Tournament: UNLV | 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).
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
And
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.
Most recent IPCC report concludes warming causes extinctions
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 facing the world as a result of climate change have been
AND
of issues like poverty, unequal access to resources, conflict and disease. 

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.  
 

Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge:
Plan: The United States federal government ought to make available a permanent production tax credit for wind energy.
Inherency—
Squo 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.

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 2000-2002? The economy suffered a 30-
AND
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 wildly successful, helping to fuel 400 wind manufacturing facilities
AND
growth and to assure our 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
AND
entire US wind industry can be 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 than 75,000 American-made jobs around the
AND
for renewable energy jobs and ensuring America transitions to a clean energy economy.
Extending the Wind PTC will dramatically increase jobs in multiple sectors of the economy creating a US lead win market- Our methodology is correct
Phil Jordan, Founder of BW Research Partnership providing economic and labor market data to decision-makers in the public sector and Cai Steger, Natural Resources Defense Council, 9- ’12 (“American Wind Farms: Breaking Down the Benefits from Planning to Production”, NRDC)
This report shows that workers contributing to wind energy include everyone from engineers to construction
AND
strong, sustainable, market-leading U.S. wind industry.
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 are coming back, with tens of thousands of new jobs
AND
its products, 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 is a cornerstone of the American ¶ economy and embodies the
AND
to transition technologies that will drive 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 meltdown¶ One growing concern about the global
AND
U.S. economy falls off the so-called fiscal cliff.
US Economic Decline Leads to Global Instability and War
Robert Zoellick, former World Bank president, is senior fellow at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and distinguished visiting fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics NOVEMBER 2012 The Currency of Power http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/10/08/the_currency_of_power?page=full
Now, we need to rewrite economics back into the narrative of the Cold War
AND
its economic dynamism. America's unique strength is the ability to reinvent itself.
A Short Term Extension 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 2012, the American Wind Energy Association (
AND
, three years and five years down the road,’ he added.
Advantage 2 is Energy Leadership

Energy leadership low – Obama is perceived as a nationalist on energy because of dirty energy production
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.

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 

will pay dividends both economically and environmentally for decades to come by extending the PTC.
That Will Be Modeled
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.
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."
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 tinkering with the Earth's climate amounted
AND
carbon, with meaningful long-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
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….
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.
Relations prevents extinction – it is the only way to solve economic stability, terrorism, crime, prolif, and disease spread
Wenzhong 4, PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs (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 environment, particularly in its periphery. We will
AND
countries, we will see even greater accomplishments in China-US relations.

Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge: 

1. 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. 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.
   D. Our discourse solves- green environmental discourse 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.
   Must forecast and make policy proscriptions about energy—plans like ours represent an ethical duty to the future and are key to human survival
   Reader, ’79 Mark, Editor of “Energy: The Human Dimension” (1977) and teaches courses in Enviro ethics, alternative futures, cultural evolution, and politics @ Arizona State University.  Energy and Global Ethics, The Humanist, July/Aug
   We are beginning to realize that as long as we do not think in terms
   AND
   the dimensions and the dynamics of human as well as all other life.

