Turning point for energy?

Monday, April 6, 2009 | 2:06 a.m.

A movement toward cleaner energy had to rely mostly on its own impetus during the Bush administration, although it did get a bounce now and then when the former president, however insincerely, would say things like, “America is addicted to oil.”

Now, with President Barack Obama saying he plans to stand firm in his commitment to renewable energy, the movement is getting a lift not only from the White House, but also from a climate-change bill unveiled Tuesday by House Democrats.

The bill, opposed by Republicans and eyed skeptically by Democrats from coal-mining and automaking states, is sure to spark heated exchanges in Congress and a welcome dialogue on energy across the country. The final bill would likely read much differently than it does now, but major aspects, we believe, would remain intact.

This would allow the bill to serve as a starting point for the inevitable shift away from pervasive reliance on coal, oil and gas, whose emissions are health hazards that also present grave threats to the environment.

The 600-page bill leaves plenty of room for debate over the merits of a cap-and-trade system for energy, whereby emissions from large industries would be capped according to the amount of pollution credits — some free, some not — they get from the government. Industries with inefficient emissions systems could trade with other industries for extra credits, of which there would be a descending amount issued each year until emissions meet predetermined levels.

In its present form, the bill calls for reducing emissions by 20 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. The bill would also require utilities to supply 25 percent of the country’s electricity needs from clean, renewable sources by 2025. The percentage from such sources is now just under 10 percent.

We hope the bill is passed before an international symposium on climate change gets under way in December in Copenhagen, Denmark. The United States should show the world that it is ready to be a leader in reducing harmful emissions.