institute of the Family. Phd in sociology, began at Yale and finished at U Queensland. (Pat, A Critique of "Biology as Ideology: The Doctrine of DNA", http://www.humanists.net/pdhutcheon/humanist%20articles/lewontn.htm) The introductory lecture in this … itself has altered in the process. Science is the opposite of domination – scientific knowledge liberates and improves lives.Bronner 4 Stephen Eric Bronner, Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University, 2004, Reclaiming the Enlightenment: Toward a Politics of Radical Engagement, p. 21-23 Something will always be missing: freedom will …. Quite the contrary: progress became meaningful only with reference to real living individuals. Bryant 12—professor of philosophy at Collin College (Levi, We’ll Never Do Better Than a Politician: Climate Change and Purity, 5/11/12, http://larvalsubjects.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/well-never-do-better-than-a-politician-climate-change-and-purity/) Somewhere or other Latour makes the …, there’s no way around this, and we do need to act now. Bryant 12 (levi, famous internet blogger and OOOlogist, professor of philosophy at Collin College. On Cynicism. http://larvalsubjects.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/on-cynicism/) I’ve expressed this thought …able to move beyond this paralysis. Bricmont 1 (Jean, professor of theoretical physics at the University of Louvain, “Defense of a Modest Scientific Realism”, September 23, http://www.physics.nyu.edu/faculty/sokal/bielefeld_final.pdf) Given that instrumentalism is … ideas that might prove useful. |
| 01/27/2013 | Tournament: Weber RR | Round: 5 | Opponent: ASU | Judge: The status quo prevents regional and state level feed in tariffs from being effective- the Federal Energy Regulatory committees recent ruling mandates electricity produced be purchased at an “avoided cost” making solar impossibleD.A. Barber, 10-23-12 (regular correspondent for two Southern Arizona business publications and spent five years writing for the University of Arizona’s Report on Research. “U.S. Feed-in Tariffs will Increase PV Demand”, Energy Trend) While FIT programs are ….p PV marketing potential for module companies. Effective Feed in Tariffs are the only way to make solar power scalable, creates a strong solar manufacturing base and market competitionMelanie Hart and Kate Gordon, 5-16- 12 (Policy Analyst on China Energy and Climate Policy at the Center for American Progress , “5 Myths and Realities About U.S.-China Solar Trade Competition”, Center for American Progress) Innovation and demand-…key to U.S. market success. Felix Mormann, ’11 (Fellow, Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, Stanford Law School “Requirements for a Renewables Revolution”, 38 Ecology L.Q. 903) Finally, in the absence of a …victory for state-level deployment policies. DAVID YAFFE, ’10 (The Electricity Journal, “Are State Renewable Feed-In-Tariff Initiatives Truly Throttled by Federal Statutes After the FERC California Decision?”) For the last few years, several local … dispersed renewable development. Studies go aff- The plan DIRECTLY makes solar cost completive with natural gas, causing solar to satisfy nearly all of US electricity needsKen Willis, 10-25- 12 (Emeritus Professor of Environmental Economics, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK “Solar Energy Is Ready. The U.S. Isn't”, Bloomberg News) Worldwide, the picture is even …commercial power rates in many states. Environmental Protection Agency No Date http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html Electricity is a significant source of energy in the United States and is used to power homes, business, and industry. The combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity is the largest single source of CO2 emissions in the nation, accounting for about 40% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 33% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2009. The type of fossil fuel used to generate electricity will emit different amounts of CO2. To produce a given amount of electricity, burning coal will produce more CO2 than oil or natural gas. Effective feed in tariffs establish energy independence and environmental leadershipKellie M. Delaney, ‘8 (J.D. Candidate, California Western School of Law, 2009; M.A., Comparative Literature and B.A., Comparative Literature, University of California, Irvine. “THE SOLAR AGE: HOW FEED-IN LAWS FROM GERMANY CHART THE COURSE TO A U.S. SOLAR ENERGY MARKET”) Can a new administration and political … of changing political winds. Steve Seidel is Senior Advisor at C2ES 02/17/2012 http://www.c2es.org/blog/seidels/how-us-can-lead-short-lived-climate-pollutants HOW U.S. CAN LEAD ON SHORT-LIVED CLIMATE POLLUTANTS With Secretary Clinton’s announcement … these are investments well worth making. by Elliot Diringer Executive Vice President at C2ES 05/18/2012 Climate Negotiators Open A New Round http://www.c2es.org/blog/diringere/climate-negotiators-open-new-round-bonn A new round of climate … talks along, the real work right now is back at home. Jan W. Dash, UU-UNO Climate Initiative Chair Dec 12, 2011 “The Durban Platform and what we should do about it” http://www.uu-uno.org/2011/12/the-durban-platform-and-what-we-should-do-about-it/ The Durban Climate Conference (COP17… depends on what we do right now.¶ Let’s get to work. Science Daily 7 (IPCC Synthesis Report: Risks And Rewards Of Combating Climate Change, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071119122043.htm) The challenges and opportunities …access to resources, conflict and disease. Warming is real and anthropogenic—Skeptics are bought off clownsProthero 12 (Donald Prothero, Professor of Geology at Occidental College, Lecturer in Geobiology at CalTech, "How We Know Global Warming is Real and Human Caused," 3/1/12, EBSCO) How do we know that global warming is real ….c change when it threatens their survival. Neither can we as a society. Jim Rossi. Harry M. Walborsky Professor and Associate Dean for Research, Florida State University College of Law., 12- 9 (“TULANE LAW REVIEW 84 Tul. L. Rev. 379”) Economic themes have … efforts to limit carbon emissions. Klare Professor of Peace and World Security Studies at Hampshire College 6-21-12 (Michael, “Is Barack Obama Morphing Into Dick Cheney?” http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/06/barack-obama-energy-dick-cheney, Mike) As details of his administration's global … is bound to produce the exact opposite.¶ The Court Can Determine Price Floors on Federal Regulatory Policies – Best for establishing precedentJim Rossi and Thomas Hutton, ‘12 (Harry M. Walborsky Professor and Associate Dean for Research , “Judge Cudahy and the Deference Tension in United States Energy Law”, 29 Yale J. on Reg. 371) ¶ As a parting thought, we consider … innovation that Judge Cudahy has embraced Gabe Maser, ‘12 (Former Director, Washington, D.C. Office of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick; Georgetown University Law Center, J.D. ,“It’s Electric, but FERC’s Cost–Causation Boogie-Woogie Fails To Justify Socialized Costs for Renewable Transmission”, Georgetown law journal) The principal statute governing electric-… advances the public policy choices of its neighbors? Nisbet 10 (Matthew, Professor of Communication, American University and AB in Government from Dartmouth College. August, Communicating Climate Change: Why Frames Matter for Public Engagement, Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 51:2, 12-23) U.S. presidents, especially newly elected …climate change communication efforts. Hutcheon 93—former prof of sociology of education at U Regina and U British Columbia. Former research advisor to the Health Promotion Branch of the Canadian Department of Health and Welfare and as a director of the Vanier Institute of the Family. Phd in sociology, began at Yale and finished at U Queensland. (Pat, A Critique of "Biology as Ideology: The Doctrine of DNA", http://www.humanists.net/pdhutcheon/humanist%20articles/lewontn.htm) The introductory lecture in this series … itself has altered in the process. |
| 02/12/2013 | Tournament: NU | Round: 3 | Opponent: Oklahoma BaCh | Judge: Ryan Cheek
1AC
The plan: United States Federal Government ought to give sanction to states setting rates above the avoided cost for the production of solar power.
The status quo prevents regional and state level feed in tariffs from being effective- the Federal Energy Regulatory committees recent ruling mandates electricity produced be purchased at an “avoided cost” making solar impossible
D.A. Barber, 10-23-12 (regular correspondent for two Southern Arizona business publications and spent five years writing for the University of Arizona’s Report on Research. “U.S. Feed-in Tariffs will Increase PV Demand”, Energy Trend)
While FIT programs are far and few
rooftop PV marketing potential for module companies.
FERC restrictions prevent effective Feed in tariffs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
DAVID YAFFE, ’10 (The Electricity Journal, “Are State Renewable Feed-In-Tariff Initiatives Truly Throttled by Federal Statutes After the FERC California Decision?”)
For the last few years, several local
when such a premium is needed to facilitate dispersed renewable development.
Studies go aff- The plan DIRECTLY makes solar cost completive with natural gas, causing solar to satisfy nearly all of US electricity needs
Ken Willis, 10-25- 12 (Emeritus Professor of Environmental Economics, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK “Solar Energy Is Ready. The U.S. Isn't”, Bloomberg News)
Worldwide, the picture is even
make homegrown solar competitive with commercial power rates in many states.
Electrical Grid is Key Factor in Emissions, the alternative is continued reliance on dirty and disastrous coal fired powerplants
Environmental Protection Agency No Date http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html
Electricity is a significant source of energy in the United States and is used
more CO2 than oil or natural gas.
The Court Can Determine Price Floors on Federal Regulatory Policies – Best for establishing precedent
Jim Rossi and Thomas Hutton, ‘12 (Harry M. Walborsky Professor and Associate Dean for Research , “Judge Cudahy and the Deference Tension in United States Energy Law”, 29 Yale J. on Reg. 371)
¶ As a parting thought, we consider
future judges impressed by the dual principles of economic humility and subnational innovation that Judge Cudahy has embraced
Lack of clarity in just and reasonable definition prevents RE promotion
Gabe Maser, ‘12 (Former Director, Washington, D.C. Office of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick; Georgetown University Law Center, J.D. ,“It’s Electric, but FERC’s Cost–Causation Boogie-Woogie Fails To Justify Socialized Costs for Renewable Transmission”, Georgetown law journal)
The principal statute governing
the public policy choices of its neighbors?
Coal burning plants disproportionally affect the poor and minorities – pollution and waste unjustly cause numerous health impacts and independently worsens the effects of climate change
Air of Injustice, 2 (Report collaborated by the Black Leadership Forum, The Southern Organizing Committee for Economic and Social Justice, The Georgia Coalition for The Peoples’ Agenda, and Clear the Air, a joint project of three leading air quality groups: the Clean Air Task Force, National Environmental Trust and U.S. PIRG Education Fund. The Clean Air Task Force, “African Americans and Power Plant Pollution”, October 2002, http://www.energyjustice.net/files/coal/Air_of_Injustice.pdf)WP
African Americans are more
contaminate nearby¶ areas with windblown dust.
Most recent IPCC report illustrates the GLOBAL scientific consensus that warming causes terrible impacts that devastate the global south
-All drawn from IPCC 07 Report
-Makes an extinction claim
-Accesses a lot of different impact scenarios
-Adaption/Mitigation doesn’t solve
-Low increases in temp can trigger the impact
-Any benefits from warming will soon be outweighed by temp. increases
-Warming policy good
-Warming is irreversible
-Science good
Science Daily 7 (IPCC Synthesis Report: Risks And Rewards Of Combating Climate Change, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071119122043.htm)
The challenges and opportunities
access to resources, conflict and disease.
WARMING SERVES AS AN ACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM – DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTS NATIVE AMERICANS.
SMITH 4
Joel, Stratus Consulting, “A synthesis of potential climate change impacts on the US’ Pew Center, April -- online
Even within regions
move to new locations.
Warming is real and anthropogenic—Skeptics are bought off clowns
Prothero 12 (Donald Prothero, Professor of Geology at Occidental College, Lecturer in Geobiology at CalTech, "How We Know Global Warming is Real and Human Caused," 3/1/12, EBSCO)
How do we know that global warming
their survival. Neither can we as a society.
The approach must be bottom up- facilitating deregulation paves the way for future congressional action
Jim Rossi. Harry M. Walborsky Professor and Associate Dean for Research, Florida State University College of Law., 12- 9 (“TULANE LAW REVIEW 84 Tul. L. Rev. 379”)
Economic themes have arisen
regulatory efforts to limit carbon emissions.
Must imagine the unimaginable- embracing the possibility of a total solar society creates new possibilities for humanity.
Hermann Scheer, member German Parliament, President of Eurosolar, and Chair the World Council for Renewable Energy, ’94 (A Solar Manifesto)
This claim will be regarded
dangers caused by the existing energy system.
Plan spurs a Solar revolution entail a transformation of all relationships of domination – this is the only alternative to fossil fuel imperialism
Elmar Alvater, Prof of PolySci @ Free University of Berlin, ‘6 “The social formation of capitalism, fossil energy, and oil-imperialism.” Centre for Civil Society Colloqium on the Economy, Society and Nature: http://www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs/files/Altvater%20energy%20imperialism.pdf gender modified
There seems in fact to be only
carried out in a short period of time but in the long run.
Science should be trusted – philosophies dismissing science are mistaken
Sullivan, 1998 Phillip A., professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Toronto’s Institute for Aerospace Studies, “An Engineer Dissects Two Cases Studies”, A House Built on Sand: Exposing Postmodernist Myths about Science, edited by Noretta Koertge
With a telephone line held open
not problems in science.
Science is the opposite of domination – scientific knowledge liberates and improves lives.
Bronner 04 Stephen Eric Bronner, Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University, 2004, Reclaiming the Enlightenment: Toward a Politics of Radical Engagement, p. 21-23 Something will always be missing: freedom will never become fully
contrary: progress became meaningful only with reference to real liv¬ing individuals.
Education- Energy POLICY matters and we need policy action to address the pressing energy needs of the US and the world
Wirth, Gray and Podesta, very qualified, ‘3 The Future of Energy Policy Timothy E. Wirth, C. Boyden Gray, and John D. Podesta Timothy E. Wirth is President of the United Nations Foundation and a former U.S. Senator from Colorado. C. Boyden Gray is a partner at Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering and served as Counsel to former President George H.W. Bush. John D. Podesta is Visiting Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center and served as Chief of Staff to former President Bill Clinton. Volume 82 • Number 4 Foreign Affairs 2003 Council on Foreign Relations
The big questions A century ago, Lord Selborne, the first lord of
mobilized for the necessary political change.
Framing climate change in terms of public policy is necessary to generate social change- debate is a unique opportunity to enlighten warming nay-sayers
Nisbet, ‘10 (Matthew, Professor of Communication, American University and AB in Government from Dartmouth College. August, Communicating Climate Change: Why Frames Matter for Public Engagement, Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 51:2, 12-23)
U.S. presidents, especially newly
climate change communication efforts.
Environmental philosophers should orient themselves towards real-life problems.
Avner De-Shalit, 2k. Professor of Political Theory at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Associate Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Environment, Ethics, and Society, Mansfield College, Oxford University. “The Environment: Between Theory and Practice,” p. 20, Questia.
So animal rights philosophers
scorn all such claims as nonsense.
Debate over a controversial point of action creates argumentative stasis—that’s key to avoid over-personalization and the devolution of debate into competing truth claims
Steinberg, lecturer of communication studies – University of Miami, and Freeley, Boston based attorney who focuses on criminal, personal injury and civil rights law, ‘8
(David L. and Austin J., Argumentation and Debate: Critical Thinking for Reasoned Decision Making p. 45) Debate is a means of settling differences
will be outlined in the following discussion. |
| 02/12/2013 | Tournament: NU | Round: 6 | Opponent: Cal | Judge: David Heidt
Solar panel glut will destroy the Chinese economy
NYT 10-4-12 (“Glut of Solar Panels Poses a New Threat to China,” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/05/business/global/glut-of-solar-panels-is-a-new-test-for-china.html?pagewanted=all%26_r=0- , Mike)
China in recent years established global dominance
power remains far higher than for coal-generated power.
Chinese economic downturn guarantees lash-out and war
Gunness US Navy and Newmeyer Strategist Center for National Policy ‘9 (Kristen and Jacqueline, “Economic Crisis: Impact on Chinese Military Modernization,” http://cnponline.org/index.php?ht=a/GetDocumentAction/i/12503, Mike)
So I think either way, either because of
chance of conflict abroad for China.
Nuclear war – defense doesn’t apply
Kulacki Senior Analyst for the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists 9-21-12 (Gregory, “The Risk of Nuclear War with China,” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregory-kulacki/the-risk-of-nuclear-war-w_b_1903336.html¸MIke)
Last week two separate studies warned
the risks of war, which, while still small, continue to grow.
EU proves that FITs create an import market
Guerin Int’l Affairs and Development Economics at the French Institute for Sustainale Development and International Relations and Schiavo ’11 (Emmanuel and Joseph, “Pushing and Pulling: The Bumpy Road to Effective Renewable Energy Policy,” April, http://ictsd.org/i/news/bioresreview/103559/, Mike)
Hand in hand: Demand-pull and technology-push policies
energies as it is for any other technology.
