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|Energy Market and Economic Impacts of H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    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|Executive  Summary
                      This report responds to a request to the Energy Information  Administration (EIA) from Chairman Henry Waxman and Chairman Edward Markey for  an analysis of H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009  (ACESA).1  ACESA, as passed by the House of  Representatives on June 26,   2009, is a complex bill that regulates emissions of greenhouse  gases through market-based mechanisms, efficiency programs, and economic  incentives.
                      The Title III cap-and-trade  program for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which covers roughly 84 percent of  total U.S. GHG emissions by 2016, is in many respects the centerpiece of the  bill and the primary driver of the results presented in this report.  The program subjects covered emissions to a  cap that declines steadily between 2012 and 2050.  The cap requires a 17- percent reduction in  covered emissions by 2020 and an 83-percent reduction by 2050, both relative to  a 2005 baseline, with targets that decline steadily for intermediate years.  Compliance is enforced through a requirement for entities subject to the cap to  submit allowances, which are bankable, sufficient to cover their emissions.  Allowance obligations may also be offset by reductions in domestic emissions of  exempted sources, by international offsets, or by emission allowances from  other countries with comparable laws limiting emissions.  Maximum offsets from domestic and  international sources are each capped separately at 1 billion metric tons (BMT)  in each year of the program, with the proviso that up to 500 million metric  tons (MMT) of the domestic offset cap may be shifted to the international  offset cap if the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  determines that a sufficient supply of domestic offsets is not available.  In addition to its centerpiece cap-and-trade  program, Title III also includes  additional GHG standards, dedicated programs to limit hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)  emissions and black carbon, and provisions governing markets in carbon-related  derivatives.
                      Title I contains  provisions related to a Federal combined efficiency and renewable electricity  standard for electricity sellers, carbon capture and storage technology,  performance standards for new coal-fueled power plants, research and  development support for electric vehicles, support for deployment of a smart  grid, and establishment of a Clean Energy Deployment Administration. Title II  includes provisions related to building, lighting, appliance, and vehicle  energy efficiency programs.  Title IV  includes provisions to preserve domestic competitiveness and support workers,  provide assistance to consumers, and support domestic and international  adaptation initiatives.  Title V  addresses the role of domestic agricultural and forestry-related offsets in the  Title III cap-and-trade  program.
This report considers the energy-related provisions in  ACESA that can be analyzed using EIA’s National Energy Modeling System  (NEMS).  The Reference Case used as the  starting point for the analysis in this report is an updated version of the *Annual Energy Outlook 2009* (*AEO2009*) Reference Case issued in April  2009 that reflects the projected impacts of the American Recovery and  Reinvestment Act as well as other significant energy legislation, including the  Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, the Energy Independence and  Security Act of 2007, and
the Energy Policy Act of 20052.  Cumulative GHG emissions covered by the Title  III cap-and-trade program over the  2012 to 2030 period are estimated to be 113.4 BMT in CO2-equivalent  terms.   
Key provisions of ACESA that are represented in the policy  cases developed in this analysis include3:
the GHG cap-and-trade program for gases other  than HFCs, including provisions for the allocation of allowances to electricity  and natural gas distribution utilities, low-income consumers, State efficiency  programs, rebate programs, energy-intensive industries, and other specified  purposes;
  the combined efficiency and renewable  electricity standard for electricity sellers;
  the carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration and early deployment program;
  Federal building code updates for both  residential and commercial buildings;
  Federal efficiency standards for lighting and  other appliances;
  technology improvements driven by the Centers  for Energy and Environmental Knowledge and Outreach; and
  the smart grid peak savings program.While this analysis is as comprehensive as possible given  its timing, it does not address all the provisions of ACESA.  Provisions that are not represented include  the Clean Energy Deployment Administration, the strategic allowance reserve,  the separate cap-and-trade program for HFC emissions, the GHG performance  standards for activities not subject to the cap-and-trade program, the  distribution of allowances to coal merchant plants, new efficiency standards  for transportation equipment, and the effects of increased investment in energy  research and development.  Of these  provisions, the Clean Energy Deployment Administration may have the most  significant potential to alter the reported results.
Like other EIA analyses of energy and environmental policy  proposals, this report focuses on the impacts of those proposals on energy  choices made by consumers in all sectors and the implications of those  decisions for the economy. This focus is consistent with EIA’s statutory  mission and expertise. The study does not account for any possible health or  environmental benefits that might be associated with curtailing GHG emissions.
Finally, while the emissions caps in the ACESA  cap-and-trade program decline through the year 2050, the modeling horizon in  this report runs only through 2030, the projection limit of NEMS.  As in EIA analyses of earlier cap-and-trade  proposals, the need to pursue higher-cost emissions reductions beyond 2030,  driven by tighter caps and continued economic and population growth, can be reflected in the modeling by assuming that a positive  bank of allowances is held at the end of 2030 in all but one case.
Analysis  Cases
EIA prepared a range of analysis cases for this report.  The six main analysis cases discussed in this  Executive Summary, while not exhaustive, focus on two key areas of uncertainty  that impact the analysis results.
The role of offsets is a large area of uncertainty in any  analysis of ACESA.  The 2-BMT annual limit  on total offsets in ACESA is equivalent to one-third of total energy-related GHG  emissions in 2008 and represents nearly six times the projected growth in  energy-related emissions through 2030 in the Reference Case used in this  analysis.
