Video by Jay!
On Friday the American Clean Energy and Security Act passed 219-212 in an historic vote, but key features of the bill fall far short of what scientists say is urgently needed. The Senate, with President Obama’s leadership, must work to greatly improve the bill.
Forty flashmobbers, including CCAN’s own Kat McEachern, froze for 2 minutes in frustration over the lack of progress on climate change legislation. The action took place in Longworth Congressional Office Building’s Cafeteria during lunch time.
This action was organized through Craigslist and Twitter and called for a stronger “American Clean Energy and Security Act.” The bill is expected to come to a vote on the House floor this Friday. The bill offers our country the most important opportunity in generations to create millions of new, well-paying jobs, boost renewable energy production and limit global warming pollution. However, many of the bill’s stronger initial provisions have been weakened. Stay tuned for more actions leading up to this historic vote.
If strengthened, the American Clean Energy and Security Act offers our country the most important opportunity in generations to create millions of new, well-paying jobs, boost renewable energy production and limit global warming pollution. En route to the House floor, many of the bill’s stronger initial provisions were weakened, however, leading some like CCAN, MoveOn, and the Sierra Club to call for the bill to be strengthened.
Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection has not taken that path. The group has ardently supported the bill throughout the process and Al Gore will hold a conference call tomorrow night at 8pm to explain his support and “to build urgency around this bill and make sure it passes.”
Next week is shaping up to be a major turning point in our effort to bring about a clean energy revolution!
If all goes as planned, the House of Representatives is set to vote on the American Clean Energy and Security Act sometime late next week. If strengthened, this bill would represent the beginnings of a shift to an economy built upon green jobs, renewable energy production and the limiting of global warming pollution.
I know you’ve probably been getting bombarded with emails asking you to call or email your Congress member. If that just doesn’t feel like it’s enough for you, we’ve got another option.
We have set up constituent meetings early next week with three Maryland Congressmen: Rep. Bartlett, Rep. Ruppersberger, and Rep. Cummings.
Do you live in District 2, 6, or 7?
If so, join us for a critical meeting at a critical time. Spend a couple of hours next week meeting with your Representative and urging him to strengthen and pass this bill!
Congressman Cummings (Dist. 7); Tuesday, June 23rd @ 11am
Congressman Bartlett (Dist. 6); Wednesday, June 24th @ 11am
Congressman Ruppersberger (Dist. 2); Wednesday, June 24th @ 2:30pm
The following is an article written by CCAN supporter and Boucher constituent Theresa Burriss. The piece first appeared in the New River Voice.
After watching Congressman Rick Boucher gut the clean energy bill in the Energy and Commerce Committee, Theresa felt compelled to act. After reading an article a couple weeks later written by the heads of Dominion, Duke Energy and American Electric Power, Theresa wrote this important piece.
I recall, sometime during my parochial elementary education, learning about the structure of our federal government and the roles of each branch. Although I was impressed with the administration and judiciary, the legislature held more of an immediate, relevant meaning for me.
Legislators, supposedly, represented their constituents and their constituents’ concerns. They were elected by a direct vote in their district or state to act ethically, create and vote on new bills for the betterment of society, and ultimately serve their constituents. Although I was far too young to vote, I, and my peers, still counted as constituents according to Sister Maria.
Now that I’m well past the minimum voting age, I’m reminded of Sister Maria’s government lessons and the ideals associated with them, especially as I continue to read about my own congressman’s latest actions, which fall far short of those ideals. I’ll begin to enumerate my disappointments with Representative Rick Boucher (D, 9th District) by citing a recent op-ed printed in another media source. Continue reading
Cross-posted from Article XI
Right now, a Virginia utility is considering building a massive new coal plant in Hampton Roads. At a time when Virginia – and the nation – must move towards a clean energy future, this $6 billion coal plant is a giant step in the wrong direction.