The plan causes global renewables – solves red tape to importing Chinese products
Lynch ’11 (Peter, “Feed-in Tarrifs: The Proven Road NOT Taken,” November 23, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/11/feed-in-tariffs-the-proven-road-not-takenwhy, Mike)
America needs to introduce
are not theories, nor are they the next Solyndra.
Social instability coming now – pollution and urbanization prove
WSJ 2-8-13 (“China’s Urbanization Risk: Magnified Unrest,” http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/02/08/chinas-urbanization-risk-magnified-unrest/, Mike)
China’s new leaders seem to be placing
their profits to the government to pay for these ambitious welfare programs (in Chinese).
Pollution is sufficient to cause collapse – nuclear war ensues
Yee Professor of Politics and IR at Hong Kong Baptist University and Storey Professor of Defense Studies at Deakin ‘2 (Herbert and Ian, The China Threat: Perceptions, Myths and Reality, pg. 5, Mike)
The fourth factor contributing to the perception
would also pose a threat to its neighbors and the world.
Renewables are key to preserving the CCP – it’s a matter of survival
Hart PhD. In Political Science @ UC San Diego 12-6-12 (Melanie, “Why China is so Wary of Ambitious International Climate Targets,” http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/12/06/1296241/why-china-is-so-wary-of-ambitious-international-climate-targets/?mobile=nc, Mike)
Central leaders in Beijing are devoting
to protest the construction of new coal plants, and Beijing is taking notice.
Pollution-induced CCP collapse causes a unique ripple effect – countries rally around the flag and enter nuclear conflict
Nankivel Senior Researcher at the Office of the Special Advisory Policy for the Canadian Department of National Defense ‘9 (Nathan, “China’s Pollution and the Threat to Domestic and Regional stability, March 21, http://japanfocus.org/-Nathan-Nankivell/1799, Mike)
For the CCP and neighboring states, social unrest
powerful, nuclear-equipped nations. |
| 02/12/2013 | Tournament: NU | Round: | Opponent: | Judge: - We Meet- Our Plan increases a financial incentive for energy production
Steven Ferrey, ’10 (Professor of Law, Suffolk University Law School, “Legal Barriers to Sub-National Governance Techniques by U.S. States for Renewable Energy Promotion and GHG Control”, Prepared for the 2nd UNITAR'-Yale Conference on Environmental Governance and Democracy) The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
http://conference.unitar.org/yale/sites/conference.unitar.org.yale/files/Paper_Ferrey_0.pdf)
“A feed-in tariff (FIT) is an energy supply policy
incentive to continue to produce and supply power.xxi
. Counter Interp- Incentives must involve a positive material transfer to encourage behavior change. no “its” in the resolution means we don’t have to increase government incentives
Cooley, 07
(Suzannah, CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY, Thesis submitted for a degree in Masters of Science, “GROWTH OF THE UK LOW CARBON DIOXIDE AND ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGY VEHICLE MARKET: INVESTIGATING INFLUENTIAL FACTORS IN THE ADOPTION OF LOW CARBON VEHICLES,” Sept., https://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/bitstream/1826/2401/1/Sue%20Cooley%20Thesis%20final%20v2.pdf)
Incentives can be used to introduce
factorencouraging the purchase of the Toyota Prius hybrid.
3. Prefer- - Predictability—feed in tariffs are the most predictable and widely discussed mechanism for increasing energy production
Soerensen and Rousseau 9*. (Hans Chr., PhD and Vice President of the European Ocean Energy Administration AND Nathalie, B.A. in Information and Communications Technology and Director of the European Ocean Energy Administration *Unable to find exact publish date, but most recently cited work is a paper for the IEE published in October 2009. “Best Practice” a report by Waveplam. http://www.waveplam.eu/files/downloads/best_practiceD2.3_pdf)
The three most used kWh
will not be able to recover this share.
2. Precision—our contextual interp is key to limits
Gold 99. (Marsha, Dr.Sc., “Financial Incentives” January 1999. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1496870/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1496870/)
¶ To enhance understanding, financial
may detect faulty responses to incentives.
|
| 02/12/2013 | Tournament: NU | Round: | Opponent: | Judge:
2AC Politics Won’t pass- it’ll die in the House now
National Journal 2/7/2013 (Immigration Reform: House Not Leading, Senate Not Moving–Yet, http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/immigration-reform-house-not-leading-senate-not-moving-yet-20130206)
It was the congressional version of Fight Club:
their members take a politically tough vote only to have reform die.
Won’t pass- same-sex partners issue derails- it’s a deal-breaker for both sides
USA Today 2/8/2013 (Gay rights becoming controversy in immigration reform, http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/02/08/gay-rights-immigration-reform/1903119/)
Gay rights has emerged as an unexpected
millions of immigrant families hangs in the balance."
U overwhelms- it’s a matter of GOP ideology not PC
Hirsh 2/9/2013 (Michael, chief correspondent at National Journal, There’s No Such Thing as Political Capital, http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/there-s-no-such-thing-as-political-capital-20130207)
Meanwhile, the Republican members
capital or, indeed, Obama at all.
The Plan is through the courts- that’s 1AC rossi - Court decisions provide political cover.
Gerald N. Rosenberg (prof. political science @ Univ. Chicago) 1991 Hollow Hope, p. 34-35
Finally, court orders can simply
against them at the same time.
The DA is not intrinsic – it’s within the agential ambit of the USFG to do the plan and pass _
Gun control and debt sap PC
Cillizza 2-6 Chris, writer for the Washington Post, 2013, "President Obama is enjoying a second political honeymoon. But how long will it last?" www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/02/06/president-obama-is-enjoying-a-second-political-honeymoon-but-how-long-will-it-last/
Regardless of the reason, it’s clear that Obama
president’s second term honeymoon.
Cyber veto
Jennifer Martinez 2-8, The Hill, “House panel to reintroduce controversial cyber bill, setting up White House fight”, http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/281963-house-intelligence-committee-leaders-to-re-introduce-cispa-next-week-
The leaders of the House Intelligence
unaccountable approach to informatio
Winners win on controversial issues
Hirsh, National Journal, 2-7-13
(Michael, “There’s No Such Thing as Political Capital,” http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/there-s-no-such-thing-as-political-capital-20130207?page=1, accessed 2-7-13, CMM) Naturally, any president has practical and electoral
right. He did. (At least until Vietnam, that is.) |
| 02/12/2013 | Tournament: NU | Round: 6 | Opponent: Cal | Judge: - The role of the ballot is to evaluate the simulated policy outcomes of government implementation of the plan
Environmental philosophy must learn how to address policy issues to prevent irrelevancy.
Norton, 7. Bryan, Fall, Ph.D. Professor of Philosophy at Georgia Tech, Ivan Allen College School of Public Policy. “THE PAST AND FUTURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS/PHILOSOPHY,” Ethics and the Environment 12.2, Project Muse.
About 15 years ago, at one of the first meetings of
justifying environmental goals and policies.
Permutation- Do the plan while problematizing consumption practices. Only the Permutation can actualize change.
Dr. John Byrne, director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy (CEEP) and Distinguished Professor of Energy and Climate Policy at the University of Delaware. He has contributed to Working Group III of the United Nations-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since 1992 and shares the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with the Panel’s authors and review editors. Dr. Byrne has served on the National Council for Science and the Environment (U.S.) and advised the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice, coordinated by the U.S. EPA., ‘6 (Transforming Power ; Energy, Environment, and Society in Conflict, Energy and Environmental Policy: 9, Transactions Publisher, P. 22-24)
After more than thirty years of contested
seriously change its otherwise unsustainable way of life.
4. The alternative fails—idealism cannot save the environment, only specific reforms
Martin Lewis, 1994. Lecturer in history and director of the International Relations program at Stanford. Green Delusions, p. 12-3, Google Books.
It is certainly not my belief that ideas are insignificant
creation of an ecologically sustainable society becomes little more than an impossible dream.
Consumption only focus cedes the polluter and shields environmental degradation
Holmes 7 (Dave, “A socialist view of global warming: change the system, not the climate!”, Google Books, accessed: 6/26/12)
Such views among genuine environmental activists
the global ‘treadmill of production’.”
|
| 02/20/2013 | Tournament: NU | Round: 6 | Opponent: Cal | Judge: D-Heidt
2. Coal inevitably tanks by 2016 – can’t compete with natural gas – this ev assumes their EPA warrant
Chicago Tribune 8-23-12 (“Coal Plants Still Pressured Despite Romney Plan, EPA Court Loss,” http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-23/business/sns-rt-us-usa-coal-closuresbre87m15f-20120823_1_coal-plants-coal-fired-power-plants-pollution-rule, Mike)
Coal-fired power plants will face pressure and
. Commodity price fluctuations, however, could broaden that range to between 16.5 GW and 52 GW, the analysts said.
3. Tradeoff is Good – Clean coal production/use causes massive pollution
Chameides 2009 (Bill Chameides, Nicholas Professor of the Environment Earth and Ocean Sciences at Duke, February 2, 2009, “Clean Coal’s Dirty Secret - When 'Clean' Isn't Clean,” http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/thegreengrok/morecoalwaste/)
Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel. Burning it produces a myriad
fish caught from our lakes and streams unsafe for us to eat.
4. CCS fails – it is not economically viable, still causes massive warming, and there’s no way to store all the carbon
Jabush 11 (Garvin, Co-founder of Green Alpha Advisors LLC, February 4th, “Don’t Buy the Myth of Clean Coal”, http://sierraclub.typepad.com/gaa/2011/02/cleancoal.html) CC
With all due respect to President Obama, his repeated flogging
never see it in our portfolios.
6. Non-U - China has CCS now and is increasing support
Oilprice.com 9/16/12 (“China to Invest Heavily in Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technology”, http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/China-to-Invest-Heavily-in-Carbon-Capture-and-Sequestration-Technology.html) CC
While China is taking on renewable
businesses, according to a recent report by the I.E.A.¶
Price Spikes inevitable
Finger, Forbes, 10-14-12
(Richard, “$8 Natural Gas: We're Right On Schedule,” 10-14-12, http://www.forbes.com/sites/richardfinger/2012/10/14/8-natural-gas-were-right-on-schedule/?ss=business%3Aenergy, accessed 10-25-12) PM New natural gas rig counts hit the wires Friday
tipping point is near. |
| 02/20/2013 | Tournament: | Round: | Opponent: | Judge:
2AC Heidegger
The role of the Ballot is to evaluate the simulated outcomes of government implementation of the plan. That’s key to political engagement especially in the context of environmental policy
Derek Hodson, 8- ‘10 (Professor of education at Univ of Aukland, “Science Education as a Call to Action”, Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education)
The final (fourth) level of sophistication in this issues-based approach
discussion during the establishment of policy.
The Kritik doesn’t come first
Owens 2002 (David – professor of social and political philosophy at the University of Southampton, Re-orienting International Relations: On Pragmatism, Pluralism and Practical Reasoning, Millenium, p. 655-657)
Commenting on the ‘philosophical turn’ in IR, Wæver remarks
exacerbating the first and second dangers, and so a potentially vicious circle arises.
The kritik ignores the benefits of modern progress, new technology allows us to fully understand ecological problems and solve them
Zimmerman 3 ("On Reconciling Progressivism and Environmentalism" http://www.integralworld.net/zimmerman7.html)
Alone as the only form of consciousness in an inert cosmos
body and nature "below" and divine "above."
Rejecting all technology makes life meaningless, culminating in extinction
Hicks 3 (Steven V., Professor and chair of philosophy at Queens College of the CUNY, “Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Foucault: Nihilism and Beyond,” Foucault and Heidegger: Critical Encounters, Ed. Alan Milchman and Alan Rosenberg, p. 109, Questia)
Why a “philosophical shock”? The answer, in part, may be that from Foucault's perspective, Heidegger's insightful reading of Nietzsche
extinguishing life on earth altogether.”
The alternative fails—idealism cannot save the environment, only specific reforms.
Martin Lewis, 1994. Lecturer in history and director of the International Relations program at Stanford. Green Delusions, p. 12-3, Google Books.
It is certainly not my belief that ideas are insignificant or
an ecologically sustainable society becomes little more than an impossible dream.
Perm solves- combining the ethics of environmentalism with the law is crucial to an embrasure of democratization and rejection of strict utilitarianism.
Alyson Flournoy, Professor, University of Florida, Levin College of Law, Fall 2003,
Building Environmental Ethics from the Ground Up”
Thus, it takes a concerted effort to identify what values
and ethics are embedded in Section 404.
Tech thought is inevitable
Kateb, professor of politics – Princeton, ‘97
(George, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2267/is_/ai_19952031) But the question arises as to where a genuine principle
from the highest human aspiration.
Our Framework solves the kritik- Critiquing tech and rationality is regressive and dooms us to catastrophe – Can’t solve enviro problems without them.
Bronner, ‘4 Stephen Eric Bronner, Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University, 2004, Reclaiming the Enlightenment: Toward a Politics of Radical Engagement, p. 160
Critics of the Enlightenment may have correctly
criteria and slide-rule measurements.”7 |
| 02/20/2013 | Tournament: | Round: | Opponent: | Judge:
Absent regulatory reform state RPS and Feed in Tariffs are doomed
Felix Mormann, ’11 (Fellow, Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, Stanford Law School “Requirements for a Renewables Revolution”, 38 Ecology L.Q. 903)
Finally, in the absence of a strong, long-term federal ...
deployment policies. |
| 02/26/2013 | Tournament: Districts | Round: 5 | Opponent: ASU RV | Judge: Jonah
The Natural gas bubble will burst in 10 years- reliance makes collapse of the economy inevitable
RP Siegel, PE, is an inventor, consultant and author. He co-wrote the eco-thriller Vapor Trails, the first in a series covering the human side of various sustainability issues including energy, food, and water in an exciting and entertaining format., 2-22- 13 (“Shale Energy Bubble Threatens Second Economic Collapse”)
http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/02/shale-gas-bubble-threatens-second-economic-collapse/
There has been more than a little celebration as the result of the huge shale
2008, only this time the government will be asked to bail out the oil companies.¶ Solar Energy Can Be Sufficient For All US Electricity and displace natural gas– Innovation is Key For Transmission
By Jeff Himmelman 2012 August 9 “The Secret to Solar Power” NYT
The innovation that has pushed Sungevity
power source is nearly unlimited.
There are multiple flashpoints in current world order- guarantees WMD conflict
Ockham Research, independent research branch of Financial Market Management Inc, ‘8 (Nov 17th, “Economic Turmoil Begets Geopolitical Risks”, http://wallstreetpit.com/2008/11/economic-turmoil-begets-geopolitical-risks/)
The economic turmoil roiling world markets right
for the U.S. and the world.
Best studies prove
Royal 10 – Jedediah Royal, Director of Cooperative Threat Reduction at the U.S. Department of Defense, 2010, “Economic Integration, Economic Signaling and the Problem of Economic Crises,” in Economics of War and Peace: Economic, Legal and Political Perspectives, ed. Goldsmith and Brauer, p. 213-214 Less intuitive is how periods of economic decline may
in the economic-security debate and deserves more attention.
No resiliency – we’ve pulled out all the stops – a collapse now triggers a double-dip collapse and depression
Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 8/10/11, “Recession 2.0 would hurt worse”, lexis,
The risk of double dip recession is rising
industrial production is still 18% below pre-recession levels. Modeling European rates is key to making solar competitive- solves utility dependence on natural gas
Reuters, 2-22-13 (“Unsubsidised roof-top solar power grows competitive: Wynn”, Reuters)
Roof-top solar power is increasingly cost
the cost of grid transmission and renewable energy.
Solar is Poised For Dominance By the End of the Decade – Policy Support is Key to Maintain Current Market Trends
Business Wire 2010 October 25 “US Solar Poised For $100bn Growth Surge” http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-25/us-solar-poised-for-100bn-growth-surge.html
Rapidly declining equipment costs combined
utility and residential solar power.