2. Victimization Turn—
A. Their structural racism arguments recreate the race as destiny mentality which is at the root of white supremacy—their methodology destroys the victories of the civil rights movement and precludes effective challenges to racism.
David Forsmark, owner and president of Winning Strategies, a political-consulting firm in Michigan, 2006
“White Guilt,” http://frontpagemag.com/articles/Read.aspx?GUID=C7773001-62BA-4E26-9ADD-28C0D136B46A
For those who wonder how we got from fighting specific racist laws and barriers to
AND
truth that the civil rights movement had just won a great victory against."
B. This Ensures the Continual Victimization and Strengthens Whiteness – And Much Like Black Power Movements Their Alternative Merely Triggers White Guilt Rather Than Substantive Change Within the Debate Community, Just Making Whiteness More Subversive
Robert Dunn, assistant to the president for The New Coalition for Economic and Social Change, 2007 “White Guilt and Black Power,” http://www.newcoalition.org/Article.cfm?artId=20886
Steele claims a new generation of black civil rights leaders, emerging in the late
AND
racist past. Leveraging white guilt is therefore a losing proposition for blacks.
3. Tradeoff Turn—Their experience focused approach to fighting racism trades off with the concrete policy changes necessary to alleviate oppression—they merely get rid of responsibility for racism while doing nothing to solve it.
Tonn, Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Maryland, College Park, 05 (Mari Boor “Taking Conversation, Dialogue, and Therapy Public,” Rhetoric and Public Affairs 8.3 (2005) 405-430)
Approaching public controversies through a conversational model informed by therapy also enables political inaction in
AND
get 'rid' of responsibility for racism while doing nothing to solve it."77
4. Group Think Turn—
A. Their methodology devolves into groupthink which marginalizes dissent for the sake of presenting a unified front against racism.
Tonn, Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Maryland, College Park, 05 (Mari Boor “Taking Conversation, Dialogue, and Therapy Public,” Rhetoric and Public Affairs 8.3 (2005) 405-430)
Despite the valorization of public conversation and dialogue as egalitarian, various public endeavors packaged
AND
commission-sanctioned Dallas community meeting led by a Clinton cabinet member.48
B. This creates a totalizing logic that makes broad systemic change impossible – their framework degenerates into ideological hegemony where all voices outside the norm are considered unworthy of consideration—means they link harder to all their offense.
Tonn, Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Maryland, College Park, 05 (Mari Boor “Taking Conversation, Dialogue, and Therapy Public ,” Rhetoric and Public Affairs 8.3 (2005) 405-430)
Beyond centralizing rather than distributing power, conversational models can also rupture an existing sense
AND

"Democracy creates democratic conversation more than conversation naturally creates democracy."69

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
AND
and states that have the greatest rooftop PV marketing potential for module companies.
Effective Feed in Tariffs are the only way to make solar power scalable, creates a strong manufacturing base and market competition
Melanie 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-side policy, not cheap imports, are the real keys
AND
. That is the real key to U.S. market success.
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
AND
Utilities Commission decision into a Pyrrhic victory for state-level deployment policies.
FERC Restrictions make solar power not economically viable
Toby D. Couture and Emily Williams, 7- ’10 (E3 Analytics and Department of state, “A Policymaker’s Guide to Feed-in Tariff Policy Design”, NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy)
As detailed in a recent NREL technical report (Hempling et al. 2010),
AND
are consistent with the defined safe harbors (Hempling et al. 2010).

The plan: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ought to permit states to set rates above the avoided cost for the production of solar energy

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
AND
” 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
AND
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
AND
which would make homegrown solar competitive with commercial power rates in many states.
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.
Energy leadership low– Obama is perceived as a nationalist on energy BECAUSE he the U.S. lacks energy independence, this prevents effective multilateral environmental cooperation
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.¶
Effective feed in tariffs establish energy independence and environmental leadership
Kellie 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 priorities make all the difference in 2009? Or
AND
backbone for sustained interest in renewable energy, regardless of changing political winds.
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
AND
the ensuing human and economic losses, these are investments well worth making.
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.
We are at a crossroads, the Durban Platform is an Empty Gesture Now – US Leadership Now is Key to Give It Teeth and the worst impacts of global warming
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), deadlocked, ran overtime with contentious debate.
AND
race depends on what we do right now.¶ Let’s get to work.
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 tinkering with the Earth's climate amounted
AND
carbon, with meaningful long-term targets that incorporate gradually declining caps.
100 newest climate change studies conclude anthropogenic warming is real and a threat
Radowitz ’10 (John, “Fresh Evidence Global Warming Is Man-Made,” March 26, http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/03/05-5, Mike)
Climate scientists hit back at the sceptics today with new research they say has uncovered
AND
just hope people will make up their minds informed by the scientific evidence." 