While the ceiling on offset use is clear, their actual use  is an open question.  Beyond the usual  uncertainties related to the technical, economic, and market supply of offsets,  the future use of offsets for ACESA compliance also depends both on regulatory  decisions that are yet to be made by the EPA, on the timing and scope of  negotiations on international agreements or arrangements between the United  States and countries where offset opportunities may exist, and on emissions  reduction commitments made by other countries.   Also, limits on offset use in ACESA apply individually to each covered  entity, so that offset “capacity” that goes unused by one or more covered  entities cannot be used by other covered entities.  For some major entities covered by the  cap-and-trade program, decisions regarding the use of offsets could potentially  be affected by regulation at the State level.   Given the many technical factors and implementation decisions involved,  it is hardly surprising that analysts’ estimates of international offset use  span an extremely wide range.  One recent  analysis doubts that even 150 MMT of international offsets will be used by 2020, while  anotherposits that 1 BMT of international offsets will be used  almost immediately from the start of the program in 2012, followed by a quick  rise towards an expanded 1.5-BMT ceiling shortly thereafter.
The other major area of uncertainty in assessing the  energy system and economic impacts of ACESA involves the timing, cost, and  public acceptance of low- and no-carbon technologies.  For the period prior to 2030, the availability  and cost of low- and no-carbon baseload electricity technologies, such as  nuclear power and fossil (coal and natural gas) with CCS,  which can potentially displace a large amount of conventional coal-fired  generation, is a key issue.  However,  technology availability over an extended horizon is a two-sided issue.  Research and development breakthroughs over  the next two decades could expand the set of reasonably priced and scalable  low- and no-carbon energy technologies across all energy uses, including transportation,  with opportunities for widespread deployment beyond 2030.  The achievement of significant near-term  progress towards such an outcome, however, could significantly reduce the size  of the bank of allowances that covered entities and other market participants  would want to carry forward to meet compliance requirements beyond 2030.
With these key uncertainties in mind, the main analysis  cases discussed in this report are as follows:
The ACESA  Basic Case represents an environment where key low-emissions technologies,  including nuclear, fossil with CCS,  and various renewables, are developed and deployed on a large scale in a  timeframe consistent with the emissions reduction requirements of ACESA without  encountering any major obstacles.  It  also assumes that the use of offsets, both domestic and international, is not  severely constrained by cost, regulation, or the pace of negotiations with key  countries covering key sectors.  In  anticipation of increasingly stringent caps and rising allowance prices after  2030, covered entities and investors are assumed to amass an aggregate  allowance bank of approximately 13 BMT by 2030 through a combination of offset  usage and emission reductions that exceed the level required under the emission  caps.The ACESA  Zero Bank Caseis similar to the Basic Case except that no banked  allowances are held in 2030, reflecting the assumed availability of a broad  array of reasonably priced low- and no-carbon technologies that can provide an  alternative path to compliance with tighter emissions caps after 2030 through  reductions across all energy uses, including transportation.The ACESA  High Offsets Case is similar to the Basic Case except that it assumes the  near-immediate use of international offsets at levels at or close to the  specified aggregate ceiling, without regard to possible institutional or market  impediments.The ACESA  High Cost Case is similar to the Basic Case except that the costs of  nuclear, coal with CCS, and dedicated  biomass generating technologies are assumed to be 50 percent higher.The ACESA  No International Case is similar to the Basic Case, but represents an  environment where the use of international offsets is severely limited by cost,  regulation, and/or slow progress in reaching international agreements or  arrangements covering offsets in key countries and sectors.The ACESA  No International/Limited Case combines the treatment of offsets in the ACESA  No International Case with an assumption that deployment of key technologies,  including nuclear, fossil with CCS,  and dedicated biomass, cannot expand beyond their Reference Case levels through  2030.4
The full report discusses a number of additional  analysis cases, including an accelerated Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) standards (35CAFE2016)  case that incorporates the acceleration in fuel economy standards for  light-duty vehicles announced by the Administration in May 2009, a 5-percent  discount case that adopts an alternative view of real escalation in allowance  prices (Low Discount), a case with limitations to the penetration of nuclear, CCS, and biomass gasification capacity (Limited  Alternatives), an accelerated energy technology (High Tech) case, and a higher  level of allowance banking (High Banking) case.
EIA cannot attach probabilities to the individual policy  cases.  However, both theory and common  sense suggest that cases that reflect an unbroken chain of either failures or  successes in a series of  independent  factors are inherently less likely than cases that do not assume that  everything goes either wrong or right.   In this respect, the No International/Limited and Zero Bank Cases might  be viewed as more pessimistic and optimistic scenarios, respectively, which bracket  a set of more likely cases.  Similarly,  if actual access to international offsets is dependent on a series of  independent regulatory and negotiating outcomes, cases with intermediate access  to international offsets might be viewed as more likely than those representing  either complete and immediate success across the board (High Offsets), or a  permanent lack of progress (No International) in such activities.