Removing the Avoided cost rate standard makes solar cost competitive with fossil fuels
Stefan Linder, 6-’12 (“Re-imagining US solar financing”, Bloomberg)
Enable incorporation of solar into the
otherwise purchase fossil-based generation.10 |
| 03/29/2013 | Tournament: | Round: | Opponent: | Judge:
1AC
The status quo prevents regional and state level feed in tariffs from being effective- the Federal Energy Regulatory committees recent ruling mandates electricity produced be purchased at an “avoided cost” making solar impossible
D.A. Barber, 10-23-12 (regular correspondent for two Southern Arizona business publications and spent five years writing for the University of Arizona’s Report on Research. “U.S. Feed-in Tariffs will Increase PV Demand”, Energy Trend)
While FIT programs are far and few between in the United States, the city
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and states that have the greatest rooftop PV marketing potential for module companies. Federal pre-emption KILLS FiT programs in the squo – EVEN in situations where states have authority – federal legislation is key to stimulate innovation
Dorsi 12 –Fellow, Phillips and Cohen LLP; J.D. Harvard Law School
(Michael, “Clean Energy Pricing and Federalism: Legal Obstacles and Options for Feed-in Tariffs”. http://environs.law.ucdavis.edu/issues/35/2/dorsi.pdf)
V. CONCLUSION States have often been laboratories of democracy, yet in many areas
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it may be the best way to forward an American renewable energy policy.
Absent regulatory reform state RPS and Feed in Tariffs are doomed
Felix Mormann, ’11 (Fellow, Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, Stanford Law School “Requirements for a Renewables Revolution”, 38 Ecology L.Q. 903)
Finally, in the absence of a strong, long-term federal commitment to
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Utilities Commission decision into a Pyrrhic victory for state-level deployment policies.
Plan
The plan: the United States Federal Government ought to give sanction to states setting rates substantially above the avoided cost for the production of solar power.
Advantage 1 is Warming
FERC restrictions prevent effective Feed in tariffs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
DAVID YAFFE, ’10 (The Electricity Journal, “Are State Renewable Feed-In-Tariff Initiatives Truly Throttled by Federal Statutes After the FERC California Decision?”)
For the last few years, several local and state governments, reflecting local policies
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” rate when such a premium is needed to facilitate dispersed renewable development.
Effective feed in tariffs cause solar revolution
JENNIFER KHO, ‘9 (“Is a Feed-In Tariff a good FIT for the U.S.?”, Editor for Clean Technica)
But so far, there’s no question that a German-style feed-in
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so far, we’ve found it’s not growing as fast as it should.”
Studies go aff- The plan DIRECTLY makes solar cost completive with natural gas, causing solar to satisfy nearly all of US electricity needs
Ken Willis, 10-25- 12 (Emeritus Professor of Environmental Economics, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK “Solar Energy Is Ready. The U.S. Isn't”, Bloomberg News)
Worldwide, the picture is even more positive. Australia projects that 10 percent of
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which would make homegrown solar competitive with commercial power rates in many states.
Electricity sector is A key polluter
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
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this Article focuses on the use of renewables for the generation of electricity.
US Shift to Renewables Gives Credibility to Our Push to Reduce Other Short Term Pollutants to Solve Warming in the Short Term
Steve Seidel is Senior Advisor at C2ES 02/17/2012 http://www.c2es.org/blog/seidels/how-us-can-lead-short-lived-climate-pollutants HOW U.S. CAN LEAD ON SHORT-LIVED CLIMATE POLLUTANTS
With Secretary Clinton’s announcement this week of a new coalition aimed at short-lived
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the ensuing human and economic losses, these are investments well worth making.
Extinction and try or die flips AFF
Sawin Senior Director of the Energy and Climate Change Program at the WorldWatch Institute Aug. ’12 (Janet, “Climate Change Poses Greater Security Threat than Terrorism,” http://www.worldwatch.org/node/77, Mike)
As early as 1988, scientists cautioned that human tinkering with the Earth's climate amounted
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carbon, with meaningful long-term targets that incorporate gradually declining caps.
Warming is real and anthropogenic—Skeptics are bought off clowns
Prothero 12 (Donald Prothero, Professor of Geology at Occidental College, Lecturer in Geobiology at CalTech, "How We Know Global Warming is Real and Human Caused," 3/1/12, EBSCO)
How do we know that global warming is real and primarily human caused? There
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the denialist conspiracy essentially paid for the testimony of anyone who could be useful to them. The day that the 2007 IPCC report was released (Feb.
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change when it threatens their survival. Neither can we as a society. Advantage 2 is Competitiveness
Failure to stimulate demand for solar panels makes collapse of the domestic solar industry inevitable
NYT 2012 May 17, 2012 “Topics: Solar Energy”
But BrightSource is also emblematic of the dark clouds that have settled over the solar
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lesson in what others call the futility of federal meddling in the marketplace.
That crowds the US out of the photovoltaic market
Damien LaVera, 6-28- ’12 (Deputy Director, Office of Public Affairs @ DOE, “Solar Manufacturing: To Compete or Not To Compete”, Energy.gov)
Last year, the global market for clean, renewable energies reached a record $
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we continue to support and build a thriving solar industry here at home. That Creates Space for the US to Maintain an Edge in the Global Market – Continued Support is Key
Alex Rau, 3- ’12 (founder and the director of Climate Wedge, an investment firm focused on clean-energy technologies, carbon finance, and environmental commodities. “Is America Losing Its Edge in Clean-Energy Tech?”, Harvard Business Review)
Amid all the concern over America's competitiveness, it's easy to overlook a sector where
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solar power, and the lack of carbon constraints in our energy policy:
The plan is key to reignite global manufacturing – it prevents Chinese monopoly on the market
Hart Policy Analyst on China Energy and Climate Policy at the Center for American Progress and Gordon Vice President for Energy Policy at the Center for American Progress 5-6-12 (Melanie and Kate, “5 Myths and Realities About U.S.-China Solar Trade Competition,” http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2012/05/16/11592/5-myths-and-realities-about-u-s-china-solar-trade-competition/, Mike)
Myth
Trade enforcement is a losing proposition because imposing tariffs will slow solar industry growth in the United States
Reality
Innovation and demand-side policy, not cheap imports, are the real keys
AND
. That is the real key to U.S. market success.
Solar manufacturing is key to U.S. tech competitiveness and the economy
Hart Policy Analyst on China Energy and Climate Policy at the Center for American Progress and Gordon Vice President for Energy Policy at the Center for American Progress 5-6-12 (Melanie and Kate, “5 Myths and Realities About U.S.-China Solar Trade Competition,” http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2012/05/16/11592/5-myths-and-realities-about-u-s-china-solar-trade-competition/, Mike)
Myth
U.S. manufacturers should accept that they cannot compete with China
Reality
The United States is actually quite strong in higher-end manufacturing One assumption underlying
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growth—manufacturing companies contribute 70 percent of private RandD spending.
Competitiveness decline tanks U.S. hegemony – tech manufacturing is especially key
Segal 4 (Adam, Senior Fellow in China Studies at the C.F.R. “Is America Losing Its Edge?” http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/america-losing-its-edge)
The United States' global primacy depends in large part on its ability to develop new
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, the United States must get better at fostering technological entrepreneurship at home.
Heg solves multiple conflict scenarios
Kagan 12 (3/14, Robert, senior fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings, “America has made the world freer, safer and wealthier”, http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/14/opinion/kagan-world-america-made/index.html?iref=allsearch)
(CNN) -- We take a lot for granted about the way the world
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what the world looked like right before the American order came into being. Advantage 3
Housing Market on the Brink
Dave Cohen 03/26/2013 A New Housing Bubble In The United States http://www.declineoftheempire.com/2013/03/a-new-housing-bubble-in-the-united-states.html
There’s no doubt that housing is recovering. Existing home sales—which account for
AND
No other outcome is possible, which is what I concluded in 2009. Rooftop solar drastically increases property values and guarantees investment returns
LaMonica ’11 (Martin, “Solar Panels Increase Home Values,” August 5, http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20088646-54/econ-101-solar-panels-increase-home-values/, Mike)
It stands to reason that adding an asset which cuts your electricity bills--solar
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financing plans to avoid the upfront cost, while lowering monthly electricity bills.
Housing key to the economy
Reuters 10 (“What's left to fix housing market?”, http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/03/21/businesspro-us-economy-weekahead-outlook-idUSTRE62K1G420100321)
Housing was at the heart of the global recession, and plays a crucial role
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big reason why household wealth has dropped by $10 trillion since 2007.¶
There are multiple flashpoints in current world order- guarantees WMD conflict
Ockham Research, independent research branch of Financial Market Management Inc, ‘8 (Nov 17th, “Economic Turmoil Begets Geopolitical Risks”, http://wallstreetpit.com/2008/11/economic-turmoil-begets-geopolitical-risks/)
The economic turmoil roiling world markets right now brings with it plenty of pain.
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, with dangerous consequences for the U.S. and the world.
Best studies prove
Royal 10 – Jedediah Royal, Director of Cooperative Threat Reduction at the U.S. Department of Defense, 2010, “Economic Integration, Economic Signaling and the Problem of Economic Crises,” in Economics of War and Peace: Economic, Legal and Political Perspectives, ed. Goldsmith and Brauer, p. 213-214 Less intuitive is how periods of economic decline may increase the likelihood of external conflict
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not featured prominently in the economic-security debate and deserves more attention.
No Alt Causes – Only the Housing Market Provides an Accurate Reading of the Economy
By Bruce Bartlett held senior policy roles in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations 3/26, 2013, Declining Wealth Brings a Rising Retirement Risk http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/declining-wealth-rising-retirement-risk/
In a recent post, I examined aggregate national wealth from the Federal Reserve Board’s
AND
lower rate, have lower incomes than their parents, pay much higher costs for health insurance, and are more likely to graduate with college debts.¶ What’s
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the economy over the last 30 years. The future doesn’t look pretty. |
| 03/29/2013 | Tournament: | Round: | Opponent: | Judge:
AT Too Late
Immediate action solves the 2 degree tipping point
Kelly Levin, via WRI Insights., 3-7-13 (“Developed Nations Must Cut Emissions In Half By 2020, Says New Study”,Climate Progress)
The findings from this most recent study suggest that the challenge we already knew was
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ambition is growing, as is the urgency of addressing global climate change. Adaptation is preposterous – you can’t adapt to what’s coming
Romm 12 (Joe Romm, Ph.D in Physics from MIT, worked at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, former Acting Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, awarded an American Physical Society Congressional Science Fellowship, executive director of Center for Energy and Climate Solutions, former researcher at the Rocky Mountain Institute, former Special Assistant for International Security at the Rockefeller Foundation, taught at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, interview with Ken Caldeira, atmospheric scientist who works at the Carnegie Institution for Science's Department of Global Ecology, “Study: We’re Headed To 11°F Warming And Even 7°F Requires ‘Nearly Quadrupling The Current Rate Of Decarbonisation’” 11/6/12) http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/11/06/1144431/study-were-headed-to-11f-warming-and-even-7f-requires-nearly-quadrupling-the-current-rate-of-decarbonisation/
Even to have a reasonable prospect of getting to a 4°C scenario would
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issues. The “Slowly Boiling Brainless Frogs” live — for now. AT: Intermittency
Intermittency doesn’t turn warming – backup generators don’t burn as much fuel
Gray, 11 (Tom, deputy executive director of the American Wind Energy Association, “Mythbusting fact: Wind power is valuable even if the wind doesn't blow all the time”, 4/20/11, http://www.awea.org/blog/index.cfm?customel_dataPageID_1699=7587) WP A common fallacy promoted by anti-wind groups is that because wind cannot replace
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nation that is still getting 70% of its electricity from fossil fuels. AT Defo Alt Cause
Defo alt cause doesn’t matter
Manjaro, 11 mpact of deforestation on global warming varies with latitude, Chilly, The Watchers, http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2011/11/19/impact-of-deforestation-on-global-warming-varies-with-latitude/
The new research, from a team of scientists representing 20 institutions from around the
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to clarify where we can see these regional effects using actual temperature measurements. AT: Intermittency
New tech makes storage of solar energy viable on a large scale—Solves intermittency
AEN 8, Alternative Energy News MIT Develops Way to Bank Solar Energy at Home. http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/mit-bank-solar-energy-home/#more-434
The fossil fuel scenario is pressing us to look for alternative sources of energy and
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-wire from a central source could be a thing of the past.
It takes less than 10 years to solve
Sciencey Daily 8 'Major Discovery' Primed To Unleash Solar Revolution: Scientists Mimic Essence Of Plants' Energy Storage System. ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731143345.htm
Nocera hopes that within 10 years, homeowners will be able to power their homes in daylight through photovoltaic cells, while using excess solar energy to produce hydrogen and oxygen to power their own household fuel cell. Electricity-by-wire from a central source could be a thing of the past. |
| 03/29/2013 | Tournament: | Round: | Opponent: | Judge:
AT: China
The US is key to solve global warming- China is taking steps towards reducing emission
James West, 2-25-13 (producer for the Climate Desk. He wrote Beijing Blur (Penguin 2008), an intimate yet far-reaching account of modernizing China’s underground youth scene , “Wait Until China Acts on Climate. What? They Are!?”, Mother Jones)
That was one bit of news drowned out by last week's (understandable) conniption
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may be time to update those action-resistant talking points, guys. |
| 03/29/2013 | Tournament: | Round: | Opponent: | Judge:
No resiliency – we’ve pulled out all the stops – a collapse now triggers a double-dip collapse and depression
Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 8/10/11, “Recession 2.0 would hurt worse”, lexis,
The risk of double dip recession is rising.¶ And while economists disagree on just
AND
While manufacturing has had a nice rebound in the last two years, indust |
| 03/29/2013 | Tournament: | Round: | Opponent: | Judge: - We Meet- Our Plan increases a financial incentive for energy production
Steven Ferrey, ’10 (Professor of Law, Suffolk University Law School, “Legal Barriers to Sub-National Governance Techniques by U.S. States for Renewable Energy Promotion and GHG Control”, Prepared for the 2nd UNITAR'-Yale Conference on Environmental Governance and Democracy) The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
http://conference.unitar.org/yale/sites/conference.unitar.org.yale/files/Paper_Ferrey_0.pdf)
“A feed-in tariff (FIT) is an energy supply policy that
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thus “have the incentive to continue to produce and supply power.xxi
3. Counter Interp- Incentives must involve a positive material transfer to encourage behavior change.
Cooley, 07
(Suzannah, CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY, Thesis submitted for a degree in Masters of Science, “GROWTH OF THE UK LOW CARBON DIOXIDE AND ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGY VEHICLE MARKET: INVESTIGATING INFLUENTIAL FACTORS IN THE ADOPTION OF LOW CARBON VEHICLES,” Sept., https://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/bitstream/1826/2401/1/Sue%20Cooley%20Thesis%20final%20v2.pdf) Incentives can be used to introduce or increase actual or perceived relative advantages. Rogers
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grant to be an important factorencouraging the purchase of the Toyota Prius hybrid. C/I Here’s a list of financial incentives—which solves limits, includes our aff
DSIRE 11—Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency Glossary, http://www.dsireusa.org/glossary/ DSIRE organizes incentives …. by local governments. |
| 03/29/2013 | Tournament: | Round: | Opponent: | Judge: - Prices Down—US domestic production and economic decline
Stockhouse 10/5
Oil Prices Hit Two-Month Lows as Production in the U.S. Reaches 15 Year High
Enerplus Corporation ERF 10/5/2012 8:20:05 AM http://www.stockhouse.com/news/canadianreleasesdetail.aspx?n=8633056
The recent economic slowdowns in Europe and China has seen global oil demand fall in
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and get exclusive access to our numerous stock reports and industry newsletters.2
2. Prices down – volatile trading, jobs report
Business Recorder 10/6
Oil prices dip, post weekly losses. October 06, 2012. http://www.brecorder.com/fuel-a-energy/193/1245206/
Oil prices fell in volatile trading on Friday and posted weekly losses as a fragile
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2009 and against economist expectations it would rise, Labour Department figures showed.
5. No financial incentive to flood the market—Depleting of reserves makes prices more volatile
Swann 12 (Christopher, a Reuters Breakingviews columnist, Reuters, “OPEC Can’t Afford to Give Residents Cheap Oil,”)
For importers, the uneven treatment is costly. The wasteful consumption in exporting countries
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OPEC nations have more to lose from refusing to bite the political bullet.
This is not the 80’s-OPEC can’t control oil market prices
Macdonald, 12 (Gregor, a researcher and investr in the energy sector, Gregor.us, “the Cruel Math of the Marginal Barrel, http://gregor.us/opec/the-cruel-math-of-the-marginal-barrel/, Accessed: 7/7/12, LPS.)