Advantage 2 is Manufacturing
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
AND
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 $
AND
we continue to support and build a thriving solar industry here at home. 

Chinas solar industry melt down creates a unique time for US manufacturers to become exporters
Scott Shackford, 8-10- ’12 (An Associate Editor of 24/7 News at Reason.com. ,“China Is Winning the Race to Lose Billions on Solar Power”, Reason.com)
China’s top ten photovoltaic makers have accumulated a combined debt of 17.5 billion
AND
Americans begging them to stop it? (Ha ha, fat chance)
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
AND
solar power, and the lack of carbon constraints in our energy policy:
Solar investment is key to economic competitiveness
Bettina Weiss, 6-’12 (Executive Director, SEMI PV Group , “The importance of solar products manufacturing to u.S. economic development”, Global Solar Technology)
The challenge for U.S. policy makers is how to retain the benefits
AND
for advanced process engineering and manufacturing will lose its ability to innovate.”9
That Offsets a Major Trade Deficit With China in a Key Sector
CASM, 3-1-’12 (Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing ,“The United States Suffered a Dramatic Reversal in Solar Trade Balance for 2011, Resulting in Significant Trade Deficits with China and the World”, http://www.americansolarmanufacturing.org/news-releases/casm-export-report-3-1-12.pdf)
Chinese production and capacity in other solar products are increasing far beyond global demand as
AND
, the nation could be on course to lose multiple clean energy industries.
Absent the Plan US Solar Will Be Squeezed Out of the Market
Kexin Liu, ‘11 (Research Associate, Clean Air Task Force, “Brief on major China energy related trends/issues in the 4th Quarter of 2011”)
CASM’s statistics show that a trade surplus of US solar trade with China of $
AND
of being squeezed out of the marketplace if this trend continues.4
Maintaining Trade Balance With China is Key to Prevent Nuclear Conflict
James Dobbins, 8-’12 (directs the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND Corporation. He has previously served as American Ambassador to the European Community and Assistant Secretary of State, “War with China”, Survival: Global Politics and Strategy)
Given that, short of a nuclear exchange, the greatest damage from any conflict
AND
defence, it is itself perhaps the best defence against an adventurous China.

Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge:
*NEW PLAN*
The plan: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ought to mandate states to set rates above the avoided cost for the production of solar energy

*NEW WARMING CARDS*

Taking Concrete Policy Steps Towards Addressing Climate Change is Key to Flip International Perceptions
By BRYAN WALSH Tuesday, Oct. 04, 2011 Who's Bankrolling the Climate-Change Deniers? http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2096055,00.html
Not too long ago, belief in .... around the world on Sep 14th

Warming is real and anthropogenic—no credible skeptics
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
AND
no interest in debating it since the evidence is so clear-cut. 

*NEW COMPETITIVENESS CARDS*

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
AND
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
AND
, the United States must get better at fostering technological entrepreneurship at home.

Heg solves multiple scenarios for conflict
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
AND
what the world looked like right before the American order came into being.

Tournament: Cal | Round: 6 | Opponent: OU CL | Judge: Meagher

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
AND
and states that have the greatest rooftop PV marketing potential for module companies.

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
AND
Utilities Commission decision into a Pyrrhic victory for state-level deployment policies.

Feed in tariffs facilitate decentralized generation

Weinrub 11 (Al is a member of the Sierra Club California Energy-Climate Committee and serves on the Steering Committee of the Bay Area’s Local Clean Energy Alliance. COMMUNITY POWER Decentralized Renewable Energy in California. http://www.community-wealth.org/_pdfs/news/recent-articles/04-11/report-weinrub.pdf)
Decentralized generation represents a renewable energy strategy for California and the nation that addresses the
AND
agencies. They need to promote the development of local decentralized renewable power.

