Past Efforts

The Coalition for Green Capital began as an outgrowth of CEO Reed Hundt’s efforts on the Obama/Biden Transition Team to incorporate low-cost, long-term financing for clean energy and energy efficiency projects into the clean economy efforts of the President and Congress. This concept took form in Rep. Chris Van Hollen’s “Green Bank Act of 2009,” introduced in March of 2009. This “Green Bank” concept was then included in the House-passed “Waxman-Markey” bill of June 2009, under the name “Clean Energy Deployment Administration,” or CEDA for short. Although the CEDA provision was exceedingly popular (passed as part of a package in the House Energy and Commerce Committee on a bi-partisan vote of 51-6), it failed to pass as part of the comprehensive Senate Energy Bill which ended in the 111th Congress.
After the demise of a Senate Energy Bill, the CGC redoubled its efforts to drive the conversation in clean energy policy circles and in Congress, and to incorporate low-cost, long-term finance as a pillar of the eventual legislative solution that will make the United States a leader in the global clean energy economy. In November 2010, at a conference attended by over 250 people in Washington, DC, the CGC released its “Project 2011” (now entitled, "The Future of Energy Reform") proposal, which provided a suggested outline of what any energy bill in the new 112th Congress should include, including finance, tax, and regulatory reform policies.

The Future of Energy Reform

 "The Future of Energy Reform" fouces on five thematic means to create efficient and profitable private investment in clean energy. First, and most importantly, we must work to lower the cost of clean energy. Without lowering costs, clean energy will also occupy a disadvantageous market position. Second, we must ensure the ability of American clean energy to compete with firms supported by other nations. Third, we must foster a long-term, stable investment climate to encourage private investment, thus allowing market forces answer America' clean energy challenge in creative and innovative ways. Fourth, we must rationalize the regulation of utility practices so as to encourage private sector investment. To further the clean energy cause, we must provide performance-based ratemaking incentives targeted to utility investments in or purchases of clean energy. Finally, we are hoping to focus the federal role on research, development, and first of a kind deployment so as to allow the private sector the freedom of movement needed to innovate.

To achieve our vision for "The Future of Energy Reform," we will focus our efforts on promoting an Energy Independence Trust (EIT)--a nonprofit run by private sector managers in the manner of a federal corporation. An EIT would provide low-cost, long-term financing for deployment of commercially-ready clean energy projects. Additionally, we will advocate for a decade of tax policies that will reward investment in clean energy, thus ensuring stable and predictable returns, while furthermore granting clean energy a better market position. Finally, we will work to reduce regulatory barriers to the profitable deployment of clean energy, and streamline regulations relating to infrastructure investment in clean energy.

To read our full length plan, please download the document or slides below. We welcome all feedback.