The Energy Subcommittee of the House Science Committee today heard from the Administration and stakeholders on the Administration’s Climate Change Technology Program (CCTP) Strategic Plan. The final plan was made public today.
"I believe that climate change is one of the most important issues we face as a nation and as a member of the global community," said Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA). "Most of my colleagues on this Committee, from both sides of the aisle, agree that something must be done, for which I am thankful. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the full membership of the House, the Senate, or the current Administration."
The Department of Energy (DOE) released the first draft of the strategic plan for CCTP in the fall of 2005. That plan was met with extensive public criticism and provided little guidance on research, goals and activities for technology development. The final CCTP Strategic Plan was released today to a lukewarm reception and continued skepticism about its potential for guiding federal climate change programs.
"The main question before us today is whether the Climate Change Technology Program plan actually lays out a path for how to achieve even the moderate targets the Administration has set. From the many comments about the draft plan and from what I’ve seen of the final plan, the answer appears to be no," added Rep. Honda.
Rep. Honda elaborated on areas where the he believes the plan is lacking, including:
- there is no mention of cross-cutting enabling technologies or integrated approaches to greenhouse gas emissions reduction;
- there are no timelines or technology roadmaps;
- it places a low priority on measurement and monitoring technologies;
- it makes no mention of adaptation to climate change; and
- there is no mention of a policy framework for making this all happen.
"The technologies considered in the plan are vitally important; however, merely compiling information about them is not sufficient to ensure their widespread penetration into the marketplace," testified Judith M. Greenwald with the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
"If we are going to achieve real reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in order to address global climate change, it is critical that we develop the technologies that will allow us to do so," concluded Rep. Honda. "The Climate Change Technology Program plan is supposed to accelerate the development of those technologies… but I am worried that it does not provide the roadmap necessary to help the Administration set priorities and make choices among competing technologies."