The plan: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ought to permit states to set rates above the avoided cost for the production of solar energy

Advantage 1 is Energy Democratization

Alienation of citizens from the process of energy production has lead to structural economic and environmental inequalities and destruction as people are excluded from making decisions about how to sustain our energy-intensive economy – an expansion of solar power must come with a criticism of energy authoritarianism and an extension of power to the people

Byrne and Toly 6 (Energy as a Social Project: Recovering a Discourse John Byrne and Noah Toly. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t%26rct=j%26q=%26esrc=s%26source=web%26cd=1%26cad=rja%26ved=0CD8QFjAA%26url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ceep.udel.edu%2Fenergy%2Fpublications%2F2006_es_energy_as_a_social_project.pdf%26ei=0XTgUMr-LsfhiwL3v4AQ%26v6u=https%3A%2F%2Fs-v6exp1-ds.metric.gstatic.com%2Fgen_204%3Fip%3D131.216.14.39%26ts%3D1356887250009001%26auth%3Dcn2jbwg6yusa6h5xypni75fpweddkyp7%26rndm%3D0.03396903530835371%26v6s=2%26v6t=5386%26usg=AFQjCNHbBdC-l9N5RyJD4IrqBUoHtozeew%26sig2=6oxBM4nFuWVGQYzs4hRzpg%26bvm=bv.1355534169,d.cGE)
From climate change to acid rain, contaminated landscapes, mercury pollution, and biodiversity
AND
considers the discursive continuities between the premises of conventional and sustainable energy futures.

Decentralization is critical to reframe energy production in terms of sustainability over efficiency and profit – we cannot merely design sustainability into technology – the introduction of solar technology necessitates a re-thinking of our role in the democratic process and our role in producing energy

Byrne and Toly 6 (Energy as a Social Project: Recovering a Discourse John Byrne and Noah Toly. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t%26rct=j%26q=%26esrc=s%26source=web%26cd=1%26cad=rja%26ved=0CD8QFjAA%26url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ceep.udel.edu%2Fenergy%2Fpublications%2F2006_es_energy_as_a_social_project.pdf%26ei=0XTgUMr-LsfhiwL3v4AQ%26v6u=https%3A%2F%2Fs-v6exp1-ds.metric.gstatic.com%2Fgen_204%3Fip%3D131.216.14.39%26ts%3D1356887250009001%26auth%3Dcn2jbwg6yusa6h5xypni75fpweddkyp7%26rndm%3D0.03396903530835371%26v6s=2%26v6t=5386%26usg=AFQjCNHbBdC-l9N5RyJD4IrqBUoHtozeew%26sig2=6oxBM4nFuWVGQYzs4hRzpg%26bvm=bv.1355534169,d.cGE)
Transition without Change: A Failing Discourse¶ After more than thirty years of contested
AND
as not to seri- ously change its otherwise unsustainable way of life.

The 1AC is a recognition of the rigid limitations the centralized and monopolized structure of government and acts as a call to demand energy policies that threaten the foundation of the existing monopoly – the power is in our hands to radically democratize solar energy

Smith 11 (Ceal, MSci Ecologist, Founder of SLV Renewable Communities Alliance. "Monopoly Energy or Energy Democracy?" http://readersupportednews.org/pm-section/27-27/8615-monopoly-energy-or-energy-democracy)
Monopoly energy is holding us hostage to increasingly costly and destructive energy sources. A
AND
and the importance of directly challenging and dismantling an inherently destructive power structure.

That recognition is key to inspire participation in energy production stripped of corporate interest and to facilitate the reclamation of democratic spaces to directly challenge the disposability mindset of the centralized energy system

Jones 12 (Van, environmental advocate, civil rights activist, and attorney. Jones is a co-founder of four non-profit organizations. In 1996, he founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, a California non-governmental organization (NGO) working for alternatives to violence. In 2005, he co-founded Color of Change, an advocacy group for African Americans. In 2007, he founded Green for All, a national NGO dedicated to "building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty." In 2011, he founded Rebuild the Dream, a national advocacy organization working towards a fairer economy. "Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst." http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/van-jones-hope-for-the-best-prepare-for-the-worst/)
This book rests an optimistic message on a pessimistic premise.¶ The sobering underlying thesis
AND
largest number of people. And it starts with developing local renewable energy.¶ 

Advantage Two is Climate Change

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
AND
" rate when such a premium is needed to facilitate dispersed renewable development. 

