With all of the efforts to get energy under control, it is not surprising that there are a number of new energy bills making their way through congress. One of the most 'spectacular' in-process bills with wide-ranging energy inferences is the Waxman-Markey Bill, or "HR2454". Officially it is called the "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009" and it has three basic parts. This summary is provided by the Congressional research Service as follows:

"American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 - Sets forth provisions concerning clean energy, energy efficiency, reducing global warming pollution, transitioning to a clean energy economy, and providing for agriculture and forestry related offsets. Includes provisions: (1) creating a combined energy efficiency and renewable electricity standard and requiring retail electricity suppliers to meet 20% of their demand through renewable electricity and electricity savings by 2020; (2) setting a goal of, and requiring a strategic plan for, improving overall U.S. energy productivity by at least 2.5% per year by 2012 and maintaining that improvement rate through 2030; and (3) establishing a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and setting goals for reducing such emissions from covered sources by 83% of 2005 levels by 2050."

So what does this mean for us? Well, the first point is a good one: Energy Suppliers will have to create at least 20% of their power from renewable sources over the next 10 years. Like Solar and Wind power. Sounds good huh? Green as it gets. The only drawback to you and me is cost. Green is expensive. Using today's technologies, Green power will increase the price per kW for residential, commercial and industrial users. Greening is good for the environment, but will increase the rate at which power bills go UP. Nothing in life is FREE.

The second point is where we can all get more actively involved. Personally. For the next 20 years, we are all expected to help the nation become 2.5% (year over year) more efficient in our use of power at home and at work. Every year, 2.5% more effective, compounded. To do so, we'll all be buying CFLs and LED lights, using more microwave ovens, and during the summer at work we'll all enjoy the same 76-degree office temperatures that our datacenters will be driven to. Energy Efficiency is the name of the game! The car makers will also step up and happily sell us hybrid and BEV vehicles to help do their part. (Have you seen the new CODA Automotive BEV cars? Cool.)

Lastly, the bill states that we (the country) need to reduce total Carbon emissions by more than 80% of the level that we saw in 2005... but we have 40 years to do so. Hummm... Imagine the amount of change required in these 40 years to reduce carbon emssions by 80%, but then again, consider what life was like 40 years ago in 1970; The commercial cell phone didn't yet exist, nor did iPods and x86 computers, we hadn't seen Disco or StarWars yet, color TVs were just coming out and all the cars had V-8 engines!

Actually, I am a huge proponent of this and similiar bills. It significantly raises the awareness that we ALL need to do something, NOW! Every light left on, every old server left spinning, every little piece counts. If we can all just get in the normal mode of saving energy because it's the right thing to do, then we all relish in the long-term rewards from doing so...