Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Hillary Clinton's Plan to Promote Energy Security in Montana

Hillary Clinton has proposed an aggressive plan to reduce our reliance on foreign oil, address global warming, and promote alternative energy. Setting ambitious targets, the plan will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, and cut foreign oil imports by two-thirds from 2030 projected levels, more than 10 million barrels per day. Her plan focuses on improving energy efficiency, moving to clean, renewable sources of energy, creating green manufacturing. By transitioning from a carbon-based economy to a green, energy efficient economy, Hillary's plan will help unleash a wave of private sector innovation and create at least 5 million new green collar jobs over the next decade.

Montana is already a leader in renewable energy and energy efficiency. As President, Hillary will be a strong partner with Montana, investing $150 billion in research, development, and deployment of clean energy over the next decade, including $50 billion through a Strategic Energy Fund paid for with a windfall profits tax on large oil companies. Montana will directly benefit from Hillary's plan, with:

• A new incentive program to help farmers and ranchers in Montana and across the country pay for up to 50 percent of the cost to install on-farm energy technology, such as windmills, solar panels, and biodiesel oilseed presses.
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• A permanent renewable production tax credit and new consumer tax incentives to support Montana's burgeoning wind-power sector.
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• A "Green Building Fund" that will create more than 100,000 new jobs, and provide $5 million annually to fund Montana initiatives.
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• Immediate funding for 10 large scale carbon capture and storage projects to help pioneer new clean-technologies for coal states like Montana.
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Hillary's plan includes:

A New Incentive Program for On-Farm Energy Production and Carbon Sequestration -- Farmers and ranchers can play a bigger role in producing clean, renewable energy. By planting new crops for biofuels, producing wind power, and using biodigesters to turn waste into energy, Montana's farmers and ranchers can create homegrown energy to cut energy expenses and even add to farm income. In addition, farm practices can help sequester carbon in the soil, offsetting emissions from other sources. And advances in energy efficiency can reduce the carbon footprint of working farms, contributing to an overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Ranchers and foresters can make similar contributions. Hillary will expand on existing on-farm energy programs to create a new $150 million per year grant and loan incentive program to pay for up to 50 percent of the cost for farmers and ranchers to install on-farm energy technology, such as windmills, solar panels, and biodiesel oilseed presses on their operations. She will also provide incentives for carbon sequestration on farms and ranches as part of her emissions reduction program.

Expand Production of Cellulosic Ethanol and Biodiesel -- To spur increased production of ethanol and other renewable fuels, Hillary will raise the national renewable fuels goal to 60 billion gallons by 2030. Hillary's plan will ensure that increasing biofuels production benefits Montana and all regions of the country, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and helps consumers by extending tax incentives for biofuels production, expanding infrastructure for E85 ethanol fueling stations, and requiring automakers to make all vehicles "flex-fuel" vehicles by 2012. In addition, Hillary will:

• Invest in Research to Accelerate Cellulosic Ethanol and Advanced Biofuels: Cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel and other advanced biofuels technologies offer great promise to expand biofuel production beyond corn and soy. To speed these technologies along, Hillary will invest $2 billion in cellulosic ethanol research and provide loan guarantees to build the first two billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol capacity.
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• Provide Incentives for the Next Generation of Energy Crops and Technologies: Moving to new energy crops will depend on farmers who take a risk on growing new crops, such as camelina. Hillary will create a new incentive program to reward farmers who plant new energy crops. She will also establish a program to speed the development of harvesting, conversion and processing technologies needed to turn new feedstocks into biofuel.
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• Ensure Sustainable Biofuels Production: Hillary will set a greenhouse gas emissions target for advanced biofuels to ensure that they move over time towards a standard of emitting at least 80% less greenhouse gases as compared to gasoline. In addition, she will develop biofuels guidelines to take into account impacts on land and water resources, water supplies, food prices and wildlife.
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• Promoting Local Ownership: Hillary is committed to helping rural communities capture a larger share of the economic benefits of the next wave of biorefineries by giving priority in awarding grants and loan guarantees under her energy plan to biorefineries that are locally owned.
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25% Renewable Electricity by 2025 -- Montana has vast renewable resources, including wind resources, that could generate an estimated 1 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity, making Montana fifth in the nation for potential wind generation. Under the leadership of Governor Schweitzer, Montanans are already working to realize this potential. In 2005, Montana passed a renewable portfolio to ensure that 15% of the state's resources come from renewable sources by 2015. The 135 megawatt Judith Gap project shows the potential for large-scale wind in Montana, while smaller projects are thriving in places like Browning, Montana where four 10-kilowatt turbines provide 25-35 percent of the energy used by the city's waste water treatment plant. Montana is also ahead of the curve when it comes to providing a strong incentive for individuals to invest in renewable energy. In 1999, the Montana state legislature adopted legislation requiring utilities to offer "net metering" to customers with solar, wind, and hydroelectric systems of 50 kilowatts or less. Net metering allows Montanans to receive fair value for the energy they produce when they sell extra power back to the utility. Hillary will build on and support Montana's renewable energy efforts by:

• Establishing a national target of producing 25% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2025;
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• Making the 1.9 cent per kilowatt-hour tax credit for producing electricity from renewable sources permanent to provide certainty for developers and manufacturers and to encourage continued investment in wind, solar and other renewable electricity production;
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• Providing tax incentives for families to install small-scale renewable energy such as wind or rooftop solar panels; and
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• Establishing national "net metering" standards to ensure that families and businesses who install solar panels or other renewable energy resources can sell power back to the grid on fair terms.
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A $150 Billion Investment in Clean Energy, Including a $50 Billion Strategic Energy Fund to Demand that Oil Companies Invest in Clean Energy - In 2005, Exxon Mobil's CEO told Congress that his company's investment in alternative energy technologies over the prior decade was "negligible." Hillary believes it is time for oil companies to do their share in funding clean energy technologies. She will give oil companies a choice: invest more in clean energy technology or pay a portion out of their windfall profits into a Strategic Energy Fund. The Strategic Energy Fund will also eliminate oil company tax breaks and make sure that oil companies pay their fair share in royalties when drilling on public lands. This fund will jumpstart a clean energy future by injecting $50 billion over ten years into research, development and deployment of renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean coal technology, ethanol and other homegrown biofuels.

Creating More Clean Energy Schools -- Twenty-seven schools across Montana are participating in the SunForSchools program. These schools had solar panels installed, which generate two-thirds of the energy they use. The remaining one-third of energy produced by the sun is provided back to the utility grid. In order to teach children about the value of solar energy for reducing the use of fossil fuels and the mechanics behind the solar instruments, the schools also offer a solar energy curriculum. Hillary strongly supports initiatives aimed at making schools more energy efficient. In the Senate, Hillary created the Healthy, High Performance Schools program to provide technical assistance to states to help them construct "green schools," which can save on energy costs while also providing a wonderful learning environment for students. As President, Hillary will allocate $1 billion of matching funds annually to states to make grants or low-interest loans to improve energy efficiency in schools and other public buildings. This "Green Building Fund" will create more than 100,000 new jobs, and will provide $5 million annually to fund Montana initiatives.

Establishing 10 Projects to Capture and Store Carbon Dioxide From Coal-Fired Power Plants -- Coal plays a major role in America's energy mix, powering fifty percent of America's electricity generation, and even more in some coal-producing states. Montana is the seventh-largest coal-producing state. At the same time, coal-fired power plants are the largest contributor to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and a growing part of global greenhouse gas emissions. As one component of her energy plan, Hillary will take swift action to spur the development and deployment of technology and practices that will enable us to capture, store and safely sequester carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants. Hillary will put immediate funding towards 10 large scale carbon capture and storage projects that utilize a range of coal types, power plant types, and storage locations. She will move quickly to develop the regulatory framework to ensure that carbon sequestration can be done safely and reliably.