Key Findings
Given the potential  of offsets as a low-cost compliance option, the amount of reduction in covered  emissions is exceeded by the amount of compliance generated through offsets in  most of the main analysis cases (Figure ES-1).  Cumulative compliance between 2012 and 2030,  including reductions both in domestic emissions of covered gases and in domestic  and international offsets, ranges from 24.4 BMT to 37.6 BMT carbon dioxide (CO2)-equivalent  emissions in the main analysis cases, representing a 21-percent to 33-percent  reduction from the level of cumulative covered emissions projected in the  Reference Case.5  In the ACESA Basic Case, domestic abatement  of covered gases represents only 39 percent of cumulative compliance.  In the ACESA High Offsets Case, where the  maximum quantity of international offsets is used immediately at the start of  the program in 2012, domestic abatement in covered gases accounts for just 22  percent of the cumulative compliance.   Reductions in the emissions of energy-related CO2 account for  more than half of projected cumulative compliance through 2030 only in the  cases where international offsets are not assumed to be available.
The vast majority of  reductions in energy-related emissions are expected to occur in the electric  power sector.  Across the ACESA main  cases, the electricity sector accounts for between 80 percent and 88 percent of  the total reduction in energy-related CO2 emissions relative to the  Reference Case in 2030.  Reductions in  electricity-sector emissions are primarily achieved by reducing the role of  conventional coal-fired generation, which in 2007 provided 50 percent of  total U.S. generation, and increasing the use  of no- or low-carbon generation technologies that either exist today (e.g.  renewables and nuclear) or are under development (fossil with CCS).  In  addition, a portion of the electricity-related CO2 emissions  reductions results from reduced electricity demand stimulated both by consumer  responses to higher electricity prices and incentives in ACESA to stimulate  greater efficiency in energy use.
If  new nuclear, renewable, and fossil plants with CCS  are not developed and deployed in a timeframe consistent with emissions  reduction requirements under ACESA, covered entities are expected to respond by  increasing their use of offsets, if available, and by turning to increased  natural gas use to offset reductions in coal generation. While natural  gas generation is expected to fall below the Reference Case level in most ACESA  Cases, in the ACESA No International/Limited Case natural gas generation is 68  percent above the Reference Case level by 2030, due to the assumed limited availability of  international offsets, new plants with CCS,  as well as new nuclear and dedicated biomass capacity (Table ES-1).
Emissions reductions from changes in fossil fuel use  in the residential, commercial, industrial and transportation sectors are small  relative to those in the electric power sector.****Taken together, changes in fossil fuel use in  these sectors account for between 12 percent and 20 percent of the total  reduction in energy-related CO2 emissions relative to the Reference  Case in 2030, reflecting both lesser percentage changes in delivered fossil  fuel prices than experienced by the electricity generation sector and the low  availability of alternatives in many applications (Figure ES-2).  For example, motor gasoline prices in the ACESA  Basic Case are only 20 cents per gallon higher than in the Reference Case in  2020 and 35 cents per gallon higher in 2030 (in 2007 dollars).   In addition, since all cases include the  35-mile-per-gallon CAFE standard  enacted in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, many of the most  cost-effective vehicle efficiency options are adopted in all cases, including  the Reference Case.  Beyond reductions in  direct fuel use, the reduction in electricity demand, which ranges from 4.1  percent to 14.7 percent below the Reference Case level in 2030 across the main  policy cases, makes an important contribution to the overall reduction in  electricity-related emissions.
GHG allowance prices  are sensitive to the cost and availability of emissions offsets and low-and no-carbon  generating technologies. Allowance  prices in the ACESA Basic Case are projected at $32 per metric ton in 2020 and $65  per metric ton in 2030.  Across all main  analysis cases, allowance prices range from $20 to $93 per metric ton in 2020  and from $41 to $191 (2007 dollars) per metric ton in 2030 (Figure ES-3).  The lower prices in the range occur in cases  where technological options such as CCS  and adoption of new nuclear power plants can be deployed on a large scale  before 2030 at relatively low costs, the use of international offsets helps to  hold down compliance costs, and/or optimism about future technology  availability holds down the near-term incentive to bank allowances for use  beyond 2030 (ACESA Basic, ACESA High Offset, and/or ACESA Zero Bank  cases).  Higher allowance prices occur if  international offsets are unavailable, particularly if it is also the case that  low- or no-emission baseload electricity supply technologies cannot be expanded  beyond the Reference Case level (ACESA No International and ACESA No  International/Limited cases).
ACESA  increases energy prices, but effects on electricity and natural gas bills of  consumers are substantially mitigated through 2025 by the allocation of free  allowances to regulated electricity and natural gas distribution companies.  Except for the  ACESA No International/Limited Case, electricity prices in five of the six main  ACESA cases range from 9.5 to 9.6 cents per kilowatthour in 2020, only 3 to 4  percent above the Reference Case level.6  Average impacts on electricity prices in 2030  are projected to be substantially greater, reflecting both higher allowance  prices and the phase-out of the free allocation of allowances to distributors  between 2025 and 2030.   By 2030, electricity prices in the ACESA Basic Case are 12.0 cents per  kilowatthour, 19 percent above the Reference Case level, with a wider band of 11.1  cents to 17.8 cents (10 to 77 percent above the Reference Case level) across  all six main policy cases.
