Below you'll find my proposed replacement legislation for GAR#357 “Promotion of Clean Energy.” For the repeal legislation, please navigate over to that thread. Our delegation's goal here is to propose mandates and efforts aimed at facilitating the transition to clean energy. As we have stated before, we don't believe that such efforts are redundant with other resolutions, namely GAR#445 -- emission caps are one tool that we can use to facilitate our transition away from fossil fuels but it is not and should not be the only tool at our disposal.
As always, I am super grateful for all constructive feedback and comments." Count Nyle, WA Ambassador - The Principality of Xernon
Clean Energy Act | Proposed by: XernonCategory: Environmental | Industry Affected: All Businesses - Strong
The General Assembly,
Acknowledging that the exhaustible nature of fossil fuels renders them an unstable, short-term source of energy,
Emphasizing the long-term economic uncertainties governments face for relying heavily on fossil fuels to meet the energy demands of their various populations and industries,
Recognizing the role of burning fossil fuels in driving global warming and causing irreparable damage to the atmosphere, waterways, land, and environment at large,
Further recognizing that the burning of fossil fuels can lead to a plethora of adverse health effects including both respiratory and cardiac disease and a range of other chronic health conditions,
Applauding GAR 445’s efforts in controlling greenhouse gas emissions, in the process restricting member nations’ reliance on fossil fuel-based energy sources and mitigating their harmful environmental impacts,
Believing that, while gas emission caps are one tool for reducing fossil fuel usage, member nations require additional measures and support to effectively execute the transition to clean energy,
Hereby enacts the following:
- For the purposes of this resolution, "clean energy" shall be defined as energy derived from renewable sources such as sunlight, wind, tides, waves, and geothermal heat, or from sources that do not produce gas emissions such as nuclear reactions.
- The Clean Energy Institute (CEI) is established and tasked with:
- Formulating decennial fossil fuel usage reduction targets for member nations to abide by, taking into account each member nation's:
- accessibility to clean energy sources and the efficiency and energy production potential of said sources,
- current ratio of energy production derived from clean energy sources, and
- fiscal status,
- Collaborating with member nations on researching and disseminating technologies that maximize energy extraction from clean energy sources, and
- Allocating funding, through the General Fund, to support low resource member nations in meeting the provisions laid out in this legislation.
- Member nations are strongly urged to:
- Provide economic subsidies and tax incentives for clean energy production and use,
- Offer vocational training and educational scholarships in the clean energy sector to generate a clean energy workforce,
- Situate clean energy production facilities in rural or high poverty areas — when feasible for energy production — in order to provide jobs and direct access to clean energy for inhabitants living in those areas, and
- Modernize public transit options through electric-powered modes of transportation, such as electric vehicles, buses, locomotives, and aircraft.
- Member nations are required to:
- Identify and assess the energy production potential of clean energy sources accessible to them,
- Develop the infrastructure necessary to properly utilize any clean energy sources that are deemed to hold significant energy production potential,
- Require utility companies to publish annual reports outlining their strategies for increasing the utilization of clean energy sources and reducing their fossil fuel usage to meet the nation’s fossil fuel usage reduction targets,
- Upgrade and modernize their electrical grids in order to efficiently power their nations,
- Enact energy efficient design requirements in residential/industrial construction and in appliance manufacturing,
- Educate the public on the importance of energy conservation in driving down utility prices and ensuring that all inhabitants have equal access to energy,
- Provide consumer protections against any temporary utility price increases associated with the switch to clean energy,
- Secure clean energy production facilities and ensure contingency plans in case of an attack on a facility or a failure therein, and
- Share excess energy production with neighboring low-resource member nations that may be experiencing short-term national energy crises which impact their ability to independently meet their energy needs.