Bingaman, Murkowski seek input on Obama’s ‘clean’ energy plan

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s leadership released a political classified ad of sorts Monday, calling for input on President Obama’s proposed “clean energy standard” that would require a large boost in low-carbon electricity generation.
Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), the panel’s top Republican, circulated a “white paper” on Obama’s proposal to require 80 percent of U.S. power to come from “clean” sources by 2035.
“The purpose of this document is to lay out some of the key questions and potential design elements of a CES, in order to solicit input from a broad range of interested parties, to facilitate discussion and to ascertain whether or not consensus can be achieved,” states the white paper. The senators are seeking responses by April 11.