Renewable energy bill clears House
THE House of Representatives approved on third and final reading late Wednesday night a bill seeking the discovery, development, utilization and commercialization of new and renewable-energy sources to help ease the people’s economic burden from the high cost of oil.
House Bill 4193, or the Renewable Energy Resources Act of 2007, which seeks to promote the development, utilization and commercialization of renewable energy, was approved before Congress adjourned for more than a month of break.
The bill was sponsored by Lakas Rep. Mikey Arroyo of Pampanga, chairman of the House Committee on Renewable Energy.
It primarily aims to achieve self-reliance in the country’s energy requirements through the exploration, development and utilization of renewable-energy resources such as, but not limited to biomass, solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and ocean-energy sources or hybrid systems.
In the Senate, a parallel bill is still in the period of amendments. Party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna withdrew his sponsorship of the bill, questioning the provision allowing foreign investors to explore natural resources for renewable energy.
But Mikey Arroyo explained that this would be only allowed if no Filipino is interested or capacitated to do the exploration, and that only the President is empowered to enter into such agreement with the concurrence of Congress.
Arroyo noted that for a country well-endowed with natural resources, its potential for harnessing renewable energy is limitless.
Unfortunately, the lawmakers said the country’s efforts to tap this resource is inadequate—as shown by its continued reliance on fossil fuels, particularly imported oil, the prices of which are not only volatile but also dictated by market forces beyond its control.
“It would be a disservice to the people if no serious steps are done to explore the country’s potentials to the fullest and utilize renewable energy,” said Arroyo.
The bill also seeks to prioritize renewable-energy resources and technologies to improve security, and catalyze economic development in the countryside through energization of off-grid communities yet un-energized.
Arroyo said the bill will also lay down the institutional infrastructure and provide key government inputs to develop national and local government capabilities with renewable- energy systems and encourage their widespread commercial and efficient use.
It aims to promote power-generation facilities with renewable-energy resources including, but not limited to wind, solar, ocean, hydro, geothermal and biomass energy whose facilities are capable of supplying electricity through the Main Grid or Transmission Systems under Republic Act 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, to reduce dependence on imported sources of fuel and assure development of facilities which utilize environment-friendly energy sources.
Fernan Marasigan, BusinessMirror
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