Washington, 26 July (Argus) — Nearly half of Senate Democrats and at least one Republican have called for including a renewable electricity standard (RES) in energy legislation.

In a 23 July letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada), 27 Democrats call for the “strongest possible” RES to be included “any energy legislation” that comes up for debate this summer. And separately today, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) said he would support including an RES in the legislation that Reid will unveil tomorrow.

The Democratic senators suggested that a 20pc or 25pc RES would provide the most economic benefit but also said they would oppose including sources such as nuclear or clean coal as part of an electricity mandate.

“Without a national commitment to renewable energy, we miss an important opportunity to grow our manufacturing sector and create jobs while moving toward a cleaner energy future,” the senators wrote.

The lead authors of the letter were Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) and Mark Udall (D-Colorado).

Brownback said he would like to see the 15pc by 2021 RES from legislation passed last year by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee included in the new energy bill. Brownback is a member of the committee.

“A moderate RES would be an important step towards a cleaner energy future, but without the job-killing provisions that come with cap and tax,” Brownback said in a statement.

The bill Reid will release tomorrow will focus on oil spill response, natural gas for transportation, home energy efficiency improvements and land and water conservation funding. Over the weekend, Reid suggested he did not have the votes or time to include an RES in the bill because of procedural hurdles Republicans have used to slow down Senate debate.

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