ACESA increases the  cost of using energy, which reduces real economic output, reduces purchasing  power, and lowers aggregate demand for goods and services. The result is that  projected real gross domestic product (GDP)  generally falls relative to the Reference Case.****Total discounted GDP  losses over the 2012 to 2030 time period are $566 billion (-0.3 percent) in the  ACESA Basic Case, with a range from $432 billion (-0.2 percent) to $1,897  billion (-0.9 percent) across the main ACESA cases (Table ES-2).  Similarly, the cumulative discounted losses  for personal consumption are $273 billion (-0.2 percent) in the ACESA Basic  Case and range from $196 billion (-0.1 percent) to $988 billion (-0.7  percent).  GDP  losses in 2030, the last year explicitly modeled in this analysis, range from $104  billion to $453 billion (-0.5 to -2.3 percent), while consumption losses in  that year range from $36 billion to $180 billion (-0.3 to -1.3 percent).  The estimated 2030 GDP  and consumption losses in the ACESA No International/Limited Case, at the top  of these ranges, are nearly or more than twice as large as those in the ACESA No  International and High Cost Cases, which have the next highest level of  impacts.
Consumption  and energy bill impacts can also be expressed on a per household basis in  particular years.  In 2020,  the reduction in household consumption is $134 (2007 dollars) in the ACESA Basic  Case, with a range of $30 to $362 across all main ACESA cases.  In 2030, household consumption is reduced by $339  in the ACESA Basic Case, with a range of $157 to $850 per household across all main ACESA cases.   By 2030, the estimated reductions in household  consumption in the ACESA No International/Limited Case, at the top of these  ranges, are approximately double the impacts in the ACESA High Cost Case, which  has the next highest level of impacts.
The free allocation  of output-based allowances reduces the impact of ACESA on energy-intensive,  trade- vulnerable industries.Receiving  free allowances in proportion to output softens the impacts of increased energy  prices on these industries.  As a result,  when energy prices increase under ACESA, the reductions in output of these  trade- and energy-vulnerable industries are less than overall manufacturing  impacts and mirror the impacts of total industrial shipments.  The discounted cumulative percent losses of  energy-intensive industrial output range from -0.5 percent to -3.6 percent from  2012-2030 compared to manufacturing losses of -0.5 percent to -4.3 percent.
Additional  Insights
The role of baseline  assumptions.  The choice of a baseline is one of the most influential assumptions for  any analysis of global climate change legislation.  This analysis uses the updated  Reference Case of the *AEO2009* as a starting point.  These  projections and our analysis are not meant to be exact predictions of the  future but represent plausible energy futures given technological and  demographic trends, current laws and regulations, and consumer behavior as  derived from available data.  EIA  recognizes that projections of energy markets over a nearly 25-year period are  highly uncertain and subject to many events that cannot be foreseen, such as  supply disruptions, policy changes, and technological breakthroughs. In  addition to these phenomena, long-term trends in technology development,  demographics, economic growth, and energy resources may evolve along a  different path than expected in the projections.  Generally, differences between cases, which  are the focus of our report, are likely to be more robust than the specific  projections for any one case.  The  published *AEO2009*,which includes numerous cases  reflecting a variety of alternative futures for the economy, energy markets,  and technology, is a resource that can be used to examine the implications of  alternative baselines.
The strategic  allowance reserve.****The strategic  allowance reserve, which focuses on the important issue of short-term  volatility in allowance prices, is not addressed in this analysis.  As currently structured, the strategic  allowance reserve, following a startup period, relies on a “trigger price” for  auctions that is set in relation to recent allowance prices.  Such an approach does not appear to preclude  a scenario in which allowance prices evolve along a “high” trajectory given underlying  conditions that would support such an outcome, such as those examined in the No  International and No International/Limited cases.  Also, the strategic allowance reserve, in  contrast to other cost-containment mechanisms that more directly tie compliance  pressure to the level of compliance costs or other measures of economic impact,  would be unlikely to discourage stakeholders who view GHG emissions limitation  as the highest environmental protection priority from pursuing efforts to block  the deployment of nuclear power, CCS,  or other technologies that, from their perspective, may raise important, but  lesser, concerns.  Therefore, as  discussed in earlier EIA analyses, decisions regarding the design of a  cost-containment mechanism can affect the public acceptance of key low- and  no-carbon technologies that may be part of a cost-effective compliance mix.
Free  allowance allocation to electricity and natural gas distributors.  The analysis  shows that the free allocation of allowances to electricity and natural gas  distributors significantly ameliorates impacts on consumer electricity and  natural gas prices prior to 2025, when it starts to be phased out.  While this result may serve goals related to  regional and overall fairness of the program, the overall efficiency of the cap-and-trade program is reduced to the  extent that the price signal that would encourage cost-effective changes by  consumers in their use of electricity and natural gas is delayed.Electricity capacity  siting challenges.  Besides changing  the projected mix of new electricity generation capacity, compliance with ACESA  will also significantly increase the total amount of new electric capacity that  must be added between now and 2030 due to the retirement of many existing  coal-fired power plants that otherwise would be expected to continue operating  beyond 2030.  Obstacles to siting major  electricity generation projects and/or the transmission facilities needed to  support the greatly expanded use of renewable energy sources are not explicitly  considered in this report.  However, the  additional capacity needs in all of the ACESA cases suggest the need for review  of siting processes so that they will be able to support a large-scale  transformation of the Nation’s electricity infrastructure by 2030.
Challenges beyond 2030. As previously noted, the modeling horizon for  this analysis ends in 2030.  Unless  substantial progress is made in identifying low- and no-carbon technologies  outside of electricity generation, the ACESA emissions targets for the  2030-to-2050 period are likely to be very challenging as opportunities for  further reductions in power sector emissions are exhausted and reductions in  other sectors are thought to be more expensive.