Studies go aff- The plan DIRECTLY makes solar competitive with conventional sources that drive pollution

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
AND
which would make homegrown solar competitive with commercial power rates in many states.

Warming is real and anthropogenic—overwhelming scientific consensus – plans key

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
AND
in the world has endorsed the conclusion of anthropogenic climate change as well. 

Climate skeptics are overwhelmingly paid off – extreme political incentives for denialist testimony have kick started an anti-science movement that defines American energy policy

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)
This is a rare degree of agreement within such an independent and cantankerous group as
AND
an old spy novel? Scientists tend to be independent and resist authority. 

A Focus on Climate Change Allows Policymakers a Unique Platform For Examining Ethical Dimensions of Policy – Only Serious Consideration of the Environment Can Create a New Ethic That Shifts The Way We Understand Energy Consumption
By Haydn Washington is an environmental scientist with writer with 35 years’ experience is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of New South Wales and John Cook is the Climate Change Communication Fellow for the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland 2011 Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand
First we need to change society’s worldview, the way we see the world.
AND
can do (and is doing) for us (Hulme, 2009).

You Should Be Highly Skeptical of Claims of Radical Skepticism

Clive Hamilton Professor of Public Ethics, Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, Canberra 28 October 2010 Why We Resist the Truth About Climate Change ¶ A paper to the Climate Controversies: Science and politics conference ¶ Museum of Natural Sciences, ¶ Brussels,  http://www.clivehamilton.net.au/cms/media/why_we_resist_the_truth_about_climate_change.pdf
The opening of the gulf was due to the fact that Republican Party activists,
AND
whitecoated experts too preoccupied with their test tubes and retorts to be political.

Advantage Three – Defending Our Assumptions

Scientific knowledge is best because it subjects itself to constant refinement based on empirical evidence

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 articulated the increasingly popular "postmodernist" claim that
AND
is due, instead, to its power to explain and predict observable regularities
in human experience, while withstanding worldwide attempts to refute it — and proving itself
AND
mean failure, in that the theory itself has altered in the process.

Short-term market mechanisms are key to solve

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 remark that we’ll never do better than a politician
AND
there’s no way around this, and we do need to act now.

Tournament: NDT | Round: 2 | Opponent: MSU GT | Judge:
1AC
The status quo prevents regional and state level feed in tariffs from being effective- the FERC requires electricity produced be purchased at an “avoided cost” making solar impossible
D.A. Barber, 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
AND
to be enough to power 34,000 L.A. homes.¶
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
AND
Utilities Commission decision into a Pyrrhic victory for state-level deployment policies.
Federal pre-emption KILLS FiT programs EVEN in situations where states have authority – federal legislation is key to overcome uncertainty
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
AND
it may be the best way to forward an American renewable energy policy.
The plan: United States Federal Government ought to give sanction to states setting rates 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
AND
” 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
AND
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, 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
AND
which would make homegrown solar competitive with commercial power rates in many states.
The electricity sector is the greatest contributor to GHG emissions – solving generation first is key to prevent emissions moving to other sectors
Mormann 11 (Felix, German JD and JSD from University of Passau School of law, as well as an LMM from UC BerkeleySchool of Law and is a research Fellow at Stanford’s Steyer Center for Energy Policy and Finance, writing for Economic Law Quarterly, "Requirements for a Renewables Revolution." 05/02/11. http://www.boalt.org/elq/documents/elq38_4_03_2012_0808.pdf)
Renewable sources of energy are relevant not only to electricity generation but also to other
AND
this Article focuses on the use of renewables for the generation of electricity.

