In the previous post, I alluded to US Rep. Jay Inslee, the Washington State Democrat with a very clear focus on energy issues. He said a bunch, both in his luncheon speech and in a generous discussion with journalists afterward. Some highlights:

Cap-and-trade legislation will pass this year. "I can't conceive of sending President Obama to Copenhagen empty-handed." "Coperhagen," of course, refers to the multilateral climate change conference scheduled for Dec. 7-18 in Denmark.

Speaking of Obama: "Not to be too much of a star-struck neophyte, but Barack Obama is a very large force in this. I saw what leadership means under George Bush. Obama is a force of nature; in fact, you could say there's solar, wind, and Barack Obama."

Speaking of China: "Using China as an excuse is wrong, and we're not like that." he said. Besides, "China's leadership is showing signs of action. They've invested twice as much, by percentage, in clean energy in their stimulus effort."

Also on China: "I want the president to meet with China before Copenhagen. Bilateral talks would be appropriate considering we combine for 40 percent of carbon output," Inslee said. 

On the next transportation fuel: "It's an interesting race between electric and biofuels. Advances in battery technology are quite pronounced," he said, adding that "celluslosic biofuel is still looking for the right enzyme" needed to break down non-food plant material to access the energy embedded within. Hydrogen, he said, is a distant third.

Two choices: "There are two doors to walk through, inaction and action. If we walk through the inaction door, the world will suffer a 5 percent reduction in gross global rpduct. Just ask the almond orchard owners in California losing their crops because of drought. Inaction has costs, and if opponents don't get that, they're smokin' the cheap stuff." The cost of action, meanwhile, will be about 1 percent of gross global output, he said.

Support for coal in stimulus was a good thing: "It's possible the carbon capture and sequestration will become commercially viable. If we're going to get to 80 percent carbon reduction, we have to put R&D into any technology. We don't know which one will succeed. We have to look at it like an investment portfolio." He added, "We have to get out of our comfort zones. Coal, even nuclear. We all have to accept some things that make us uncomfortable at first."

Seven Samurai for climate change: Inslee, during his speech, gave his seven key points to affect climate-change positively (yes, the Samurai allusion is his):

1. Even the playing field for clean energy technology by using a "cap and investment bill to use market mechanisms to determine who has the right to pollute, and use the revenues to plow back into research and development." He was quite clear that, in his view, pollution credits must be sold, not given.

2. Enact a renewable energy standard or a feed-in tariff. 

3. Improve energy efficiency. According to a McKinsey study, he said, 40 percent of the reduction in carbon we need can come just from stopping the waste of energy.

4. Decouple electric rates from utility profits, so that utilities can make as much, or more promoting efficiency as they can promoting sales. 

5. Adopt efficiency standards, not only for cars but for utilities and appliance manufacturers.

6. Improve the electric grid. "We have a grid system that Thomas Edison would recognize, and that's not good. It's a machine not built for the challenge we have."

7. Make financing for energy efficiency more accessible.