For over 30 ….paid little attention. Internal Link Defense H2A Hires Wont Be as Rampant as You Assume – Multiple Barriers to New Hires
John Dolan May 11, 2010 “Even in tough economic times, Vermont dairy jobs are a tough sell”
http://www.vermonttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100511/VBJ/305119997/-1/VBJ02
The farms supplying Thomas Dairy are mostly small operations, with family members doing the
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cumbersome for them to replace their work forces every year, advocates say. |
| 03/29/2013 | Tournament: | Round: | Opponent: | Judge:
Saying “Federal Government” doesn’t mean “all three branches” – any one body acts as it
Chicago 7 (University of Chicago Manual of Style, “Capitalization, Titles”, http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/CMS_FAQ/CapitalizationTitles/CapitalizationTitles30.html)
Q. When I refer to the government of the United States in text,
AND - the Congress, the Senate, the Department of State, etc.
Links to NB Controversial rulings and legitimacy effect political capital
Gibson and Caldeira 2008James L., is Sidney W. Souers Professor of Government, Department of Political Science; Professor of African and African American Studies; and Director, Program on Citizenship and Democratic Values, Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy, Washington University in St. Louis. Gregory A., is also Fellow, Centre for Comparative and International Politics, and Professor Extraordinary in Political Science, Stellenbosch University (South Africa). Gregory A. Caldeira is Distinguished University Professor, Dreher Chair in Political Communications and Policy Thinking, and Professor of Law “Confirmation Politics and The Legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court: Institutional Loyalty, Positivity Bias, and the Alito Nomination” http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-5907.2008.00362.x/full
We reiterate our view that institutional legitimacy is an enormously important source of political capital
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American politics. This consequence of institutional legitimacy is perhaps the most significant.
CP can’t solve—No implementation
Rosenbeg 8 (Gerald N. Rosenberg, Professor, University of Chicago, THE HOLLOW HOPE: CAN COURTS BRING ABOUT SOCIAL CHANGE?, 2nd Edition, 2008, p. 420-421.)
Courts will also be ineffective in producing change given any serious resistance because of their
AND
implement court decisions. This finding, too, appears applicable across fields. That collapses the economy
Braithwaite 4 (John, Australian Research Council Federation fellow, Australian National University, and chair of the Regulatory Institutions Network, The Annals of The American Academy of Political and Social Science, 592 Annals 79, March, Lexis)
The challenge of designing institutions that simultaneously engender emancipation and hope is addressed within the
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, a neglect that continues to this day (see also Barbalet 1993).
They didn’t specify grounds—Guts solvency and causes rollback
Post 1 Robert, Law Professor at Berkeley, “The Supreme Court as Institutional Practice: Dissent, Legal Scholarship, and Decisionmaking in the Taft Court,” May, http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/fss_papers/186
So, for example, the editors of the American Law Review argued in 1886
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the reasons which a portion of the court may give for the opposing view |
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Won’t pass --- several reasons
-Other Agenda Items Thump -Dems overplay their hand -Graham will bail like he always does
-Obama push will polarize it -Dems stall bc the GOP would get blamed
-No payoff for the rank and file House GOP, Hispanics won’t switch by 2014 and the base is still key
Altman 3-20 (Alex,- Washington correspondent for TIME “Four Hurdles That Could Block Immigration Reform”)
The next few months offer the best chance in a generation for the two parties
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is high. Each day, 1,400 undocumented immigrants are deported. Plan isn’t percieved
Wise 9 (Andrew S “The illusion of independent regulatory commission independence”, Proquest)
2 In theory, independent regulatory commissions like the FCC and the Federal Energy Regulatory
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Additionally, this study examines whether independent regulatory agencies exist to implement politically neutral
Plan has no political opposition
Dorsi 12 Michael (Fellow, Phillips and Cohen LLP; J.D. Harvard Law School , “Clean Energy Pricing and Federalism: Legal Obstacles and Options for Feed-in Tariffs”, )
Two types of policy design can provide a stable price: first, the government
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sector to establish a subsidy without the need for a particularly strong lobby.
Solar popular—Jobs shield the link
Kelly, ’11 Future of federal solar programs in doubt¶ By Erin Kelly, USA TODAY Updated 6/28/2011 http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2011-06-28-solar-energy-congress_n.htm¶
The solar industry has an ally in President Obama, who has called for a
AND
hear that, they start to listen, and things start to change."
Obama won’t get involved in immigration – he has given it entirely to Congress
Fox 3-28-13 (“Obama ‘Confident’ Immigration Bill Could Pass By Summer,” http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/28/obama-says-immigration-bill-could-pass-by-summer/, Mike)
While overhauling the nation's patchwork immigration laws is a top second term priority for the
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Congress returns from a two-week recess the week of April 8.
Production isn’t the root of the problem- lack of distribution make your impacts inevitable.
Sagoff, 01 Mark, Senior Research Scholar At The Institute For Philosophy And Public Affairs, University Of Maryland 2001 Indiana Journal Of Global Legal Studies, Fall, Lexis
When I was a child, my mother implored me to eat everything on my
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not in production. This is the common wisdom many analysts accept. . A2 New Impacts
Obama losing immigration still results in high-skill reform
Matthew Yglesias, Slate, 1-15-13, (How the GOP Can Roll Obama on Immigration, www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/01/15/immigration_reform_will_obama_get_rolled.html)
¶ Of the major policy issues under discussion in Washington, "immigration reform"
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kind of fanaticism that is the exact opposite of Obama's approach to politics.¶ |
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2AC - We Meet- Our Plan increases a financial incentive for energy production
Steven Ferrey, ’10 (Professor of Law, Suffolk University Law School, “Legal Barriers to Sub-National Governance Techniques by U.S. States for Renewable Energy Promotion and GHG Control”, Prepared for the 2nd UNITAR'-Yale Conference on Environmental Governance and Democracy) The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
http://conference.unitar.org/yale/sites/conference.unitar.org.yale/files/Paper_Ferrey_0.pdf)
“A feed-in tariff (FIT) is an energy supply policy that offers a guarantee of payments to RE developers for the electricity they produce. Payments can be comprised of electricity alone or of electricity bundled with renewable energy certificates (REC)... These payments are generally awarded as long-term contracts set over a period of 15-20 years. FIT policies can be understood as an advanced form of production-based incentive (PBI), where a payment is awarded for the actual electricity produced ($/kWh).”¶ A California Energy Commission report leaves the definition of a feed-in tariff relatively vague and then later identifies that what is bought and sold can include electricity only, or can also include RECs and/or other bundled environmental attributes when adapted to the US context:¶ “A simple definition of a feed-in tariff is an offering of a guaranteed payment over a specified term with specified operating conditions to eligible renewable energy generators (although some feed-in tariffs step down in price over time) and can be either an all-inclusive rate or a premium payment on top of the prevailing spot market price for power. The price paid represents estimates of either the cost or value of renewable generation. The tariff is generally offered by the interconnecting utility and sets a standing price for each category of eligible renewable generator; the price is available to all eligible generators. Tariffs are often differentiated based on technology type, resource quality, or project size, and may decline on a set schedule over time.” iii¶ Feed-in tariff structures are typically either fixed payments based on an electricity generator’s cost to produce electricity, or as a fixed premium paid above the spot market or wholesale market price of electricity. These fixed payments are long-term contracts for anywhere from five to thirty years in duration.iv And here lies the legal problem that is examined more below: Despite reports giving little treatment to the legal requirements, mandating a payment based on what is demanded by the producer, rather than what renewable power is objectively worth to the buyer in the market, sets a state-mandated wholesale price that is contrary to federal law, guarding against “unjustified” or “unreasonable” prices paid for wholesale power.¶ Feed-in tariffs, whether implemented by themselves or though REC market prices (discussed below), increase the power sale price for certain wholesale renewable technologies to an amount that is deemed administratively and politically necessary to encourage their development, rather than what the value of the power is actually worth in the market to the purchaser. Feed-in tariffs exceed market wholesale prices and utility-avoided costs, and therefore are justified only by their objectives and results, and not typically by accepted ratemaking methodology, which aims to minimize generating costs to prudent and reasonable market levels.¶ Feed-in tariffs have been successful in encouraging significant renewable energy development with 45% of global wind power deployment and 75% of solar PV deployment attributable to feed-in tariff policies through 2008.v Often, feed-in rates are differentiated by technology and are based on the cost to the producer of deploying a given renewable energy technology.viCosts of a feed-in tariff are passed on to retail consumers by purchasing energy suppliers and reflect a public policy decision to increase the percentage of renewable electricity sources in use.¶ Internationally¶ Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom initially favored RPSs, while Germany, Spain, and other countries favored feed-in tariffs. Germany, Denmark, and Spain, while only a small fraction of the size of the United States in square miles, were responsible for 53% of total installed global wind power capacity between 1990 and 2005.vii Germany receives 5% of its total energy from wind power, Demark nearly 20%, and Germany surpassed its 12.5% goal of renewable electricity by 2009, three years earlier than expected.viii¶ Germany’s feed-in tariff program created the world’s largest solar energy market. In Germany, the current debate is whether the expense of feed-in tariffs is too high given what their consumers are willing to support.ix The average German electric bill has increased by roughly $3 per month (€1.45/month)x over the period of feed-in tariff implementation.xi The German public has generally supported the increase, especially since many individuals have taken advantage of the incentives to install their own renewable energy generation systems.xii¶ The European Commission concluded that feed-in tariffs are more effective than quota-based tradable REC systems.xiii For example, Germany’s wind power was on average more than 20 % cheaper than wind power installed under a tradable REC system in the UK.xiv Similar findings have since been reported by the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change (2006),xv the International Energy Agency,xvi in analyses conducted on behalf of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities in the United States,xvii and by Ernst and Young.xviii¶ In the United States¶ Feed-in tariffs have not historically been sanctioned in the U.S. The most prevalent renewable energy policy enacted by states is the Renewable Portfolio Standard (“RPS”) with a REC component. The two are similar to the extent that they only qualify renewable power that is actually produced. The feed-in tariff does this by linking the renewable subsidy to the price paid for renewable power, while the RPS does this by creating a separate tradable renewable attribute, or REC.¶ However, the momentum and impact of European feed-in tariff policies has caused some U.S. states to propose legislation and adopt policies similar to European feed-in tariffs (FiTs). As many as ten states have introduced actual feed-in tariff legislation, while a handful of others are considering feed-in tariff policies. That groups includes Arkansas, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington State. Vermont was the first US state to implement a FIT in 2009,xix for long-term contracts for 15-25 years at tariffs differentiated by technology and size (ranging from $0.12 – 0.30/kWh), with an individual project cap of 2.2 MW.¶ The Supremacy Clause, Federal Preemption and Wholesale Rates¶ Sections 205 and 206 of the FPA empower FERC to regulate rates for the interstate and wholesale sale and transmission of electricity.xx In doing so, the act bestows upon FERC broad power to shape the energy market affecting all stakeholders. By exercising exclusive authority over “just and reasonable” rates and terms, FERC is charged with responsibility to ensure that wholesale generators of electric power will charge fair rates to retailers, and that wholesale generators receive a fair rate of return, and thus “have the incentive to continue to produce and supply power.xxi
2. We Meet their 1NC Interp says – funding in direct support of green electricity projects Is topical
3. Counter Interp- Incentives must involve a positive material transfer to encourage behavior change.
Cooley, 07
(Suzannah, CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY, Thesis submitted for a degree in Masters of Science, “GROWTH OF THE UK LOW CARBON DIOXIDE AND ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGY VEHICLE MARKET: INVESTIGATING INFLUENTIAL FACTORS IN THE ADOPTION OF LOW CARBON VEHICLES,” Sept., https://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/bitstream/1826/2401/1/Sue%20Cooley%20Thesis%20final%20v2.pdf) Incentives can be used to introduce or increase actual or perceived relative advantages. Rogers (2003) defines incentives as a direct or indirect payment of cash or in kind that is given to an individual or system in order to encourage behaviour change and speed up adoption. Incentives can take many forms for example, taxes, grants, penalties, finder’s fees, bonuses. Oltra and Saint-Jean (2006) suggest that government grants to support alternative fuel infrastructure, tax exemptions for inconvenience and negative taxation for ICEV could secure the switch from ICEVs to LCVs. Akerman and Hojer (2006) observes in the 1980’s tax incentives on unleaded petrol and lower emitting vehicles successfully promoted three-way-catalytic- converters. For high mileage users, Vries and Rouwendal (1999) and Wissen and Golob (1992) also found financial incentives encouraged LCV adoption. Moreover, Lane and Potter (2007) emphasises that the benefit of incentives in combating the barriers of high purchase price, serving costs and long payback periods associated with many LCVs, concluding that the UK company car tax is a crucial factor in determining employee’s car choice and the UK Government’s Powershift grant to be an important factorencouraging the purchase of the Toyota Prius hybrid.
4. Prefer- - Ground- Importance is standard that scholars use when writing a thesis means there is negative literature
2. Framers intent and Predictability- we have contextual evidence we are a substantial regulation, prefer to uber generic ev
Here’s a list of financial incentives—which solves limits, includes our aff
DSIRE 11—Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency Glossary, http://www.dsireusa.org/glossary/
DSIRE organizes incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency into two general categories -- (1) Financial Incentives and (2) Rules, Regulations and Policies -- and roughly 30 specific types of incentives and policies. This glossary provides a description of each specific incentive and policy type.
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
Corporate Tax Incentives
Corporate tax incentives include tax credits, deductions and exemptions. These incentives are available in some states to corporations that purchase and install eligible renewable energy or energy efficiency equipment, or to construct green buildings. In a few cases, the incentive is based on the amount of energy produced by an eligible facility. Some states allow the tax credit only if a corporation has invested a minimum amount in an eligible project. Typically, there is a maximum limit on the dollar amount of the credit or deduction. In recent years, the federal government has offered corporate tax incentives for renewables and energy efficiency. (Note that corporate tax incentives designed to support manufacturing and the development of renewable energy systems or equipment, or energy efficiency equipment, are categorized as “Industry Recruitment/Support” in DSIRE.)
Grant Programs
States offer a variety of grant programs to encourage the use and development of renewables and energy efficiency. Most programs offer support for a broad range of technologies, while a few programs focus on promoting a single technology, such as photovoltaic (PV) systems. Grants are available primarily to the commercial, industrial, utility, education and/or government sectors. Most grant programs are designed to pay down the cost of eligible systems or equipment. Others focus on research and development, or support project commercialization. In recent years, the federal government has offered grants for renewables and energy efficiency projects for end-users. Grants are usually competitive.
Green Building Incentives
Green buildings are designed and constructed using practices and materials that minimize the impacts of the building on the environment and human health. Many cities and counties offer financial incentives to promote green building. The most common form of incentive is a reduction or waiver of a building permit fee. Several organizations issue certification for green buildings, including the U.S. Green Building Council (LEED certification), the Green Building Initiative (Green Globes certification), and the NAHB Research Center (National Green Building Certification). (Note that this category includes green building incentives that do not fall under other DSIRE incentive categories, such as tax incentives and grant programs.)
Industry Recruitment/Support
To promote economic development and the creation of jobs, some states offer financial incentives to recruit or cultivate the manufacturing and development of renewable energy systems and equipment. These incentives commonly take the form of tax credits, tax exemptions and grants. In some cases, the amount of the incentive depends on the quantity of eligible equipment that a company manufactures. Most of these incentives apply to several renewable energy technologies, but a few states target specific technologies, such as wind or solar. These incentives are usually designed as temporary measures to support industries in their early years. They commonly include a sunset provision to encourage the industries to become self-sufficient.
Loan Programs
Loan programs provide financing for the purchase of renewable energy or energy efficiency systems or equipment. Low-interest or zero-interest loans for energy efficiency projects are a common demand-side management (DSM) practice for electric utilities. State governments also offer low-interest loans for a broad range of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures. These programs are commonly available to the residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, public and/or non-profit sectors. Loan rates and terms vary by program; in some cases, they are determined on an individual project basis. Loan terms are generally 10 years or less. In recent years, the federal government has offered loans and/or loan guarantees for renewables and energy efficiency projects.
PACE Financing
Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing effectively allows property owners to borrow money to pay for renewable energy and/or energy-efficiency improvements. The amount borrowed is typically repaid over a period of years via a special assessment on the owner's property. In general, local governments (such as cities and counties) that choose to offer PACE financing must be authorized to do so by state law.
Performance-Based Incentives
Performance-based incentives (PBIs), also known as production incentives, provide cash payments based on the number of kilowatt-hours (kWh) or BTUs generated by a renewable energy system. A "feed-in tariff" is an example of a PBI. To ensure project quality, payments based on a system’s actual performance are generally more effective than payments based on a system’s rated capacity. (Note that tax incentives based on the amount of energy produced by an eligible commercial facility are categorized as “Corporate Tax Incentives” in DSIRE.)