Obama’s shale strategy kills environmental leadership
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.¶
Effective feed in tariffs establish environmental leadership
Kellie 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 priorities make all the difference in 2009? Or
AND
backbone for sustained interest in renewable energy, regardless of changing political winds.
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.
US feed-in tariffs uniquely key
Bennett 11
(Peter, Durban agreement outlines global strategy to tackle climate change
By Peter Bennett | 12 December 2011, 12:22 Updated: 12 December 2011, 12:25. http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/durban_agreement_outlines_global_strategy_to_tackle_climate_change_3467)
After running a full 36 hours over the allotted time, the UN Framework Convention
AND
the world’s solar installs are attributed to a feed-in tariff scheme.
That’s Key to limit warming globally
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), deadlocked, ran overtime with contentious debate.
AND
race depends on what we do right now.¶ Let’s get to work.
Climate change causes massive extinctions – the plan is key to reverse this trend and prevent runaway warming
Hansen 8 (James Hansen, directs the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies,  adjunct professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University, “Tell Barack Obama the Truth – The Whole Truth,” Nov/Dec 2008)
Embers of election night elation will glow longer than any prior election. Glowing even
AND
to conceive a practical, natural way to return CO2 below 350 ppm.¶ 

That increases the likelihood of multiple conflict scenarios
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
AND
carbon, with meaningful long-term targets that incorporate gradually declining caps.
Warming’s anthropogenic – no credible skeptics
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
AND
no interest in debating it since the evidence is so clear-cut.
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
AND
lesson in what others call the futility of federal meddling in the marketplace.
That crowds the US out of the solar 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 $
AND
we continue to support and build a thriving solar industry here at home.
Chinese solar going bankrupt now due to speculation on demand and massive loans
Tamminen 3-29-’13 (Terry, former director of California EPA.  “Lessons From China's Rooftops” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terry-tamminen/lessons-from-chinas-rooftops_b_2975560.html)
Last week in Wuxi, I noticed a newspaper headline about the bankruptcy of Suntech
AND
rising asthma rates in China is the burning of coal to produce electricity.
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
AND
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
AND
growth—manufacturing companies contribute 70 percent of private RandD spending.
Absent the Plan US Solar Will Be Squeezed Out of the Market
Kexin Liu, ‘11 (Research Associate, Clean Air Task Force, “Brief on major China energy related trends/issues in the 4th Quarter of 2011”)
CASM’s statistics show that a trade surplus of US solar trade with China of $
AND
of being squeezed out of the marketplace if this trend continues.4
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
AND
, 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
AND
what the world looked like right before the American order came into being.
Competitiveness theory is accurate – other nations believe it even if we don’t
Ezell and Atkinson 8 (Robert, Ph.D., President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a technology policy think tank, and Stephen, Senior Analyst at ITIF, co-founder of Peer Insight, innovation research and consulting firm, Sept
In the 21¶ st¶ century global economy, nations can no longer be
AND
and governments agreed to make the EU “the most competitive ¶ and dynamic

Tournament: NDT | Round: 3 | Opponent: Nwstrn MS | Judge:
Current Housing Purchases Are Institutional – Creates Unique Environment For a Bubble
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. … rental properties. It's the same old nonsense dressed up in different clothing. 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 ….while lowering monthly electricity bills.
The equity boost is massive and immediate
Hicks ’12 (Stephanie, “Five Reasons to Install Residential Solar Panels,” January, http://stephhicks68.hubpages.com/hub/Five-Reasons-to-Install-Residential-Solar-Panels, Mike)
When most people calculate …installing residential solar panels boosts home prices by 3-4%.
Housing Market Recovery Stalling – Risks a Double Dip
By Scott Hamilton - Jan 24, 2013 Shiller Says U.S. Housing Market May Drop Further: Tom Keene http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-24/shiller-says-u-s-housing-market-decline-may-persist-correct-.html
Data on Jan. 22 showed sales of ….“I think we’re pretty far from irrational exuberance, maybe 50 years away.”
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 ….household wealth has dropped by $10 trillion since 2007.¶ 

There are multiple flashpoints in current world order- creates the conditions for WMD conflict
Ockham Research, Ockham Research is an independent equity research provider based in Atlanta, Georgia. Ockham covers an expansive universe of stocks mostly in the US, but also from a variety of exchanges throughout the world. A 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 …., 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 …. 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 ….. While manufacturing has had a nice rebound in the last two years, indust
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 …. 30 years. The future doesn’t look pretty.