Last night 1Sky and the Energy Action Coalition hosted a conference call with House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairs Henry Waxman and Ed Markey to discuss the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Let me begin by thanking Gillian Caldwell at 1Sky for moderating, and the congressman and their staff for attending the call. The hour long conference call, attended by more than 600 listeners, answered about 15 specific policy questions about the bill. Annette Welch from WV asked about the provisions for coal and CCS in the bill, and what the legislation would do about the practice of mountain top removal coal mining and and pollutants from coal burning power plants…the answer from the chairmen was more than disappointing.
At 2:00p.m. today, Governor Tim Kaine held a press conference in the Capitol complex’s Patrick Henry Building. Kaine used the meeting to announce the newest initiative underneath his Renew Virginia campaign: executive order #82, “Greening of State Government.” His announcement detailed a new (and mildly exciting) plan for encouraging gains in efficiency and conservation in state-owned buildings and by state employees. Applying primarily to state-level buildings, fleet vehicles and personnel, Kaine hopes that the initiative will show, “leadership that will inspire local governments,” to do the same.
Earlier this week, 3 utility execs wrote an editorial in the Richmond Times Dispatch asking for further weakening of the Waxman/ Markey climate bill. We need to get the truth out! This bill has already been seriously compromised and we cannot allow it to be watered down any further.
DOMINION: “Boucher has worked tirelessly to listen to those most interested and affected by the legislation and has been a leader in finding common ground.”
FACT: In reality, Boucher has only listened to the coal industry representatives who contributed more than $176,000 to his last campaign. The result of Boucher’s work will accelerate global warming at the cost of consumers. There is nothing balanced about this bill. The work Boucher has done hurts working families while paying off energy executives.
DOMINION: “In particular, the proposed emission targets for 2020 are too aggressive and outpace expected technologies, and the time of transition to a full auction of allowances should be extended.”
FACT: The proposed emissions targets are already too weak to be a serious solution to curbing greenhouse gas emissions which cause global warming. The current proposal is for 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83% by 2050. To make any headway in fighting global warming pollution, these standards should be set at 25-40% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80-95% by 2050. The current proposal is a far cry from these numbers.
Polluters shouldn’t be given any free credits let alone more than the 85% that is already allotted to them. Giving away permits will result in windfall profits for the energy companies while ratepayers foot the bill.
DOMINION: “We employ thousands of workers and have plans to invest billions over the next five to 10 years on infrastructure to meet the energy demands of our more than 11 million customers.”
FACT: Utilities, especially these three in the southeast, are doing very little in the way of energy efficiency and renewables. Matter of fact, Dominion and Duke are both are planning to build new coal-fired power plants in Virginia and North Carolina respectively. Clearly when they say they are investing billions over the next 5 years to meet growing energy demands, they are continuing to look towards old, dirty fuel sources instead of using new, alternatives. They can do better.
CCAN’s Policy Director Ted Glick spent some time Tuesday on Capitol Hill delivering a sign-on letter to Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) and other members of the House Ways and Means Committee. The letter, circulated by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and signed by 32 religious, climate and environmental groups, calls for 100% auction of pollution permits as part of climate legislation being developed in the Housel.
Rangel is the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee which, along with the Agriculture Committee (and possibly other committees), is next in line to take up the sweeping proposal to establish a national renewable electricity standard and a cap-and-trade program to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Among other things, Ways and Means deals with trade and revenue measures, both of which will be impacted by the proposed bill.
The sign-on letter that Ted handed directly to Chairman Rangel addressed revenue measures in the climate bill. After Congressman Boucher and others in the House Energy and Committee had their say, the bill left Committee poised to give away 85% of the pollution permits. Fifty percent of those free permits would be given to the fossil fuel industry, thirty-five percent of them directly to the coal industry. All these free giveaways amount to handing our nation’s biggest polluters a check for $20.8 billion a year beginning in 2012.
Auctioning 100% of the permits to emit global warming pollution is the only fair way to cap carbon and ensure pocketbook protection for American families. Instead of Boucher’s coal-friendly bill, those who signed the letter support President Obama’s campaign pledge to auction 100 percent of the carbon permits and rebate most of the money to consumers.
Read the entire sign-on letter below the fold. Continue reading