Personal Tax Incentives
Personal tax incentives include income tax credits and deductions. Many states offer these incentives to reduce the expense of purchasing and installing renewable energy or energy efficiency systems and equipment. The percentage of the credit or deduction varies by state, and in most cases, there is a maximum limit on the dollar amount of the credit or deduction. An allowable credit may include carryover provisions, or it may be structured so that the credit is spread out over a certain number of years. Eligible technologies vary widely by state. In recent years, the federal government has offered personal tax credits for renewables and energy efficiency.
Property Tax Incentives
Property tax incentives include exemptions, exclusions, abatements and credits. Most property tax incentives provide that the added value of a renewable energy system is excluded from the valuation of the property for taxation purposes. For example, if a new heating system that uses renewable energy costs more than a conventional heating system, the additional cost of the renewable energy system is not included in the property assessment. In a few cases, property tax incentives apply to the additional cost of a green building. Because property taxes are collected locally, some states have granted local taxing authorities the option of allowing a property tax incentive for renewables.
Rebate Programs
States, utilities and a few local governments offer rebates to promote the installation of renewables and energy efficiency projects. The majority of rebate programs that support renewables are administered by states, municipal utilities and electric cooperatives; these programs commonly provide funding for solar water heating and/or photovoltaic (PV) systems. Most rebate programs that support energy efficiency are administered by utilities. Rebate amounts vary widely by technology and program administrator.
Sales Tax Incentives
Sales tax incentives typically provide an exemption from, or refund of, the state sales tax (or sales and use tax) for the purchase of a renewable energy system, an energy-efficient appliance, or other energy efficiency measures. Several states have established an annual “sales tax holiday” for energy efficiency measures by annually allowing a temporary exemption – usually for one or two days – from the state sales tax.
RULES, REGULATIONS and POLICIES
Appliance/Equipment Efficiency Standards
Many states have established minimum efficiency standards for certain appliances and equipment. In these states, the retail sale of appliances and equipment that do not meet the established standards is prohibited. The federal government has also established efficiency standards for certain appliances and equipment. When both the federal government and a state have adopted efficiency standards for the same type of appliance or equipment, the federal standard overrides the state standard (even if the state standard is stricter).
Building Energy Codes
Building energy codes adopted by states (and some local governments) require commercial and/or residential construction to adhere to certain energy standards. While some government entities have developed their own building energy codes, many use existing codes (sometimes with state-specific amendments), such as the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), developed and published by the International Code Council (ICC); or ASHRAE 90.1, developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). A few local building energy codes require certain commercial facilities to meet green building standards.
Contractor Licensing
Some states have adopted a licensing process for renewable energy contractors. Several states have adopted contractor licensing requirements for solar water heating, active and passive solar space heating, solar industrial process heat, solar-thermal electricity, and photovoltaics (PV). These requirements are designed to ensure that contractors have the necessary knowledge and experience to install systems properly. Solar licenses typically take the form of either a separate, specialized solar contractor’s license, or of a specialty classification under a general electrical or plumbing license.
Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS)
Energy efficiency resource standards (EERS) are state policies that require utilities to meet specific targets for energy savings according to a set schedule. EERS policies establish separate reduction targets for electricity sales, peak electric demand and/or natural gas consumption. In most cases, utilities must achieve energy savings by developing demand-side management (DSM) programs, which typically provide financial incentives to customers to install energy-efficient equipment. An EERS policy is sometimes coupled with a state’s renewables portfolio standard (RPS). In these cases, energy efficiency is typically included as a lower-tier resource.
Energy Standards for Public Buildings
Many states and local governments, as well as the federal government, have chosen to lead by example by requiring new government buildings to meet strict energy standards. DSIRE includes policies that have established green building standards, energy-reduction goals, equipment-procurement requirements, and/or the use of on-site renewable energy. Many of these policies require that new government buildings (and renovated buildings, in some cases) attain a certain level of certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Equipment-procurement policies often mandate the use of the most efficient equipment, including equipment that meets federal Energy Star criteria. Policies designed to encourage the use of on-site renewables generally establish conditional requirements tied to life-cycle cost analysis.
Equipment Certification Requirements
Policies requiring renewable energy equipment to meet certain standards serve to protect consumers from buying inferior equipment. These requirements not only benefit consumers; they also protect the renewable energy industry by keeping substandard systems out of the market.
Generation Disclosure
Some states require electric utilities to provide their customers with specific information about the electricity that the utility supplies. This information, which generally must be shared with customers periodically, usually includes the utility's fuel mix percentages and emissions statistics. In states with restructured electricity markets, generation disclosure policies are designed to help consumers make informed decisions about the electricity and suppliers they choose. A few states that have not fully restructured their electricity markets require generation disclosure by utilities.
Green Power Purchasing Policies
Government entities, businesses, residents, schools, non-profits and others can play a significant role in supporting renewable energy by buying electricity from renewable resources, or by buying renewable energy credits (RECs). Many state and local governments, as well as the federal government, have committed to buying green power to account for a certain percentage of their electricity consumption. Green power purchases are typically executed through contracts with green power marketers or project developers, through utility green power programs, or through community aggregation.
Interconnection Standards
Interconnection standards specify the technical and procedural process by which a customer connects an electricity-generating to the grid. Such standards include the technical and contractual terms that system owners and utilities must abide by. State public utilities commissions typically establish standards for interconnection to the distribution grid, while the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has adopted standards for interconnection to the transmission level. Many states have adopted interconnection standards, but some states’ standards apply only to investor-owned utilities -- not to municipal utilities or electric cooperatives. (Several states have adopted interconnection guidelines, which are weaker than standards and generally apply only to net-metered systems.)
Line Extension Analysis
When a prospective customer requests electric service for a home or facility that is not currently served by the electric grid, the customer usually must pay a distance-based fee for the cost of extending power lines to the home or facility. In some cases, it is cheaper to use an on-site renewable energy system to meet a prospective customer’s electricity needs. A few states require utilities to provide information regarding renewable energy options when a line extension is requested.
Mandatory Utility Green Power Option
Several states require electric utilities to offer customers the option to buy electricity generated from renewable resources, commonly known as “green power.” Typically, utilities offer green power generated using renewable resources that the utilities own (or for which they contract), or they buy renewable energy credits (RECs) from a provider certified by a state public utilities commission.
Net Metering
For electric customers who generate their own electricity, net metering allows for the flow of electricity both to and from the customer – typically through a single, bi-directional meter. When a customer’s generation exceeds the customer’s use, electricity from the customer flows back to the grid, offsetting electricity consumed by the customer at a different time during the same billing cycle. In effect, the customer uses excess generation to offset electricity that the customer otherwise would have to purchase at the utility’s full retail rate. Net metering is required by law in most U.S. states, but these policies vary widely.
Public Benefit Funds
Most public benefit funds (PBFs) were developed by states during the electric utility restructuring era, in the late 1990s, to ensure continued support for renewable energy, energy efficiency and low-income energy programs. These funds are commonly supported through a very small surcharge on electricity consumption (e.g., $0.002/kWh). This charge is sometimes referred to as a "system benefits charge" (SBC). PBFs commonly support rebate programs, loan programs, research and development, and energy education programs.
Renewables Portfolio Standards (RPS)
Renewable portfolio standards (RPSs) require utilities to use renewable energy or renewable energy credits (RECs) to account for a certain percentage of their retail electricity sales -- or a certain amount of generating capacity -- according to a specified schedule. (Renewable portfolio goals are similar to RPS policies, but renewable portfolio goals are not legally binding.) Most U.S. states have established an RPS. The term “set-aside” or “carve-out” refers to a provision within an RPS that requires utilities to use a specific renewable resource (usually solar energy) to account for a certain percentage of their retail electricity sales (or a certain amount of generating capacity) according to a set schedule.
Solar and Wind Access Policies
Solar and wind access policies are designed to establish a right to install and operate a solar or wind energy system at a home or other facility. Some solar access laws also ensure a system owner’s access to sunlight. These laws may be implemented at both the state and local levels. In some states, access rights prohibit homeowners associations, neighborhood covenants and local ordinances from restricting a homeowner’s right to use solar energy. Easements, the most common form of solar access policy, allow for the rights to existing access to a renewable resource on the part of one property owner to be secured from an owner whose property could be developed in such a way as to restrict that resource. An easement is usually transferred with the property title. At the local level, communities use several policies to protect solar access, including solar access ordinances, development guidelines requiring proper street orientation, zoning ordinances that contain building height restrictions, and solar permits.
Solar and Wind Permitting Standards
Permitting standards can facilitate the installation of wind and solar energy systems by specifying the conditions and fees involved in project development. Some local governments have adopted simplified or expedited permitting standards for wind and/or solar. “Top-of-the-stack” permitting (or fast-track permitting) saves system owners and project developers time and money. Some states have capped fees that local governments may charge for a permit for a solar or wind energy system. In addition, some states have developed (or have supported the development of) model wind ordinances for use by local governments. 3. Their interp means all affs lose to the states CP- this is a reason to prefer aff creativity Not bidirectional
4. Default to reasonability 1AR
Our interpretation of financial incentives excludes all the affs they say are abusive
Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency, 7 (North Carolina State University,
Link no longer available but is reprinted here: http://www.mrsolar.com/content/dsire.php What types of renewable energy incentives does DSIRE track?
The DSIRE project tracks information on state, utility, local, and selected federal incentives that promote the use of renewable energy technologies. For more information on federal incentives, see What federal incentives does DSIRE track. On the DSIRE website, incentives are grouped into two categories as follows:
(1) Financial Incentives: tax incentives, grants, loans, rebates, industry recruitment, bond programs, and production incentives.
(2) Rules, Regulations, and Policies: public benefits funds, renewables portfolio standards, net metering, interconnection, extension analysis, generation disclosure, contractor licensing, equipment certification, solar/wind access laws, and construction and design standards (including building energy codes and energy standards for public buildings), required utility green power options, and green power purchasing/aggregation policies. Incentives are direct monetary support for specific project development – distinct from ensuring market access or permitting
Doris, 12 – National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Elizabeth, “Policy Building Blocks: Helping Policymakers Determine Policy Staging for the Development of Distributed PV Markets,” Paper to be presented at the 2012 World Renewable Energy Forum, 5/13-5/17, http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy12osti/54801.pdf) 3.3 Market Expansion
This stage of policy development targets the development of projects and includes both incentives that attempt to distribute the high first costs of distributed technologies and policies that facilitate project installation. The purpose of this category is to increase the installation of individual projects through monetizing the non-economic benefits of distributed generation for the developer. Because the value of those benefits vary in different contexts, these policies can be politically challenging to put in place and technically challenging to design and implement. There is a large body of literature (encompassing the energy field as well as other fields) that discusses the design and implementation of effective market incentives. Specific policy types include:
• Incentives. In the context of this framework, incentives are defined as direct monetary support for specific project development. Incentives, especially in the current economic environment, can be politically challenging to implement and require detailed design to ensure that they are effectively reaching the intended market at levels that spur development without creating over-subsidization. Because of the complications and expense of these types of policies, they are most used and most cost-effective in environments where the market is prepared for project development. There are three primary types of incentives:
• Investment incentives directly alter the first cost of technologies. These incentives can take the form of grants, rebates, or tax incentives, depending on the market needs. Grants are typically applied to larger scale projects and are paid in advance of development, and so target development that would not take place without advance investment. Rebates are most commonly based on equipment purchases and can be applied at the time of purchase or through a post-purchase mechanism. Tax incentives can be deductions or credits, can be applied to entire installations, and are applied after purchase, annually. Tax incentives target development that does not need direct capital investment, but instead prioritizes reduction in pay-back period.
• Production incentives provide payment for electricity produced from the distributed electricity. These are different from net metering because the aim is not to provide the economic value of electricity sold into the grid, but instead, to monetize the indirect benefits of distributed generation and apply that on a production basis to projects. These incentives do not directly remove the challenge of higher first costs, and so are most effective in situations in which those high first costs can be spread over the course of the project lifetime (e.g., where direct priori investment is not a priority). In the last decade, incentives for distributed generation have tended toward the production type, because it assures the public that the investment is resulting in clean energy development (whereas investment incentives have the potential to be invested in projects that do not materialize).
• Feed-in-Tariffs. This incentive type reduces investment risk by providing fixed payments for projects based on the levelized cost of renewable energy generation. This (among other design characteristics) distinguishes feed-in-tariffs from production-based incentives, which are based on monetizing the value of the electricity to the grid or the value to the electricity purchaser.
• Removing Siting Restrictions or Ensuring Broad Market Access. Siting restrictions can be stipulated by local ordinances or home owners associations and designate where solar panels can be placed within the jurisdiction. Twenty-four states currently have laws in place that prevent the restriction of solar facilities on residences (12). Like the current state role in encouraging transparency in permitting policies, these typically legislative policies cost nothing to put in place, but implementation and enforcement can be challenging and costly, depending on the interests of the localities. This is an expansion policy (as opposed to a preparation policy) because the effect of siting restrictions is currently unclear, and to date, market development has not been limited by these types of regulations.