Tournament: NDT | Round: 3 | Opponent:  | Judge:
Warming
Trade conflict won’t escalate
Ikenson 9 (director of Cato's Center for Trade Policy Studies Daniel, Center for Trade Policy Studies, Free Trade Bulletin 37, “A protectionism fling”, http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=10651)
A sense of foreboding seems to have enveloped the trade policy community, where a
AND
countries are much lower than the highest allowable tariffs in poorer countries.1
Heg solves nothing—Past two decades prove
Mearsheimer 11 (John J., R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, The National Interest, Imperial by Design, lexis)
One year later, Charles Krauthammer emphasized in "The Unipolar Moment" that the
AND
heady days of the early 1990s have given way to a pronounced pessimism.
1% risk of warming means you vote AFF
Strom 7 Professor of Emeritus Planetary Sciences at U. Arizona (Robert, Former Director of Space Imagery Center of NASA, “Hot House: Global Climate Change and the Human Condition,” SpringerLink, pg. 246, Mike)
Keep in mind that the current consequences of global warming discussed in previous chapters are
AND
more clearly define what awaits us. The time for action is now.

T
We Meet—AFF increases a financial incentive for energy production
Ferrey 10 (Steven 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
AND
thus “have the incentive to continue to produce and supply power.xxi
Counter-Interp—Financial Incentives are ONLY per kwh payments—no “its” in the resolution means we don’t have to increase government incentives
Prefer it—
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 incentives should be looked at in context. The following
AND
cannot be predicted). Quality oversight features may detect faulty responses to incentives.
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 based financial incentives are Feed in tariff Premium-tariff
AND
and/or abandoned projects will not be able to recover this share.
CP

1. Perm – Do the CP
   Ought doesn’t commit to certainty – only probability
   Encarta® World English Dictionary North American Edition © and (P)2009 – http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861684994
   Ought: be probable: indicates probability or expectation

Ought does not mean immediate – has no temporal function
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#o)
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

2. CP is normal means – they just clarify how the plan is implemented
Bloomberg ’11 (“Backlash Against ‘Guidance as Rulemaking’ Leads to Actions in federal Court, Congress,” July 15, http://www.bna.com/backlash-against-guidance-n12884902458/, Mike)
Authorities on legal issues interviewed by BNA say the federal government, particularly EPA, has always used both regulatory guidance and rulemaking. Some say the Obama administration generally has been more forceful in issuing rules and enforcing environmental laws, but not everyone agrees this administration is using guidance more than others have.
4. The CP isn’t ‘under the radar’ and gets rolled back – the courts empirically side with the EPA
Bloomberg ’11 (“Backlash Against ‘Guidance as Rulemaking’ Leads to Actions in federal Court, Congress,” July 15, http://www.bna.com/backlash-against-guidance-n12884902458/, Mike)
EPA remains adamant about its position on use of guidance and is particularly sensitive about
AND
ruled against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in one.

Politics
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
AND
is high. Each day, 1,400 undocumented immigrants are deported.
FITs avoid political backlash – less government bureaucracy and investment
Lynch 11, Peter, Renewable Energy World contributor, “Feed-in Tariffs: The Proven Road NOT Taken…Why?”, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/11/feed-in-tariffs-the-proven-road-not-takenwhy
FITs do not depend on taxpayer contributions (it is not a subsidy) and
AND
and engineers — which is both timely and costly for developers/owners.
Winners win
Marshall and Prins 11 (BRYAN W, Miami University and BRANDON C, University of Tennessee and Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy, “Power or Posturing? Policy Availability and Congressional Influence on U.S. Presidential Decisions to Use Force”, Sept, Presidential Studies Quarterly 41, no. 3)
Presidents rely heavily on Congress in converting their political capital into real policy success.
AND
made with an eye toward managing political capital at home (Fordham 2002).

