Furman testifies on Renewable Electricity Standard

Don Furman, a senior vice president of Iberdrola Renewables and President-Elect of AWEA’s Board of Directors, testified before the Senate Energy Committee yesterday on legislation that would establish a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), also referred to as the Renewable Electricity Standard (RES). The committee is chaired by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), a longtime advocate of the RPS, which would require utilities to generate as much as 25% of their electricity from renewable sources.

“The time has arrived for the House and Senate to send to the President a robust RPS bill that will help expand the economy, protect the environment, reduce consumer energy costs and enhance our national security,” Furman said. “A national RPS will provide a simple, direct signal to the market place that will drive renewable energy development and eventually obviate the need for the PTC. By establishing a market for renewable energy over a reasonable period, a national RPS would provide the long-term certainty that is essential for developing a vibrant domestic renewable energy industry.”

The RPS is expected to be a major part of energy legislation introduced by the Obama Administration later this year.

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