• Streamlined Permitting. Permitting for solar facilities has traditionally been the jurisdiction of localities, but there are some states that also issue permits. In the past two years, both Colorado (13) and Vermont (14) have issued laws regulating state permits for renewable energy systems. Such permitting falls into the market expansion category as a potential follow-on to the development of transparent permitting. However, because of its limited use to date there is little information on effectiveness, potential intended or unintended impacts, or broad applicability, so it is not currently considered a primary policy for developing markets. |
| 03/29/2013 | Tournament: | Round: | Opponent: | Judge:
2AC CIR
Won’t pass --- several reasons
-Other Agenda Items Thump -Dems overplay their hand -Graham will bail like he always does
-Obama push will polarize it -Dems stall bc the GOP would get blamed
-No payoff for the rank and file House GOP, Hispanics won’t switch by 2014 and the base is still key
Altman 3-20 (Alex,- Washington correspondent for TIME “Four Hurdles That Could Block Immigration Reform”)
The next few months offer the best chance in a generation for the two parties to solve a problem that has bedeviled Congress like few others. Both sides agree the U.S. immigration system is broken. Both would seem to gain from a deal that clears a pathway out of legal oblivion for the nation’s 11 million illegal immigrants. Support is building for a landmark pact. But while negotiations are progressing in both the House and Senate, an agreement is a long way off. As the talks grow more detailed, obstacles to a deal may begin to emerge: Problem #1: The Gang of Eight The first snag lurks in the Senate, where the so-called Gang of Eight has huddled privately since the election in hopes of hammering out a bill. Members have crafted a set of measures that would create a pathway to citizenship for the nation’s estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants within about 13 years while requiring them to register with federal authorities, pay back taxes and fines, learn English and undergo background checks. The deal, both sides agree, would also beef up border security and determine how the future flow of immigrants will be regulated to match the needs of the economy. (MORE: Rand Paul Embraces Immigration Reform) The Gang’s closed conclaves have been marked by Vatican-style secrecy, often a sign of progress in a town where silence is rare. The Gang’s members – Republicans Marco Rubio, Lindsey Graham, John McCain and Jeff Flake, and Democrats Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Bob Menendez and Michael Bennet – have, by all accounts, developed a rapport. “You can tell by the tone of their voices,” says an elected Democrat briefed on the progress of the private talks. But the broad themes are the easy part. The full bill will stretch to hundreds of pages, each peppered with detailed provisions that could spike it. Members bring clashing political imperatives and ideologies to the talks. Rubio, for exam ple, is trying to repair the GOP’s tattered image with Hispanic voters without sparking a backlash among the movement conservatives he’d need in a presidential bid. Graham, who faces a probable primary challenge in 2014, has a habit of basking in the bipartisan spotlight before bolting when negotiations intensify. The measure of the Gang of Eight’s success isn’t whether they are aligned at the start of their talks. It’s whether they are all aligned at the end. Problem #2: The Lobbyists A few years ago, an impasse between the leaders of the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO helped scupper an immigration-reform bill backed by President George W. Bush. At that time, business and labor could not agree on how many visas to grant low skilled workers who make the construction, agriculture and hotel and restaurant industries hum. The Chamber wanted cheap labor, but didn’t want workers to stay; unions were concerned about protecting citizens’ jobs. Soon after, reform collapsed. This time the two groups have nurtured an unlikely alliance. “There has been a sea change,” says a labor source close to the discussions. Nudged by Graham and Schumer, the two lobbies released a set of shared principles, including one stating that Americans should get “first crack” at available jobs and that businesses should have the flexibility to hire to meet the demands of the market. But history could repeat itself again. The two sides call for a new federal agency charged with setting visa levels, but they have yet to agree on who’s eligible or how the new bureau will work. The issue of future flow has been a stubborn sticking point before. And it is as easy to imagine conservatives balking at efforts to create a new government agency as it is to foresee unions drawing a line at a small number of foreign workers. (MORE: Committee to Save the GOP Says Pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Become Inclusive to Gays or Keep Losing) Problem #3: House Republicans Even if Senate negotiators can come up with a package to get 60 votes in the upper chamber, “the question continues to be, how does it get through the House?” says Frank Sharry, an expert on immigration reform. As in the Senate, a bipartisan cluster of eight representatives from across the ideological spectrum have been secretly meeting for months. Congressman Luis Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat who has long been a leader on immigration reform, is full of praise for the new tack taken by his Republican counterparts. But, he acknowledges, “You still have to put those votes on the board, and that’s going to be a real, real test in the House of Representatives.” For their part, Republicans say the party’s old dogma, which held that illegal immigrants should self-deport and then go to the back of the line, is not viable policy. Even many immigration hard-liners say they want to help shape comprehensive reform. “It’s time for us to belly up to the bar,” says Ted Poe, the Texas Republican who chairs the House immigration reform caucus. But for conservatives, amnesty remains a dirty word. “A bill that’s basically amnesty, that says you’re here and you’re going to be a citizen — those two things are not going to come out of this conservative House,” says Poe. Even citizenship is charged enough that Republican Senator Rand Paul, who gave a speech March 19 backing a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants, avoided using the term. Many House Republicans, including several in the Judiciary Committee through which a bill must pass, have a long history of antipathy to amnesty, and only a grassroots rebellion to fear as next year’s primaries approach. Then there is the reality that even if Republicans were to be widely supportive of amnesty, very few of those new citizens are likely to abandon the Democratic Party anytime soon. “Republicans face a choice: do they ditch their principles and go all out in a failing attempt to outpander Democrats?” asks Rosemary Jenks, director of government relations at NumbersUSA, which advocates for lower immigration levels. “It’s becoming very clear to Republicans in Congress that this is not going to get them the Hispanic vote.” (MORE: The Plight of the “Illegal” Nanny) Problem #4: The Democrats Little discussed but also looming is the possibility that Democrats drag their feet on reform. Liberals will balk if the path to citizenship is too long or too onerous, or if enforcement provisions are too rigid. Many conservatives also suspect that Democratic power brokers, despite their daily hammering of Republicans to get moving on immigration reform, would privately prefer to keep the issue as a cudgel than actually pass a law. Barack Obama “wants to make a bill come out of the Senate that is so far out there that it would never pass, so that he can blame us for not being compassionate and use the issue to take back the House in 2014,” says a House Republican. Even some liberals see this as a plausible scenario. “There’s always a lingering doubt in my mind,” admits one House Democrat. Obama knows that putting his fingerprints on the deal is an easy way to kill it; when a draft of his proposal leaked in the press, he called Republican negotiators individually to apologize. But if negotiations in Congress bog down, he may not be so hands off. By all accounts, negotiators are making genuine progress toward a landmark deal that builds on a foundation laid during its last fumbled attempts. But lawmakers still have to thread a bill through a thicket of obstacles in a bitterly divided Congress. Sources close to the negotiations say they expect both chambers to introduce legislation in early April, giving Congress several months to haggle out a pact before members scatter for their summer recess. It sounds like plenty of time, but it’s not. Immigration will have to jockey for attention this spring with gun control, budgets and a potential grand bargain on tax and entitlement reform. Meanwhile, the human cost of the political stalemate is high. Each day, 1,400 undocumented immigrants are deported. The DA is not intrinsic – it’s within the agential ambit of the USFG to do the plan and pass _
Vote no—Vote NEG costs political capital so the impact is inev—The action of the judge voting is a decision in congress
Plan has no political opposition
Dorsi 12 Michael (Fellow, Phillips and Cohen LLP; J.D. Harvard Law School , “Clean Energy Pricing and Federalism: Legal Obstacles and Options for Feed-in Tariffs”, )
Two types of policy design can provide a stable price: first, the government can mandate a fixed price, or, second, the government can permit a market to set a purchase price and pay the difference to the supplier. The latter explains some United States agricultural policies — the government sets a target price, and if the actual price falls below the target price, the government will make up the difference.22 Although these programs obtain a supply determined in part by the market forces and support the farmer regardless of price, they cost the government substantial sums of money, and would not be politically sustainable if the agricultural lobby were not particularly strong.23 The alternative fixed price policy avoids the cost to government, but consumers will react by purchasing less of a product if it must be sold at a high price, and sellers will react by offering to sell less if they must offer at a low price.24 A variant of the former describes the price cap on gasoline established by the Nixon Administration in the 1970s, which resulted in shortages of gasoline and rationing on the basis of who arrived first, which in turn caused memorable long lines at gas stations. A feed-in tariff attempts to operate as a hybrid of these two approaches, taking advantage of the unique regulatory structure of the utility sector to establish a subsidy without the need for a particularly strong lobby.
Solar popular—Jobs shield the link
Kelly, ’11 Future of federal solar programs in doubt¶ By Erin Kelly, USA TODAY Updated 6/28/2011 http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2011-06-28-solar-energy-congress_n.htm¶
The solar industry has an ally in President Obama, who has called for a national clean energy standard that sets the goal of the nation generating 80% of its electricity from clean sources by 2035. Although it's unlikely Congress will approve that ambitious goal, the administration could take steps to help the solar industry by allowing federal agencies to enter into long-term agreements to buy solar power, Resch said.¶ Solar programs also remain popular in the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., fought off House efforts early this year to end the loan guarantee program that helps solar companies secure financing for their projects. Reid last month announced that the Energy Department will provide conditional guarantees for the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project in Tonopah, Nev., creating nearly 5,000 jobs in his struggling state, which has the nation's highest jobless rate.¶ Solar lobbyists said they believe the loan guarantee program will survive, although it's not yet clear how much funding it will get this year.¶ McClintock and other conservatives wrote letters in early June asking the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development to end innovative technology loan guarantees and other renewable energy programs. The subcommittee approved $160 million for loan guarantees, far less than the $1 billion sought by the Obama administration but enough to keep the program alive.¶ The future is less certain for the U.S. Treasury program that gives cash grants to solar and other renewable-energy companies. Solar companies can get a grant equal to 30% of the cost of a solar system as an incentive to develop solar projects. It was intended to help companies that were not making enough profit in the sluggish economy to take advantage of a 30% tax credit.¶ Extending the program beyond its expiration date at the end of this year will be tough in the House, because the grant was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the stimulus bill passed by the House in 2009 when it was led by Democrats. Republicans say the act spent billions while creating few jobs.¶ "I think we've got a 50-50 chance of getting the grant program renewed," Efird said.¶ Solar advocates say they believe they can change some minds in the House when they point out that there are solar companies in every state.¶ "I think solar is sometimes mistakenly thought of as a small, niche industry when it has actually created jobs all across the country," Caperton said. "It's not just California and Arizona. There are manufacturing companies in Mississippi, Alabama, Michigan, all over the place. When members of Congress hear that, they start to listen, and things start to change."
Plan isn’t percieved
Wise 9 (Andrew S “The illusion of independent regulatory commission independence”, Proquest)
2 In theory, independent regulatory commissions like the FCC and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) were created to provide expert and politically neutral regulation in specialized policy areas. 1 In areas such as telecommunications, regulatory decisions were to be made based on intimate industry knowledge, not politics. The President would appoint the high-ranking officials of these agencies, with the advice and consent of the Senate, and Congress would exercise oversight over whether laws were implemented consistent with congressional intent. In the end, however, the independent commissions would perform the regulatory heavy lifting. It is reasonable to question whether these agencies perform as they were intended to, and whether the incentives operating on the high-level officials of these departments, and on those overseeing these agencies, provide the correct impulses to implement optimum policy. Alternatively, it is reasonable to question whether this idealized picture was or is the intent behind the creation of independent regulatory agencies. This study examines these questions focusing on the performance of the FCC and tests the hypothesis that the environment facing high-level independent commission officials does not provide the proper incentives to promulgate efficient regulations, or even regulations that serve the interests of a significant portion of society. Instead, high-level officials will seek to maximize lifetime income, which will have more to do with creating rents and pleasing congressional oversight committees than good policy. Additionally, this study examines whether independent regulatory agencies exist to implement politically neutral
Obama won’t get involved in immigration – he has given it entirely to Congress
Fox 3-28-13 (“Obama ‘Confident’ Immigration Bill Could Pass By Summer,” http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/28/obama-says-immigration-bill-could-pass-by-summer/, Mike)
While overhauling the nation's patchwork immigration laws is a top second term priority for the president, he has ceded the negotiations almost entirely to Congress. He and his advisers have calculated that a bill crafted by Capitol Hill stands a better chance of winning Republican support than one overtly influenced by the president. In his interviews Wednesday, Obama tried to stay out of the prickly policy issues that remain unfinished in the Senate talks, though he said a split between business and labor on wages for new low-skilled workers was unlikely to "doom" the legislation. "This is a resolvable issue," he said. The president also spoke Wednesday with Univision. His interviews followed a citizenship ceremony conducted Monday at the White House where he pressed Congress to "finish the job" on immigration, an issue that has vexed Washington for years. The president made little progress in overhauling the nation's fractured immigration laws in his first term, but he redoubled his efforts after winning re-election. The November contest also spurred some Republicans to drop their opposition to immigration reform, given that Hispanics overwhelmingly backed Obama. In an effort to keep Republicans at the negotiation table, Obama has stayed relatively quiet on immigration over the last month. He rolled out his immigration principles during a January rally in Las Vegas and made an impassioned call for overhauling the nation's laws during his early February State of the Union address, then purposely handed off the effort to lawmakers. The president has, however, privately called members of the Senate working group, and the administration is providing technical support to the lawmakers. The Gang of Eight is expected to unveil its draft bill when Congress returns from a two-week recess the week of April 8.
Executive action solves
Lillis 2/16
Mike, Dems: Obama can act unilaterally on immigration reform, 2/16/13, The Hill, http://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 Congress doesn't reach a comprehensive deal this year, according to several House Democratic leaders. While the Democrats are hoping Congress will preclude any executive action by enacting reforms legislatively, they say the administration has the tools to move unilaterally if the bipartisan talks on Capitol Hill break down. Furthermore, they say, Obama stands poised to use them.
PC low and not key
Hirsh 2/7 Michael Hirsh is chief correspondent for National Journal. Hirsh previously served as the senior editor and national economics correspondent for Newsweek. Hirsh has appeared many times as a commentator on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and National Public Radio. He has written for the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, Harper’s, and Washington Monthly, and authored two books. “There’s No Such Thing as Political Capital,” 2013, http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/there-s-no-such-thing-as-political-capital-20130207?page=1
On Tuesday, in his State of the Union address, President Obama will do what every president does this time of year. For about 60 minutes, he will lay out a sprawling and ambitious wish list highlighted by gun control and immigration reform, climate change and debt reduction. In response, the pundits will do what they always do this time of year: They will talk about how unrealistic most of the proposals are, discussions often informed by sagacious reckonings of how much “political capital” Obama possesses to push his program through.¶ Most of this talk will have no bearing on what actually happens over the next four years.¶ Consider this: Three months ago, just before the November election, if someone had talked seriously about Obama having enough political capital to oversee passage of both immigration reform and gun-control legislation at the beginning of his second term—even after winning the election by 4 percentage points and 5 million votes (the actual final tally)—this person would have been called crazy and stripped of his pundit’s license. (It doesn’t exist, but it ought to.) In his first term, in a starkly polarized country, the president had been so frustrated by GOP resistance that he finally issued a limited executive order last August permitting immigrants who entered the country illegally as children to work without fear of deportation for at least two years. Obama didn’t dare to even bring up gun control, a Democratic “third rail” that has cost the party elections and that actually might have been even less popular on the right than the president’s health care law. And yet, for reasons that have very little to do with Obama’s personal prestige or popularity—variously put in terms of a “mandate” or “political capital”—chances are fair that both will now happen.¶ What changed? In the case of gun control, of course, it wasn’t the election. It was the horror of the 20 first-graders who were slaughtered in Newtown, Conn., in mid-December. The sickening reality of little girls and boys riddled with bullets from a high-capacity assault weapon seemed to precipitate a sudden tipping point in the national conscience. One thing changed after another. Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association marginalized himself with poorly chosen comments soon after the massacre. The pro-gun lobby, once a phalanx of opposition, began to fissure into reasonables and crazies. Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who was shot in the head two years ago and is still struggling to speak and walk, started a PAC with her husband to appeal to the moderate middle of gun owners. Then she gave riveting and poignant testimony to the Senate, challenging lawmakers: “Be bold.”¶ As a result, momentum has appeared to build around some kind of a plan to curtail sales of the most dangerous weapons and ammunition and the way people are permitted to buy them. It’s impossible to say now whether such a bill will pass and, if it does, whether it will make anything more than cosmetic changes to gun laws. But one thing is clear: The political tectonics have shifted dramatically in very little time. Whole new possibilities exist now that didn’t a few weeks ago.¶ Meanwhile, the Republican members of the Senate’s so-called Gang of Eight are pushing hard for a new spirit of compromise on immigration reform, a sharp change after an election year in which the GOP standard-bearer declared he would make life so miserable for the 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. that they would “self-deport.” But this turnaround has very little to do with Obama’s personal influence—his political mandate, as it were. It has almost entirely to do with just two numbers: 71 and 27. That’s 71 percent for Obama, 27 percent for Mitt Romney, the breakdown of the Hispanic vote in the 2012 presidential election. Obama drove home his advantage by giving a speech on immigration reform on Jan. 29 at a Hispanic-dominated high school in Nevada, a swing state he won by a surprising 8 percentage points in November. But the movement on immigration has mainly come out of the Republican Party’s recent introspection, and the realization by its more thoughtful members, such as Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, that without such a shift the party may be facing demographic death in a country where the 2010 census showed, for the first time, that white births have fallen into the minority. It’s got nothing to do with Obama’s political capital or, indeed, Obama at all.¶ The point is not that “political capital” is a meaningless term. Often it is a synonym for “mandate” or “momentum” in the aftermath of a decisive election—and just about every politician ever elected has tried to claim more of a mandate than he actually has. Certainly, Obama can say that because he was elected and Romney wasn’t, he has a better claim on the country’s mood and direction. Many pundits still defend political capital as a useful metaphor at least. “It’s an unquantifiable but meaningful concept,” says Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute. “You can’t really look at a president and say he’s got 37 ounces of political capital. But the fact is, it’s a concept that matters, if you have popularity and some momentum on your side.”¶ The real problem is that the idea of political capital—or mandates, or momentum—is so poorly defined that presidents and pundits often get it wrong. “Presidents usually over-estimate it,” says George Edwards, a presidential scholar at Texas AandM University. “The best kind of political capital—some sense of an electoral mandate to do something—is very rare. It almost never happens. In 1964, maybe. And to some degree in 1980.” For that reason, political capital is a concept that misleads far more than it enlightens. It is distortionary. It conveys the idea that we know more than we really do about the ever-elusive concept of political power, and it discounts the way unforeseen events can suddenly change everything. Instead, it suggests, erroneously, that a political figure has a concrete amount of political capital to invest, just as someone might have real investment capital—that a particular leader can bank his gains, and the size of his account determines what he can do at any given moment in history.