Notes
|Executive  Summary
                      This report responds to a request to the Energy Information  Administration (EIA) from Chairman Henry Waxman and Chairman Edward Markey for  an analysis of H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009  (ACESA).1  ACESA, as passed by the House of  Representatives on June 26,   2009, is a complex bill that regulates emissions of greenhouse  gases through market-based mechanisms, efficiency programs, and economic  incentives.
                      The Title III cap-and-trade  program for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which covers roughly 84 percent of  total U.S. GHG emissions by 2016, is in many respects the centerpiece of the  bill and the primary driver of the results presented in this report.  The program subjects covered emissions to a  cap that declines steadily between 2012 and 2050.  The cap requires a 17- percent reduction in  covered emissions by 2020 and an 83-percent reduction by 2050, both relative to  a 2005 baseline, with targets that decline steadily for intermediate years.  Compliance is enforced through a requirement for entities subject to the cap to  submit allowances, which are bankable, sufficient to cover their emissions.  Allowance obligations may also be offset by reductions in domestic emissions of  exempted sources, by international offsets, or by emission allowances from  other countries with comparable laws limiting emissions.  Maximum offsets from domestic and  international sources are each capped separately at 1 billion metric tons (BMT)  in each year of the program, with the proviso that up to 500 million metric  tons (MMT) of the domestic offset cap may be shifted to the international  offset cap if the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  determines that a sufficient supply of domestic offsets is not available.  In addition to its centerpiece cap-and-trade  program, Title III also includes  additional GHG standards, dedicated programs to limit hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)  emissions and black carbon, and provisions governing markets in carbon-related  derivatives.
                      Title I contains  provisions related to a Federal combined efficiency and renewable electricity  standard for electricity sellers, carbon capture and storage technology,  performance standards for new coal-fueled power plants, research and  development support for electric vehicles, support for deployment of a smart  grid, and establishment of a Clean Energy Deployment Administration. Title II  includes provisions related to building, lighting, appliance, and vehicle  energy efficiency programs.  Title IV  includes provisions to preserve domestic competitiveness and support workers,  provide assistance to consumers, and support domestic and international  adaptation initiatives.  Title V  addresses the role of domestic agricultural and forestry-related offsets in the  Title III cap-and-trade  program.
This report considers the energy-related provisions in  ACESA that can be analyzed using EIA’s National Energy Modeling System  (NEMS).  The Reference Case used as the  starting point for the analysis in this report is an updated version of the *Annual Energy Outlook 2009* (*AEO2009*) Reference Case issued in April  2009 that reflects the projected impacts of the American Recovery and  Reinvestment Act as well as other significant energy legislation, including the  Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, the Energy Independence and  Security Act of 2007, and
the Energy Policy Act of 20052.  Cumulative GHG emissions covered by the Title  III cap-and-trade program over the  2012 to 2030 period are estimated to be 113.4 BMT in CO2-equivalent  terms.   
Key provisions of ACESA that are represented in the policy  cases developed in this analysis include3:
the GHG cap-and-trade program for gases other  than HFCs, including provisions for the allocation of allowances to electricity  and natural gas distribution utilities, low-income consumers, State efficiency  programs, rebate programs, energy-intensive industries, and other specified  purposes;
  the combined efficiency and renewable  electricity standard for electricity sellers;
  the carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration and early deployment program;
  Federal building code updates for both  residential and commercial buildings;
  Federal efficiency standards for lighting and  other appliances;
  technology improvements driven by the Centers  for Energy and Environmental Knowledge and Outreach; and
  the smart grid peak savings program.While this analysis is as comprehensive as possible given  its timing, it does not address all the provisions of ACESA.  Provisions that are not represented include  the Clean Energy Deployment Administration, the strategic allowance reserve,  the separate cap-and-trade program for HFC emissions, the GHG performance  standards for activities not subject to the cap-and-trade program, the  distribution of allowances to coal merchant plants, new efficiency standards  for transportation equipment, and the effects of increased investment in energy  research and development.  Of these  provisions, the Clean Energy Deployment Administration may have the most  significant potential to alter the reported results.
Like other EIA analyses of energy and environmental policy  proposals, this report focuses on the impacts of those proposals on energy  choices made by consumers in all sectors and the implications of those  decisions for the economy. This focus is consistent with EIA’s statutory  mission and expertise. The study does not account for any possible health or  environmental benefits that might be associated with curtailing GHG emissions.
Finally, while the emissions caps in the ACESA  cap-and-trade program decline through the year 2050, the modeling horizon in  this report runs only through 2030, the projection limit of NEMS.  As in EIA analyses of earlier cap-and-trade  proposals, the need to pursue higher-cost emissions reductions beyond 2030,  driven by tighter caps and continued economic and population growth, can be reflected in the modeling by assuming that a positive  bank of allowances is held at the end of 2030 in all but one case.
Analysis  Cases
EIA prepared a range of analysis cases for this report.  The six main analysis cases discussed in this  Executive Summary, while not exhaustive, focus on two key areas of uncertainty  that impact the analysis results.
The role of offsets is a large area of uncertainty in any  analysis of ACESA.  The 2-BMT annual limit  on total offsets in ACESA is equivalent to one-third of total energy-related GHG  emissions in 2008 and represents nearly six times the projected growth in  energy-related emissions through 2030 in the Reference Case used in this  analysis.