Nat Gas
Natural gas low now
Ratner, Parfomak and Luther -11 (Michael Ratner, Analyst in Energy Policy, Paul W. Parfomak, Specialist in Energy and Infrastructure Policy, Linda Luther, Analyst in Environmental Policy, U.S. Natural Gas Exports: New Opportunities, Uncertain Outcomes, CRS Service, November 4, 2011, http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R42074_20111104.pdf)
What effect exporting natural gas will have on U.S. prices is the
AND
concerns among environmental groups particularly concerned with its possible impacts on water quality.
Natural gas destroys national parks—Key to the economy
Goad 9/12/12 (Jessica Goad, September 12, 2012, Drilling Could Threaten Our National Parks, Center for American Process, http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2012/09/12/37152/drilling-could-threaten-our-national-parks/)
America’s national parks are undoubtedly some of our “best ideas.” They are unique
AND
federal regulations and having the states make these decisions would be exceedingly dangerous.
Natural gas destabilizes Russia, the Middle East and collapse oil prices
Deutch -11 (John, January/February, Foreign Affairs, Former Director of Central Intelligence and Former Undersecretary of Energy, The Good News About Gas, The Natural Gas Revolution and Its Consequences, http://www.web.mit.edu/~chemistry/deutch/policy/2011-TheGoodNewsAboutGas.pdf)
Countries that import natural gas should anticipate more competing sources of it, which will
AND
depend on how rapidly the economic and political systems adapt to the change.
Natural gas increases terrorism—That causes permanent gas price spike—Destroys any chance of natural gas
Cindy Hurst is a political-military research analyst with the Foreign Military Studies
Office, Institute for the Analysis of Global Security ‘8 (http://www.iags.org/hurstlng0208.pdf)
Some of the variables required to calculate the economic impact of an LNG disaster include
AND
Price (NBP). These prices did settle back fairly quickly, though.   
China DA
Chinese solar going bankrupt now due to speculation on demand and massive loans
Tamminen 3-29-’13 (Terry, former director of California EPA.  “Lessons From China's Rooftops” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terry-tamminen/lessons-from-chinas-rooftops_b_2975560.html)
Last week in Wuxi, I noticed a newspaper headline about the bankruptcy of Suntech
AND
rising asthma rates in China is the burning of coal to produce electricity.

1. U.S. military might deters China
   Kumar 11 (Professor Economics at Azim Premji University, Vikas, “China’s Achilles Heels – Analysis,” August 11, http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers47%5Cpaper4644.html, Mike)
   In any case, even without binding regional constraints and collective action problem, China
   AND
   life cycle and the United States is not yet faced with precipitous decommissioning.
   Lashout only temporary—they’ll reverse course
   Zakaria 8 (Fareed, “Don’t Feed China’s Nationalism,” April 12, Newsweek, http://www.newsweek.com/2008/04/12/don-t-feed-china-s-nationalism.html, Mike)
   So why doesn't the Chinese regime see this? Beijing has a particular problem.
   AND
   dynasties have often been judged by their success in preserving the country's geography.

K
Realism solves their impact—only way to offer a tangible solution—the alt is so progressive it becomes unattractive
Murray 97 Professor Politics at the University of Wales (Alastair J.H., Reconstructing Realism: Between Power Politics and Cosmopolitan Ethics, p. 193-6)
For realism man remains, in the final analysis, limited by himself. As
AND
, whatever measure of security is possible under contemporary conditions must first be ensured

1ac was FERC - USC version

1AC - FERC - Same Advs