No bill—Even if they have a card, there isn’t even a bill yet—Takes out the internal link US-Indian relations low but will never collapse
Padukone 12 (Neil Padukone is the Felow for geopolitics at the Takshashila Institution, 6/19/2012, "Natural Allies?", pragati.nationalinterest.in/2012/06/natural-allies/)
In the late 1990s, the United States and India embarked on a partnership based largely on three strategic issues: markets, counter-terrorism, and balancing China. With the opening of India’s economy in 1991, the United States saw India’s billion-strong population as a massive market for its businesses. In the wake of 9/11, Washington came to see India’s travails against Islamist militants in Kashmir and Afghanistan through the lens of its War on Terror and increased counter-terrorism cooperation with New Delhi. And as India’s and China’s strategic spaces began to overlap, managing China’s rise became a common concern for both New Delhi and Washington. With that in mind, the United States and India reversed decades of enmity and, through the 2006 nuclear deal, embarked upon a symbolic commitment to what heads of state of both countries have called a “natural alliance.” Yet with all the fanfare- particularly after U.S. President Barack Obama voiced his support for a permanent Indian seat on the UN Security Council in his 2010 Lok Sabha speech- bilateral ties have recently been marked by considerable drift: India has not fallen in line on the issue of Iran, Washington is only slowly coming around on Pakistani militancy, the countries’ UN voting records do not mesh, and trade disagreements abound. Questions have been raised over why U.S.-India relations have cooled, or whether they were over hyped in the first place. The U.S. Department of Defense’s “strategic pivot” toward Asia is one way to shore up relations and realign the Indo-U.S. partnership. India’s geostrategic location at the centre of the Indian Ocean- along with its naval expansion toward the southern Indian Ocean and its Port Blair naval base at the Andaman Islands- enable New Delhi to manage China’s presence in the region. Indeed, India and America’s navies have been more coordinated than any other bureaucracy since 2000. But the implications of this shared Beijing-centric orientation will only come about in the medium-term. One dimension of these ties, the sale of defence technologies, is another place where India has not yet delivered: the recent Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition failed to award contracts to American companies. And in the middle of a global recession in which all countries are hunkering down, and domestic inflation and unemployment- not to mention concerns over doing business in India, such as retroactive taxation and tax avoidance measures- have grown, economic reforms that would further open India’s markets have slowed. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent visit to Kolkata was largely an effort to encourage India to increase the speed of its market liberalisation, particularly in the retail sector. This may be a prospect for the future, but is doubtful today given India’s economic slowdown and the attendant drop in employment. Yet perhaps the main reason for this strategic drift is that America’s key concern in South Asia these days is Afghanistan. President Obama delivered on his campaign promise to refocus efforts on the war in that country, and from 2009, his administration’s “AfPak” strategy took a regional perspective that originally sought to bring India into the equation. The thinking behind this, as Amitai Etzioni writes, is that “for Pakistanis, conflict (with India) poses an ominous existential challenge that drives their behaviour on all things,” including “their approach to the West and the war in Afghanistan… If the India-Pakistan confrontation could be settled, chances for progress on other fronts would be greatly enhanced.” The implication was that Washington ought to hyphenate India and Pakistan, to see the two as part of the same regional tussle, and try to settle the Kashmir dispute in order to make progress in Afghanistan. This was something New Delhi vehemently opposed and in fact, it sought de-hyphenation from Pakistan – engagement with New Delhi and Islamabad on separate and unconnected tracks. So when the office of the late US Special Adviser on Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke sought to include India and Kashmir in its purview, New Delhi successfully lobbied against it. This effort served one of India’s aims, insofar as it keeps Kashmir out of America’s area of direct intervention. Yet it also takes India, its assets, and its clout out of the broader Afghan resolution. Among these assets is the Indian-constructed Chabahar Road that connects Iran’s eastern Chabahar Port on the Gulf of Oman to western Afghanistan. The road ends Pakistan’s monopoly on seaborne trade to Afghanistan, which has long allowed Islamabad’s pernicious dominance of Kabul’s economic and political life. In light of America’s confrontation with Iran and efforts to sanction the latter’s energy sector, however, Washington opposes India’s use of Chabahar, particularly to import Iranian oil and natural gas. Indeed another goal of Secretary Clinton’s visit was to try to shore up India’s support for sanctions against Iran- to which end India is reducing its dependence on Iranian energy as it awaits an exemption on sanctions from the US State Department. But when New Delhi recently used its Chabahar road to send 100,000 tons of wheat to Kabul, its full potential vis-à-vis Afghanistan became evident. And this food aid was on top of India’s additional commitments to Afghanistan: constructing the Zaranj-Delaram highway in western Afghanistan that connects Chabahar to the Afghan ring road, the development of the Ayni Air base in Tajikistan (originally designed to treat wounded Afghan soldiers), building Afghanistan’s parliament building, exploring the Hajigak iron mine, and even commitments to train the Afghan National Police and Army- all of which amount to pledges of over $1 billion since 2001. Washington has been wary of encouraging India’s presence in Afghanistan citing Islamabad’s fear of encirclement. But, even without American attention, a refutation of Pakistan’s “India Threat” narrative is already underway. In order to remain focused on strategic horizons beyond South Asia, India is reorienting its defence apparatus away from Pakistan and towards China and the southern Indian Ocean; even the Ayni Base and Chabahar Road can be seen as elements of this strategic shift beyond the subcontinent. Together with Pakistan’s focus on the Durand Line and events within its own borders, political breathing space between Islamabad and New Delhi has opened up. India-Pakistan talks have already produced a number of important breakthroughs that portend better bilateral days to come: the granting of Most-Favoured Nation status, enhanced trade measures, as well as discussions on the specific parameters of a Kashmir peace based on economic integration. Specifically regarding the Indo-Pak dynamic in Afghanistan, things are less zero-sum than they appear. Important as the Chabahar route is, the combination of road, sea, and even rail links still comes with massive transport costs for India-Afghanistan trade. As S Verma, chairman of Steel Authority of India and the head of a consortium of Indian industries engaged in Afghanistan’s Hajigak iron mine, put it, “over the longer term,” transporting Afghan minerals over Pakistani territory “will be a productive investment. Not just for us, but others in the region including Pakistan. There are license fees, logistics, and so forth.” Meanwhile, Kaustav Chakrabarti of the Observer Research Foundation has suggested “deploying joint Indo-Pak nation building teams” in Afghanistan that include advisors, military trainers, bureaucrats, developments experts, medical crews and NGOs. These teams would “provide additional resources, bridge political polarities, foster cooperation between India and Pakistan and devise means to verify each other’s role, and ultimately, present a long-term mechanism,” guaranteed by India and Pakistan’s geographic proximity, “to ensure Afghanistan’s neutrality.” He cites as a precedent the collaboration between Indian and Pakistani armed forces in “UN peacekeeping missions in hot spots like Somalia.” Full realisation of any Indo-Pak promise will require more space, and time, between the two countries. The interim period, meanwhile, may indeed take a cooling period between the United States and India, who are unlikely to become allies in the fullest sense due to differing tactical approaches. But the strategic fundamentals of the Indo-American rapport- balancing China, expanding trade, and stabilising South Asia- remain intact. |
| 03/29/2013 | Tournament: | Round: | Opponent: | Judge:
2AC Russia DA
No demand for US gas – China, Australia and Qatar are producing enough gas now.
Hurdle -12 (May 23, 2012, Jon Hurdle, Sabine Pass Natural Gas Export Project Leads Controversial Trend, http://energy.aol.com/2012/05/23/sabine-pass-natural-gas-export-project-leads-controversial-trend/?icid=apb1#page1)
The plants that do get built are likely to come on stream by 2016-17 when coal-to-gas switching by power generators starts to taper off after the retirement of aging coal-fired plants that are unable to meet new federal clean-air standards, Pickering said. That's likely to push domestic prices up by a "moderate" one to eight percent as overseas markets take up some of the abundant supply, creating more attractive market for producers, he said. But by 2035, natural gas could rise to between $4-6 per MMBtu as increased demand from exports combines with more use as a vehicle fuel, declining production, and the rising cost of environmental compliance. Despite some support for US LNG exports, overseas demand for US gas is likely to be limited by increasing production in many countries, notably China, Australia and Qatar, all of which have major reserves of shale gas, Pickering said. As global production increases, the price differential between US and overseas shale gas will come down, he predicted. "The role of exports and the amount of gas that's available will help to ensure a healthy, producing industry," he said. "There's enough gas there, it just needs an adequate return." Exporrts are illegal
Ebinger, their author, -12 (Ebinger, Senior fellow and Director of the Energy Security Initiative at Brookings, ’12 (Charles, “Liquid Markets: Assessing the Case for US Exports of Liquefied Natural Gas,” 5-2-12, http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/events/2012/5/02%20lng%20exports/20120502_lng_exports, accessed 8-17-12)
Companies looking to construct or expand facilities for the export of LNG from the United States need to satisfy a number of federal regulatory requirements. These include the requirement for companies to seek export authorization from the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy if the importing country is not subject to a freetrade agreement (FTA) with the United States (see table 2). 26 Operators looking to modify existing LNG import terminals must obtain approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). 27 Other federal agencies that have a role in approving LNG export facilities include the U.S. Coast Guard, which, among other responsibilities, provides escort security in and out of port facilities; and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which has jurisdiction over all pipelines. Under the National Environmental Policy Act, LNG export facilities may also be subject to environmental reviews in the form of an Environmental Impact Statement, an Environmental Assessment or under the terms of the Clean Air Act, or the Endangered Species Act.. 28 (See box 1). No link as of the 1NC – no evidence it is legal, need evidence that russia exports to the US which isnt occurring
Natural gas is finite- reliance makes collapse of the economy inevitable
RP Siegel, PE, is an inventor, consultant and author. He co-wrote the eco-thriller Vapor Trails, the first in a series covering the human side of various sustainability issues including energy, food, and water in an exciting and entertaining format., 2-22- 13 (“Shale Energy Bubble Threatens Second Economic Collapse”)
http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/02/shale-gas-bubble-threatens-second-economic-collapse/
There has been more than a little celebration as the result of the huge shale gas deposits discovered in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. The discovery has led to a sense among many that our energy problems are not terribly urgent. Even President Obama referred to a 100 year supply of natural gas in his second State of the Union address. The U.S. is now predicted to become the world’s top oil and gas producer in the year 2017. What those predictions don’t tell is how long the U.S. is expected to remain in that position.¶ According to one expert, that status could be very short-lived indeed. In fact, according to David Hughes, a scientist who spent 32 years with the Geological Survey of Canada, the exceedingly optimistic estimates could be setting us up for a fall, the likes of which we have not seen since the real estate collapse of 2008. Hughes is currently a fellow with the Post Carbon Institute.¶ Shale gas has grown explosively to the point that it now supplies some 40 percent of U.S. natural gas. But the question is, how long can that explosion last?¶ Hughes has noted in his report, Drill Baby Drill that it’s not the amount of gas in situ, but the achievable rate of supply that really matters. It turns out, there are significant constraints to achieving the needed rates for both shale gas and oil. After studying production data for some 65,000 shale gas wells, using the industry standard DI Desktop /HPDI database, Hughes found that the vast majority of these wells are depleted within five years.¶ So although, there is a huge amount of gas and oil sitting there, it will become increasingly difficult, risky and expensive to retrieve those resources as time goes on. The very high rates of decline of these wells will require thousands of new wells to be dug at a cost that could well exceed the value of the energy extracted. In the case of shale gas, Hughes estimates a cost of $42 billion per year as compared to $32.5 billion worth of gas that was produced in 2012.¶ A similar scenario exists with the shale (tight) oil, The two main plays in North Dakota (Bakken/yellow) and Texas (Eagle Ford/brown) are declining rapidly and will require over 1500 new wells annually at a cost of $14 billion, just to offset the declines. Production of this oil is expected to peak in 2017 (the year the US briefly becomes top producer) dropping back within two years to 2012 levels and essentially petering out by 2025. In other words, this whole shale oil bonanza will be a bubble of about ten years’ duration (see graph).¶ Tar sands oil, the raison d’être for the much-opposed Keystone XL pipeline, is likewise troubled. It contains relatively low energy while requiring lots of energy, in the form of steam, to produce. Some estimates claim a cost of as much as $100 per barrel.¶ It is not just Hughes saying this. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) sees U.S. domestic crude oil production including shale oil peaking at 7.5 million barrels per day (mbd) in 2019 (well below the all-time U.S. peak of 9.6 mbd in 1970), and by 2040 the share of domestically produced crude oil is projected to be lower than it is today.¶ At the same time as Hughes’ report came out, Deborah Rogers of the Energy Policy Forum also issued her report, Shale and Wall Street: Was the Decline in Natural Gas Prices Orchestrated?. Rogers is a former investment banker, now the founder of the Energy Policy Forum. According to her report, shale mergers and acquisitions became one of the most profitable areas for Wall St. investment banks, accounting for some $46.5 billion worth of deals. Her report provides evidence that Wall Street promoted the natural gas drilling frenzy (much as it did the housing bubble), by, among other things, conspiring with energy companies to overstate the size of reserves by as much as 4-500% , as well as understating the steep decline rates and highly inefficient nature of these operations. Furthermore, they drove production to unsustainable levels in an effort to drive prices down to encourage investment and manipulate government policy in a direction most favorable to domestic oil and gas production. Because of the debt resulting from these highly leveraged operations, stated reserves may have broken SEC rules in an effort to avoid collateral default.¶ So, it seems what we have here is a conspiracy of misinformation, on the part of energy companies and their Wall Street backers, intended, in the name of short term profit, to lure our economy out onto a branch of the energy tree that is not strong enough to hold its weight.¶ When that branch collapses, prices will suddenly go through the roof, and the result will be much the same as the financial collapse of 2008, only this time the government will be asked to bail out the oil companies.¶ |
| 03/29/2013 | Tournament: | Round: | Opponent: | Judge:
2AC States RPS No solve- 1AC Morman fed preemption PDB States theory Condo You Should Be Skeptical of Solvency Claims – All RPS Good Studies Are Biased and Don’t Account For Actual Production Values
Industrial Wind Action Group 2010 http://www.windaction.org/faqs/29233 WindAction Editorial Say NO to a National RPS! (Posted September 23, 2010)
According to a March 2007 study released by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, adoption of State RPS policies hinged on state-sponsored studies that projected the costs and benefits of programs. However, across all state studies, the methodologies used in determining projected electricity rate impacts, environmental effects, and public benefits were limited and failed to account for key costs including:¶ 1. transmission and integration costs for wind energy*, ¶ 2. fluctuating capacity values, ¶ 3. increasing capital costs for the turbines, and ¶ 4. likelihood that coal-fired generation, not natural gas, will drive wholesale market prices in some regions.¶ *The bulk of the renewable generation is expected to be satisfied by wind according to the report.¶ In an interview, Berkeley Lab researcher Ryan Wiser said that "many of the studies were designed with the explicit intent to either influence legislative processes or, alternatively, to potentially affect the design of RPS policies as established by regulatory agencies."¶ The "disparity between study expectations and current market reality suggests that the actual cost impacts of state RPS policies may significantly exceed those estimated in our sample of studies, especially if higher wind costs persist."