While the ceiling on offset use is clear, their actual use  is an open question.  Beyond the usual  uncertainties related to the technical, economic, and market supply of offsets,  the future use of offsets for ACESA compliance also depends both on regulatory  decisions that are yet to be made by the EPA, on the timing and scope of  negotiations on international agreements or arrangements between the United  States and countries where offset opportunities may exist, and on emissions  reduction commitments made by other countries.   Also, limits on offset use in ACESA apply individually to each covered  entity, so that offset “capacity” that goes unused by one or more covered  entities cannot be used by other covered entities.  For some major entities covered by the  cap-and-trade program, decisions regarding the use of offsets could potentially  be affected by regulation at the State level.   Given the many technical factors and implementation decisions involved,  it is hardly surprising that analysts’ estimates of international offset use  span an extremely wide range.  One recent  analysis doubts that even 150 MMT of international offsets will be used by 2020, while  anotherposits that 1 BMT of international offsets will be used  almost immediately from the start of the program in 2012, followed by a quick  rise towards an expanded 1.5-BMT ceiling shortly thereafter.
The other major area of uncertainty in assessing the  energy system and economic impacts of ACESA involves the timing, cost, and  public acceptance of low- and no-carbon technologies.  For the period prior to 2030, the availability  and cost of low- and no-carbon baseload electricity technologies, such as  nuclear power and fossil (coal and natural gas) with CCS,  which can potentially displace a large amount of conventional coal-fired  generation, is a key issue.  However,  technology availability over an extended horizon is a two-sided issue.  Research and development breakthroughs over  the next two decades could expand the set of reasonably priced and scalable  low- and no-carbon energy technologies across all energy uses, including transportation,  with opportunities for widespread deployment beyond 2030.  The achievement of significant near-term  progress towards such an outcome, however, could significantly reduce the size  of the bank of allowances that covered entities and other market participants  would want to carry forward to meet compliance requirements beyond 2030.
With these key uncertainties in mind, the main analysis  cases discussed in this report are as follows:
The ACESA  Basic Case represents an environment where key low-emissions technologies,  including nuclear, fossil with CCS,  and various renewables, are developed and deployed on a large scale in a  timeframe consistent with the emissions reduction requirements of ACESA without  encountering any major obstacles.  It  also assumes that the use of offsets, both domestic and international, is not  severely constrained by cost, regulation, or the pace of negotiations with key  countries covering key sectors.  In  anticipation of increasingly stringent caps and rising allowance prices after  2030, covered entities and investors are assumed to amass an aggregate  allowance bank of approximately 13 BMT by 2030 through a combination of offset  usage and emission reductions that exceed the level required under the emission  caps.The ACESA  Zero Bank Caseis similar to the Basic Case except that no banked  allowances are held in 2030, reflecting the assumed availability of a broad  array of reasonably priced low- and no-carbon technologies that can provide an  alternative path to compliance with tighter emissions caps after 2030 through  reductions across all energy uses, including transportation.The ACESA  High Offsets Case is similar to the Basic Case except that it assumes the  near-immediate use of international offsets at levels at or close to the  specified aggregate ceiling, without regard to possible institutional or market  impediments.The ACESA  High Cost Case is similar to the Basic Case except that the costs of  nuclear, coal with CCS, and dedicated  biomass generating technologies are assumed to be 50 percent higher.The ACESA  No International Case is similar to the Basic Case, but represents an  environment where the use of international offsets is severely limited by cost,  regulation, and/or slow progress in reaching international agreements or  arrangements covering offsets in key countries and sectors.The ACESA  No International/Limited Case combines the treatment of offsets in the ACESA  No International Case with an assumption that deployment of key technologies,  including nuclear, fossil with CCS,  and dedicated biomass, cannot expand beyond their Reference Case levels through  2030.4
The full report discusses a number of additional  analysis cases, including an accelerated Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) standards (35CAFE2016)  case that incorporates the acceleration in fuel economy standards for  light-duty vehicles announced by the Administration in May 2009, a 5-percent  discount case that adopts an alternative view of real escalation in allowance  prices (Low Discount), a case with limitations to the penetration of nuclear, CCS, and biomass gasification capacity (Limited  Alternatives), an accelerated energy technology (High Tech) case, and a higher  level of allowance banking (High Banking) case.
EIA cannot attach probabilities to the individual policy  cases.  However, both theory and common  sense suggest that cases that reflect an unbroken chain of either failures or  successes in a series of  independent  factors are inherently less likely than cases that do not assume that  everything goes either wrong or right.   In this respect, the No International/Limited and Zero Bank Cases might  be viewed as more pessimistic and optimistic scenarios, respectively, which bracket  a set of more likely cases.  Similarly,  if actual access to international offsets is dependent on a series of  independent regulatory and negotiating outcomes, cases with intermediate access  to international offsets might be viewed as more likely than those representing  either complete and immediate success across the board (High Offsets), or a  permanent lack of progress (No International) in such activities.
