From the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Mike Tidwell, director
Compiled and edited by Ted Glick, CCAN Policy Director
May 10, 2010

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network has launched a weekly policy update about efforts to advance “cap and dividend” legislation in the U.S. Congress. The fight for this climate policy is currently being led on Capitol Hill by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Susan Collins (R-ME). Last December these Senators introduced the Carbon Limits and Energy for America’s Renewal Act, or CLEAR Act. Learn more at http://www.supportclearact.org.

Week of May 2-8: The devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico dominated the news, while at the end of the week John Kerry and Joe Lieberman announced plans to release details about their proposed climate legislation on May 12th. Lindsey Graham has distanced himself from the process and will not be a part of this release.  At the end of the previous week the EPA had announced that they are unsure the information provided to them by Kerry and Lieberman is sufficient for them to complete an analysis of it. The Nation magazine has heard enough and in their May 3 issue they came out against “Kerry-Graham-Lieberman” and for a “preferable” CLEAR Act. The Bismarck Tribune reported that North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan “favors a plan using a cap and dividend” approach. In California and New Mexico three more towns have joined Santa Rosa, Ca. in support of the CLEAR Act. Finally, an article on the Environmental Forum section of the Reuters website ended by asking, in reference to federal climate legislation, “Why not open the windows wide and see what CLEAR skies might bring?”

In This Issue:

1. The Nation magazine calls for defeat of Kerry-Lieberman and supports CLEAR Act.
2. CQ Today reports that EPA may not have enough information to do an analysis of Kerry-Graham-Lieberman.
3. Senator Byron Dorgan quoted in North Dakota paper as favoring cap and dividend legislation.
4. Reuters website blog post analyzes federal climate legislation convolutions and calls for a fresh look at CLEAR.
5. Three more California and New Mexico towns endorse CLEAR Act.

#1   The Nation magazine calls for defeat of Kerry-Lieberman and supports CLEAR Act

In a May 3rd editorial, “Earth to Congress,” The Nation magazine refers to “some green groups, like Bill McKibben’s 350.org, [which] are pushing instead for the CLEAR Act. The CLEAR Act’s cap-and-dividend system, which works by capping CO2-producing fossil fuels at the sources or point of import, is an elegant idea; but its mandatory emissions targets are weaker than what’s needed. It covers only CO2 (not all greenhouse gases), and one of its prime virtues–that it’s just forty pages long!–means that it leaves a lot of vital details out of the picture. Still, it doesn’t pre-empt the EPA or state regulations, and its leanness means that it’s not laden with pork and industrial giveaways. Between the two [Kerry-Graham-Lieberman and CLEAR] the CLEAR Act is preferable. . . As it stands, the Kerry-Lieberman-Graham bill would vitiate many of these forums while strengthening the position of the nuclear, natural gas and coal industries. For that reason, we regretfully urge its defeat.”

For the full editorial go to: http://www.thenation.com/article/earth-congresss  

#2  CQ Today reports that EPA may not have enough information to do an analysis of Kerry-Graham-Lieberman

In a story posted in the late evening of April 29th on the CQ Today website, Coral Davenport reported on a statement released by the EPA regarding the language sent to them by Kerry, Graham and Lieberman for economic analysis “in an attempt to keep their legislation alive. In a statement Thursday, the EPA questioned if [the three Senators] were giving the agency enough to work with. The EPA said that it had received a ‘description of their draft bill’— not actual legislative language — and that modelers were ‘examining the description to determine whether it contains all of the information that EPA needs in order to run its models.’

For the full editorial go to: http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/detail/news.cfm?news_id=1252

#3  Senator Byron Dorgan quoted in North Dakota paper as favoring cap and dividend legislation

In an article published in the May 1st issue of the Bismarck Tribune, U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan is interviewed about energy issues. In response to a question about federal climate legislation, Dorgan (and Congressman Earl Pomeroy) state that “cap and trade as we now know it is essentially dead. While the bill passed in the House, ‘it doesn’t have the votes to pass the Senate,’ said Dorgan. But a measure to stifle carbon emissions is likely, he said. He favors a plan using a cap and dividend, capping carbon but returning money to taxpayers to help offset the higher costs of energy to the consumer.’”

For the full article go to: http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/the-changing-landscape/article_e831d902-53d0-11df-b27a-001cc4c03286.html

#4  Reuters website blog post analyzes federal climate legislation convolutions and calls for a fresh look at CLEAR

Asher Miller, executive director of the Post Carbon Institute, in the Environmental Forum section of the Reuters website, looks at the debate among environmentalists about what they should support in Congress. He reminds his readers that, “as the Graham-Reid brouhaha reminds us, political winds often shift in surprising ways. Dominating headlines these days are the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and allegations that Goldman Sachs used complex financial mechanisms to make billions betting against their own clients (which Goldman denies). So perhaps the kerfuffle over climate and immigration reform is the dust storm we’ve all been waiting for. Why not open the windows wide and see what CLEAR skies might bring?”

For the full article go to: http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/2010/04/29/paging-hugh-bennett-the-dust-up-over-climate-legislation/

#5  Three more California and New Mexico towns endorse CLEAR Act

Mike Sandler of the Climate Protection Campaign reports that two more California cities, Sebastopol and Sonoma, endorsed the CLEAR at meetings held on May 4th and 5th. This followed the endorsement on March 30th by the city of Santa Rosa. And on April 21st, the town of Las Vegas, New Mexico did the same.

For further information, including pictures, go to:   http://www.carbonshare.org/localactions.html

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CCAN encourages readers of the Cap and Dividend Policy Update to distribute it to others who might be interested. We welcome input on the contents of this publication and ideas for what could be included. Send to Ted Glick at ted@chesapeakeclimate.org. To find out more about CCAN go to http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org.