RPS fails – Companies would pay the fine rather than switching to Renewables
Jerry Taylor, 2002 director of natural resource studies at the Cato Institute, Evaluating the Case for Renewable Energy Is Government Support Warranted?, http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa422.pdf
The Clinton administration proposed a federal RPS that would require all U.S. electricity suppliers to obtain renewable energy credits equal to 7.5 percent of sales from 2010 through expiration in 2015. Under the administration’s plan, credits could be obtained by generating electricity with specified renewables (one credit for every kilowatt-hour), purchasing credits from others, or purchasing credits unsupported by generation from the Department of Energy at 1.5 cents per credit, effectively setting a cap on the price of renewable energy. Because actual renewable sources of electricity have costs that exceed 1.5 cents per kWh, retail suppliers would for the most part buy credits from the Department of Energy rather than actually purchase or produce renewable energy. The EIA estimated that the Clinton RPS would increase renewables’ market share only to 3.4 percent in 2020.80 Approximately 82 percent of the 36 billion kWh increase in renewable energy would come from mixing biomass (essentially, wood chips, paper, and various specialty plants) with coal in existing coal-fired power plants.81 Removing the 2015 sunset provision would increase the predicted market share for renewables to 4.2 percent.82 NB-
Adding to the grid lowers electricity prices
Jon Parepoynt, 3-11- 13 (“The Europeanization Of U.S. Utilities Has Begun”, Seeking Alpha Contributor)
¶ According to most state regulations, wind and solar power generation have a guaranteed place on the grid, and utilities are required to buy this electricity. In the case where base loads requirements are satisfied by current base load generation and intermittent generation is high, there will be too much electricity on the grid. There is currently insufficient electricity storage so that the excess can be "banked" for when it is needed, for instance when the intermittent generation is offline.¶ When there is insufficient demand to satisfy both the base load generating capacity and the intermittent generating capacity, utilities have been paying customers to use more electricity.¶ Bloomberg published another article on the topic Sunday night March 10 outlining this exact situation - not in Germany or Denmark, but in the US Midwest. It is titled, "Nuclear Industry Withers in US as Wind Pummels Prices", This article should be necessary reading for all electric utility investors.¶ Prices Below Zero¶ Wind power has two advantages. Green energy laws in many states require utilities to buy wind energy under long-term contracts as part of their clean-energy goals and take that power even when they don't need it. Wind farms also receive a federal tax credit of $22 for every megawatt-hour generated.¶ Thus, even when there is no demand for the power they produce, operators keep turbines spinning, sending their surplus to the grid because the tax credit assures them a profit.¶ On gusty days in the five states with the most wind power - - Texas, California, Iowa, Illinois and Oregon -- this can flood power grids, causing prices to drop below zero during times when demand is light. Wholesale electricity during off-peak hours in Illinois has sold for an average price of $23.39 per megawatt hour since Jan. 1, after hitting a record low of -$41.08 on Oct. 11, the least since the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator Inc. began sharing real-time pricing in 2005.¶ 'Negative Prices'¶ Meanwhile, nuclear and coal plants must continue running even as this "negative pricing" dynamic forces them to pay grid operators to take the power they produce. Solar decentralization solves the grid price spikes
Kristin Bluvas, ‘7 (J.D., Albany Law School, 2007; B.S., Cornell University, 2004, “COMMENT: DISTRIBUTED GENERATION: A STEP FORWARD IN UNITED STATES ENERGY POLICY”, 70 Alb. L. Rev. 1589)
The current electricity system does not operate like a typical market. In a perfect market, "as a price of a good rises, demand for that good will decrease as consumers use substitutes and/or curtail their consumption of that good." n70 After the promulgation of FERC *1599 Order 888, n71 the initial electricity market designs did not include the ability for demand customers to reduce their consumption based on market prices. n72 There have been several uncoordinated attempts to rectify this market-wide problem, n73 but such localized programs have been unsuccessful at addressing this on a national level. This inelasticity of demand response "has been indicted as the chief culprit behind the price spikes, shortages, and charges of market manipulation that have plagued several U.S. electricity markets the past few years." n74 The promotion of homeowner power production through distributed generation (specifically renewable) so that consumers can react to current power prices would help control prices at peak demand times. n75 A generator could be turned on to decrease high-priced power consumption. Nevertheless, this would require a much more transparent market system allowing prices to be viewed easily by consumers. No price spikes
Alic, former tech and science consultant – Office of Technology Assessment, adjunt professor – Johns Hopkins SAIS, ‘12 (John, “Defense Department Energy Innovation: Three Cases,” in Energy Innovation at the Department of Defense: Assessing the Opportunities, March)
¶ The Energy Information Administration expects the 12 members of OPEC, which account for some 70 percent¶ of estimated world reserves, to pump slightly more than 40 percent of world oil production over the next several¶ decades.c U.S. oil imports will remain high. At the same time, supplies have become more diversified since the¶ 1970s, and the OPEC cartel weaker. Canada now ships more oil to the United States than does any other nation¶ (followed by Mexico, and only then Saudi Arabia). Domestic output has crept upward in recent years. All these¶ factors tend to argue against a repetition of unexpectedly sudden supply constrictions. So does the dependence of¶ many exporting states on oil revenues as a prop to internal security, by buying off political opponents or buying¶ weapons to suppress them.¶ To some observers, common sense nevertheless seems to imply that dependence on imported oil weakens the¶ U.S. economy, and by extension national security, given that military power depends, if indirectly, on the size¶ and composition of a nation’s economy. These extrapolations from dependence on imported oil to some sort of¶ larger national vulnerability have little foundation in empirically grounded understanding of either economic¶ affairs or military security. Within the analytical framework of economics, weakness and strength are problematic¶ notions, lacking an accepted basis in quantitative measures; governments collect statistics on output, income,¶ and productivity, not “strength.” Trade deficits, furthermore, are usually taken to be derivative of savings and¶ investment, viewed as the fundamental forces driving a nation’s balance of payments. The implication of this more¶ or less standard view is that a reduction in U.S. imports of oil (e.g., from greater domestic output), would simply¶ lead to a rise in imports of other goods and services. Third, the relationships between economic performance and¶ military strength are loose. The Soviet Union, after all, managed to remain a superpower for decades by steering a¶ large share of economic output to its military.¶ The implications of oil imports for U.S. security interests, then, seem oblique. The administration’s most recent |
| 03/30/2013 | Tournament: | Round: | Opponent: MSU HR | Judge: Gina Langen, Ohio State Office of Energy and Environment January 29, 2013 Successful 200+ Hour Continuous Operation of Coal-Direct Chemical Looping Combustion Technology at Ohio State http://oee.osu.edu/documents/Fan200.pdf
The Ohio State University successfully demonstrated 200+ hours of continuous operation of a fully
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or as a cost-effective repowering option to existing coalfired power plants. Kelly Levin, via WRI Insights., 3-7-13 ("Developed Nations Must Cut Emissions In Half By 2020, Says New Study",Climate Progress)
The findings from this most recent study suggest that the challenge we already knew was
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ambition is growing, as is the urgency of addressing global climate change. Bosetti et al 11 (Valentina Bosetti, EuroMediterranean Center for Climate Change, Sergey Paltsevb Massachusetts Institute of Technology, John Reilly Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carlo Carraro University of Venice, CEPR, CESifo, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei, and EuroMediterranean Center for Climate Change, "Climate Impacts and Policies. An Economic Assessment," 9/16/11) http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2027881
Emission pathways consistent with a "likely" chance of meeting the 2°
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regions will appreciably reduce the probability of more extreme levels of temperature increase. |
| 03/30/2013 | Tournament: | Round: | Opponent: MSU HR | Judge: Gibson, Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court delivering its majority opinion, 1938 (In re Moore, 77 P.2d 676, 678)
The amended act provides for an appeal only when the assessment is increased. We
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, and to give them a right to appeal to the district court. Economic Policy Institute, 3-31-4 ("Congressional budget resolution takes the deficit from bad to worse", http://www.epi.org/economic_snapshots/entry/webfeatures_snapshots_archive_03312004/)
The budget resolution passed by the House of Representatives on March 25 is an odd
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2009—%2461 billion higher than the baseline level of %24170 billion. B. No abuse- New energies provide predictable literature and stronger DA linksCnaan, professor, associate dean for research, and chair of the Doctoral Program
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study", Social Indicators Research, Vol. 19, No. 4)
The two target variables appear to measure two distinct phenomena. Their correlation was low
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may go on until other contributing factors intervene and temporarily break the cycle. a) Financial Incentives are grants, loan guarantees, and tax incentives3E ’5 ("A Guide to U.S. Federal, Oregon, and Local Financial Incentives Available to Firms Engaged in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency," 3E is a non-profit organization aimed at creating a business alliance for sustainable energy, November 1, http://www.3estrategies.org/Documents/IncentivesforSEcompaniesguide—3-06_000.pdf-http://www.3estrategies.org/Documents/IncentivesforSEcompaniesguide~-~-3-06_000.pdf**, Mike)
U.S. FEDERAL LEVEL FINANCIAL INCENTIVES Assistance is available in the following forms
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"state-level incentives" section of this guide for further information. US Code 2012 (Title 42 › Chapter 149 › Subchapter XIII › § 16491, http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/16491)
42 USC § 16491 - Energy production incentives (a) In general A State
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or to otherwise impair, restrain, or discriminate, against interstate commerce. Wire News 1-30-13 ("DOE-Supported Project Advances Clean Coal, Carbon Capture Technology Ohio State Researchers Show Viability of Advanced Chemical Looping Process," http://www.power-eng.com/news/2013/01/29/doe-supported-project-advances-clean-coal-carbon-capture-technology-ohio-state-researchers-show-viab.html, Mike)
The following information was released by the U.S. Department of Energy,
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further prove the operability and economic feasibility of OSUs advanced chemical looping technologies. |
| 03/30/2013 | Tournament: | Round: | Opponent: MSU HR | Judge: 1. Perm do the Counterplan- Nothing in the plan commits our affirmative to immediacy. Counterplans must be textually and functionally competitive.Dictionary of Americanisms, ’99
(1999, The Dictionary of Americanisms was originally created by John Russell Bartlett in 1848, This edition was re-copyrighted 1999-2006 – http://www.merrycoz.org/voices/bartlett/AMER10.HTM~~%23o)
OUGHT. As this verb is defective, and has no inflection to distinguish past from present time, illiterate persons often attempt to supply the deficiency by the use of auxiliaries. Hence the expressions, don’t ought, had ought, hadn’t ought. Mr. Pegge notices the two last among the vulgarisms of London. 4. CP wont be implemented and links to politicsStephen, Barlas 12 (Columnist @ Financial Executive "Does the US really need an energy policy?" ,Lexis)
But it is highly unlikely that Obama’s blueprint will lead to a firmer footing for
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efforts to substitute domestic natural gas for foreign petroleum features business versus business. CP predetermines outcome and forces rushed process —- both independently gut solvencySands 11 (Derek, Inside Energy with Federal Lands, 11/21, Lexis)
In the wake of a major internal report on the future of the Energy Department’s
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both administration and Congressional endorsement," Moniz told the lawmakers during the hearing. |
| 03/30/2013 | Tournament: | Round: | Opponent: MSU HR | Judge: -Other Agenda Items Thump -Dems overplay their hand -Graham will bail like he always does
-Obama push will polarize it -Dems stall bc the GOP would get blamed
-No payoff for the rank and file House GOP, Hispanics won’t switch by 2014 and the base is still key
Altman 3-20 (Alex,- Washington correspondent for TIME "Four Hurdles That Could Block Immigration Reform")
The next few months offer the best chance in a generation for the two parties
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is high. Each day, 1,400 undocumented immigrants are deported. Fox 3-28-13 ("Obama ’Confident’ Immigration Bill Could Pass By Summer," http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/28/obama-says-immigration-bill-could-pass-by-summer/-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
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Congress returns from a two-week recess the week of April 8. EDWARD FELKER, 3-26-13 (ENERGYGUARDIAN, "Energy Department questioned for failing to spend Recovery Act monies, target new projects", Washington Guardian)
Years after promising to revive the coal industry with new carbon capture technologies, the
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not only use in the United States, but export around the world." Sarah Battaglia, 3-6- 13 ("Clean Coal Could be the Solution to Global Warming", Heyl and Patterson, http://info.heylpatterson.com/blog/bid/113777/Clean-Coal-Could-be-the-Solution-to-Global-Warming)
President Obama is already in complete support for the development of clean coal. In 2011, he declared his goal of generating 80 percent of the nation’s energy from clean sources, including clean coal. The following year, he summarized the "all-of-the-above" energy strategy, which also incorporated clean coal technologies. Heitkamp 3/18/2013 (Senator Heidi, Democrat of North Dakota, Press Release of Senator Heitkamp¶ SENATORS URGE WHITE HOUSE TO PROTECT COAL PLANTS FROM OVERREACHING EPA REGULATIONS, http://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=341066)
U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Joe
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and helps us lessen our dependence on foreign fuel," Senator Heitkamp said. They’re on the fence now and key to CIRPTR 2/19/2013 (Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Some Dems uneasy with immigration bills, lexis)
Immigration isn’t a touchy subject just for many Republicans. Southern and moderate Democrats may
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of legalization for the 11 million illegal immigrants now in the United States. Jeremy P. Jacobs and Manuel Quinones, 3-14-13 ("Congressional intent at issue as judges wrestle with EPA’s Clean Water Act veto power", E and E)
Skeptical appellate judges put tough questions today to both U.S. EPA and
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the rug out from under countless other industries (Greenwire, March 13). By Brian Merchant November 2012 How Coal Trumps Climate in Washington http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/washington-fights-for-coal-amidst-deafening-climate-silence
Our fossil fueled climate problem is massively asymmetrical; in the ’Pro-’
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few, and they have, for the moment, been swept aside. Lipton 12
Eric, NYT, Even in Coal Country, the Fight for an Industry: May 29, 2012
But the coal industry is mustering all the weapons it can: lobbying, legislation
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and to pressure the Kentucky Public Service Commission to approve the retrofit project. 1AR CSM 3-28 ("’Path to citizenship’ roils immigration reform. But what is it, exactly?", http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2013/0328/Path-to-citizenship-roils-immigration-reform.-But-what-is-it-exactly/%28page%29/2)
Immigration advocates demand it. Conservative immigration reformers say it’s not happening. The very
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be a tall, if not impossible, order, immigration advocates add. Won’t pass – Rushing The Examiner 3-28 ("Byron York: Democrats set to jam immigration reform through Senate", http://washingtonexaminer.com/byron-york-democrats-set-to-jam-immigration-reform-through-senate/article/2525736)
Given the enormity of the changes that would result from comprehensive immigration reform, Senate
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, unable to come up with a word to describe such an undertaking. AgriPulse 3-28 ("Congress faces ’tall order’ on immigration reform, Cantor says", http://www.agri-pulse.com/Congress-faces-tall-order-on-immigration-reform,-Cantor-says-03282013.asp)
WASHINGTON, March 28, 2013 - Congress could approve a comprehensive immigration reform package - possibly containing a revised guest worker program - this year, but is considered a "tall order," House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said today.¶ Speaking on Fox News, Cantor said there was a "lot of interest" to arrive at legislation that both parties could accept, but that any comprehensive package would be "tough to come by." 1AR Link Turns All of their arguments about other Dems backlashing STRENGTHEN our conservative Dem turns- angering the liberal base lets Landrieu and Begich differentiate themselves from the national party so they’ll feel more confident for 2014 and support Obama on things like immigration- PTR says they’re not on board yet and they are NECESSARY for passage- Heitkamp ev proves spillover is MOST LIKELY with the turn since they’re backlashing now whereas the environmental base would never do anything to hurt ObamaNational Journal 1/23/2013 (Red-State Democrats’ Reelection Playbook, http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/red-state-democrats-reelection-playbook-20130123)
President Obama won’t have to face voters again, but a handful of Democratic senators
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is no way they are going to take your Second Amendment rights away." The only people who don’t like the plan are hyper-liberals that would never abandon Obama- recent votes proveWashington Guardian 2/20/2013 (Two Senate Democrats seek to end signature effort by Obama to make coal cleaner burning, renewing ’war on coal’ allegations, http://www.washingtonguardian.com/ending-clean-coal)
The major climate bill introduced last week by two key liberal senators would not only
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Rural Utility Service or the Transportation Department’s Federal Railroad Administration under their proposal. By Brian Merchant November 2012 How Coal Trumps Climate in Washington http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/washington-fights-for-coal-amidst-deafening-climate-silence
Our fossil fueled climate problem is massively asymmetrical; in the ’Pro-’
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Anti" fossil fuels contingent is a comparatively ragtag band of environmental activists, concerned citizens, and progressive businesses that, while having made incredible use of
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few, and they have, for the moment, been swept aside. Sarah Battaglia, 3-6- 13 ("Clean Coal Could be the Solution to Global Warming", Heyl and Patterson, http://info.heylpatterson.com/blog/bid/113777/Clean-Coal-Could-be-the-Solution-to-Global-Warming)
President Obama is already in complete support for the development of clean coal. In 2011, he declared his goal of generating 80 percent of the nation’s energy from clean sources, including clean coal. The following year, he summarized the "all-of-the-above" energy strategy, which also incorporated clean coal technologies. Jeremy P. Jacobs and Manuel Quinones, 3-14-13 ("Congressional intent at issue as judges wrestle with EPA’s Clean Water Act veto power", E and E)
Skeptical appellate judges put tough questions today to both U.S. EPA and
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the rug out from under countless other industries (Greenwire, March 13). 1AR Link Turn At Environmentalists Environmental Lobbies will be pragmatic and support the planDaniel Vermeer, PhD is executive director of Duke University’s Center on Energy, Development and the Global Environment (EDGE), 3-27-13 ("Coal Use Rising Internationally, Environmentalists Must Shape Its Course", The Energy Collective)
For an elegant treatment of the prospects for CCUS (along with a coolheaded assessment
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a new future for coal, the better off we all will be. Nina Kate, 3-26-13 ("THE DIRT ON CLEAN COAL: LOOKING BEYOND THE ALTERNATIVE FUEL HYPE",EcoSalon)
The truth is that coal has powerful lobbyists spending tens of millions of dollars to convince us and Congress that clean coal is the answer, says Greenpeace. Lobbyists run alluring ads on TV during prime viewing times, omitting the fact that coal burning produces mercury contamination in addition to air pollution, literally spewing carcinogens. Coal already produces about half of our electricity, which is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the country. Pointman, 9-14-12 ("THE DECLINE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL LOBBY’S POLITICAL INFLUENCE.", Internet Blogger, http://thepointman.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/the-decline-of-the-environmental-lobbys-political-influence/)
Political influence is not only exercised by politicians, but also exercised upon them by
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political equivalent of what Geologists term an ELE or an Extinction Level Event. |