Key Findings
Given the potential  of offsets as a low-cost compliance option, the amount of reduction in covered  emissions is exceeded by the amount of compliance generated through offsets in  most of the main analysis cases (Figure ES-1).  Cumulative compliance between 2012 and 2030,  including reductions both in domestic emissions of covered gases and in domestic  and international offsets, ranges from 24.4 BMT to 37.6 BMT carbon dioxide (CO2)-equivalent  emissions in the main analysis cases, representing a 21-percent to 33-percent  reduction from the level of cumulative covered emissions projected in the  Reference Case.5  In the ACESA Basic Case, domestic abatement  of covered gases represents only 39 percent of cumulative compliance.  In the ACESA High Offsets Case, where the  maximum quantity of international offsets is used immediately at the start of  the program in 2012, domestic abatement in covered gases accounts for just 22  percent of the cumulative compliance.   Reductions in the emissions of energy-related CO2 account for  more than half of projected cumulative compliance through 2030 only in the  cases where international offsets are not assumed to be available.
The vast majority of  reductions in energy-related emissions are expected to occur in the electric  power sector.  Across the ACESA main  cases, the electricity sector accounts for between 80 percent and 88 percent of  the total reduction in energy-related CO2 emissions relative to the  Reference Case in 2030.  Reductions in  electricity-sector emissions are primarily achieved by reducing the role of  conventional coal-fired generation, which in 2007 provided 50 percent of  total U.S. generation, and increasing the use  of no- or low-carbon generation technologies that either exist today (e.g.  renewables and nuclear) or are under development (fossil with CCS).  In  addition, a portion of the electricity-related CO2 emissions  reductions results from reduced electricity demand stimulated both by consumer  responses to higher electricity prices and incentives in ACESA to stimulate  greater efficiency in energy use.
If  new nuclear, renewable, and fossil plants with CCS  are not developed and deployed in a timeframe consistent with emissions  reduction requirements under ACESA, covered entities are expected to respond by  increasing their use of offsets, if available, and by turning to increased  natural gas use to offset reductions in coal generation. While natural  gas generation is expected to fall below the Reference Case level in most ACESA  Cases, in the ACESA No International/Limited Case natural gas generation is 68  percent above the Reference Case level by 2030, due to the assumed limited availability of  international offsets, new plants with CCS,  as well as new nuclear and dedicated biomass capacity (Table ES-1).
Emissions reductions from changes in fossil fuel use  in the residential, commercial, industrial and transportation sectors are small  relative to those in the electric power sector.****Taken together, changes in fossil fuel use in  these sectors account for between 12 percent and 20 percent of the total  reduction in energy-related CO2 emissions relative to the Reference  Case in 2030, reflecting both lesser percentage changes in delivered fossil  fuel prices than experienced by the electricity generation sector and the low  availability of alternatives in many applications (Figure ES-2).  For example, motor gasoline prices in the ACESA  Basic Case are only 20 cents per gallon higher than in the Reference Case in  2020 and 35 cents per gallon higher in 2030 (in 2007 dollars).   In addition, since all cases include the  35-mile-per-gallon CAFE standard  enacted in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, many of the most  cost-effective vehicle efficiency options are adopted in all cases, including  the Reference Case.  Beyond reductions in  direct fuel use, the reduction in electricity demand, which ranges from 4.1  percent to 14.7 percent below the Reference Case level in 2030 across the main  policy cases, makes an important contribution to the overall reduction in  electricity-related emissions.
GHG allowance prices  are sensitive to the cost and availability of emissions offsets and low-and no-carbon  generating technologies. Allowance  prices in the ACESA Basic Case are projected at $32 per metric ton in 2020 and $65  per metric ton in 2030.  Across all main  analysis cases, allowance prices range from $20 to $93 per metric ton in 2020  and from $41 to $191 (2007 dollars) per metric ton in 2030 (Figure ES-3).  The lower prices in the range occur in cases  where technological options such as CCS  and adoption of new nuclear power plants can be deployed on a large scale  before 2030 at relatively low costs, the use of international offsets helps to  hold down compliance costs, and/or optimism about future technology  availability holds down the near-term incentive to bank allowances for use  beyond 2030 (ACESA Basic, ACESA High Offset, and/or ACESA Zero Bank  cases).  Higher allowance prices occur if  international offsets are unavailable, particularly if it is also the case that  low- or no-emission baseload electricity supply technologies cannot be expanded  beyond the Reference Case level (ACESA No International and ACESA No  International/Limited cases).
ACESA  increases energy prices, but effects on electricity and natural gas bills of  consumers are substantially mitigated through 2025 by the allocation of free  allowances to regulated electricity and natural gas distribution companies.  Except for the  ACESA No International/Limited Case, electricity prices in five of the six main  ACESA cases range from 9.5 to 9.6 cents per kilowatthour in 2020, only 3 to 4  percent above the Reference Case level.6  Average impacts on electricity prices in 2030  are projected to be substantially greater, reflecting both higher allowance  prices and the phase-out of the free allocation of allowances to distributors  between 2025 and 2030.   By 2030, electricity prices in the ACESA Basic Case are 12.0 cents per  kilowatthour, 19 percent above the Reference Case level, with a wider band of 11.1  cents to 17.8 cents (10 to 77 percent above the Reference Case level) across  all six main policy cases.
ACESA increases the  cost of using energy, which reduces real economic output, reduces purchasing  power, and lowers aggregate demand for goods and services. The result is that  projected real gross domestic product (GDP)  generally falls relative to the Reference Case.****Total discounted GDP  losses over the 2012 to 2030 time period are $566 billion (-0.3 percent) in the  ACESA Basic Case, with a range from $432 billion (-0.2 percent) to $1,897  billion (-0.9 percent) across the main ACESA cases (Table ES-2).  Similarly, the cumulative discounted losses  for personal consumption are $273 billion (-0.2 percent) in the ACESA Basic  Case and range from $196 billion (-0.1 percent) to $988 billion (-0.7  percent).  GDP  losses in 2030, the last year explicitly modeled in this analysis, range from $104  billion to $453 billion (-0.5 to -2.3 percent), while consumption losses in  that year range from $36 billion to $180 billion (-0.3 to -1.3 percent).  The estimated 2030 GDP  and consumption losses in the ACESA No International/Limited Case, at the top  of these ranges, are nearly or more than twice as large as those in the ACESA No  International and High Cost Cases, which have the next highest level of  impacts.
Consumption  and energy bill impacts can also be expressed on a per household basis in  particular years.  In 2020,  the reduction in household consumption is $134 (2007 dollars) in the ACESA Basic  Case, with a range of $30 to $362 across all main ACESA cases.  In 2030, household consumption is reduced by $339  in the ACESA Basic Case, with a range of $157 to $850 per household across all main ACESA cases.   By 2030, the estimated reductions in household  consumption in the ACESA No International/Limited Case, at the top of these  ranges, are approximately double the impacts in the ACESA High Cost Case, which  has the next highest level of impacts.
The free allocation  of output-based allowances reduces the impact of ACESA on energy-intensive,  trade- vulnerable industries.Receiving  free allowances in proportion to output softens the impacts of increased energy  prices on these industries.  As a result,  when energy prices increase under ACESA, the reductions in output of these  trade- and energy-vulnerable industries are less than overall manufacturing  impacts and mirror the impacts of total industrial shipments.  The discounted cumulative percent losses of  energy-intensive industrial output range from -0.5 percent to -3.6 percent from  2012-2030 compared to manufacturing losses of -0.5 percent to -4.3 percent.
Additional  Insights
The role of baseline  assumptions.  The choice of a baseline is one of the most influential assumptions for  any analysis of global climate change legislation.  This analysis uses the updated  Reference Case of the *AEO2009* as a starting point.  These  projections and our analysis are not meant to be exact predictions of the  future but represent plausible energy futures given technological and  demographic trends, current laws and regulations, and consumer behavior as  derived from available data.  EIA  recognizes that projections of energy markets over a nearly 25-year period are  highly uncertain and subject to many events that cannot be foreseen, such as  supply disruptions, policy changes, and technological breakthroughs. In  addition to these phenomena, long-term trends in technology development,  demographics, economic growth, and energy resources may evolve along a  different path than expected in the projections.  Generally, differences between cases, which  are the focus of our report, are likely to be more robust than the specific  projections for any one case.  The  published *AEO2009*,which includes numerous cases  reflecting a variety of alternative futures for the economy, energy markets,  and technology, is a resource that can be used to examine the implications of  alternative baselines.
The strategic  allowance reserve.****The strategic  allowance reserve, which focuses on the important issue of short-term  volatility in allowance prices, is not addressed in this analysis.  As currently structured, the strategic  allowance reserve, following a startup period, relies on a “trigger price” for  auctions that is set in relation to recent allowance prices.  Such an approach does not appear to preclude  a scenario in which allowance prices evolve along a “high” trajectory given underlying  conditions that would support such an outcome, such as those examined in the No  International and No International/Limited cases.  Also, the strategic allowance reserve, in  contrast to other cost-containment mechanisms that more directly tie compliance  pressure to the level of compliance costs or other measures of economic impact,  would be unlikely to discourage stakeholders who view GHG emissions limitation  as the highest environmental protection priority from pursuing efforts to block  the deployment of nuclear power, CCS,  or other technologies that, from their perspective, may raise important, but  lesser, concerns.  Therefore, as  discussed in earlier EIA analyses, decisions regarding the design of a  cost-containment mechanism can affect the public acceptance of key low- and  no-carbon technologies that may be part of a cost-effective compliance mix.
Free  allowance allocation to electricity and natural gas distributors.  The analysis  shows that the free allocation of allowances to electricity and natural gas  distributors significantly ameliorates impacts on consumer electricity and  natural gas prices prior to 2025, when it starts to be phased out.  While this result may serve goals related to  regional and overall fairness of the program, the overall efficiency of the cap-and-trade program is reduced to the  extent that the price signal that would encourage cost-effective changes by  consumers in their use of electricity and natural gas is delayed.Electricity capacity  siting challenges.  Besides changing  the projected mix of new electricity generation capacity, compliance with ACESA  will also significantly increase the total amount of new electric capacity that  must be added between now and 2030 due to the retirement of many existing  coal-fired power plants that otherwise would be expected to continue operating  beyond 2030.  Obstacles to siting major  electricity generation projects and/or the transmission facilities needed to  support the greatly expanded use of renewable energy sources are not explicitly  considered in this report.  However, the  additional capacity needs in all of the ACESA cases suggest the need for review  of siting processes so that they will be able to support a large-scale  transformation of the Nation’s electricity infrastructure by 2030.
Challenges beyond 2030. As previously noted, the modeling horizon for  this analysis ends in 2030.  Unless  substantial progress is made in identifying low- and no-carbon technologies  outside of electricity generation, the ACESA emissions targets for the  2030-to-2050 period are likely to be very challenging as opportunities for  further reductions in power sector emissions are exhausted and reductions in  other sectors are thought to be more expensive.

Notes
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    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