Cap and Dividend Policy Update #7

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.

Against a torrent of oil, a trickle of responsibility

Of the many things lacking in the response to the BP spill, responsibility ranks pretty high on the list. From President Obama’s reluctance to reverse his decision to expand offshore drilling, to BP’s shameless attempts to play the innocent victim card, and the far right’s attempts to pin the blame on environmentalists, responsible words and actions have been in short supply. So it’s been refreshing to see at least some public figures attempting to reverse that trend.

In what could be the first inklings of a mounting wave of political push back against the reckless drill-baby-drill mentality, several political leaders from coastal states including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and six US Senators, have spoken out in defense of their states coastlines and common sense by calling on President Obama to reverse his offshore drilling decision.

Among the Senators were Maryland Senators Mikulski and Cardin, who as I noted in an earlier post, wrote a letter to Senators Kerry, Graham and Lieberman in March calling on the three to keep offshore drilling out of the climate bill they were working on.

That letter was unfortunately ignored, but now that the Senators have a more visible platform from which to trumpet their concerns it’s good to see that they are using it.

Even still, more is needed. Despite recognizing the unacceptable risks posed by a cavalier policy towards offshore drilling, the Senators stopped short of recognizing the unacceptable risks posed by our oil dependence as a whole. Instead they reiterated Obama’s claim “that domestic oil production is an important part of our overall strategy for energy security,” adding that “it must be done responsibly, for the safety of our workers and our environment.”

Responsibility, safety, and energy security are not terms that should be used in the same sentence as the phrase oil production, unless juxtaposed against it. Given the threats of climate change, peak oil, and the thousands of oil-related air pollution deaths that occur every year, it’s hard to see how any policy except a policy to aggressively shift us away from the use of oil, could possibly be considered responsible with respect to the safety of our workers, the general public, our environment or our energy security.

As Grist’s Jonathan Hiskes pointed out last week, there may never be a better opportunity for our political leaders to make this case to the public. We have to demand that they do so. It’s the only responsible thing to do.

Tragic oil spill = smarter climate bill?

Several weeks before president Obama made the tragic decision to approve expanded offshore drilling, Maryland Senators Cardin and Mikulski joined eight other coastal-state senators on a letter to their colleagues Kerry, Lieberman and Graham pressing the trio to keep expanded offshore drilling out of their now-floundering climate and energy package.

In the letter the Senators warned about the serious threats such drilling posed to their coast lines:

While technological advances have attempted to lower the environmental and economic risks of drilling, experience has shown that no technology is foolproof. Since 1964 offshore operators have had 40 spills of greater than 42,000 gallons

Forget Humpty-Dumpty, Move Forward with CLEAR Bill

Rabbi Arthur Waskow and the Shalom Center recently announced their support of the CLEAR Act. Here’s a piece he recently wrote about the legislation:

Even if Senators Kerry and Lieberman can put Humpty-Dumpty back together again after losing Senator Graham’s support for what used to be the KGL (Kugel) bill for climate control, far better is the CLEAR bill introduced by Senators Maria Cantwell (Democrat) of Washington State and Susan Collins (Republican) of Maine. It is often named “cap and dividend” because it prevents any Wall Street trades in carbon credits, and returns 75% of the money gathered from auctioning rights to emit CO2 to the American people: dividends of about $1,000 a year to every legal resident of the US. The other 25% will go to research on renewable energy sources.

It is now the only climate bill with bipartisan support, and could attract grassroots support because it gives most of the money to the people, not big corporations or the government.

Those dividends to the people will offset the cost of higher fuel prices for the poor and the middle class, and will build a Main Street rather than Wall Street political constituency for CO2 controls. CLEAR

Cap and Dividend Policy Update #4

From the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Mike Tidwell, director
Compiled and edited by Ted Glick, CCAN Policy Director
April 16, 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 April 11-16:  As Congress began returning on Monday from its Easter recess, the Institute for Policy Integrity released a study which reported on the positive economic effects of the CLEAR Act. It addressed, among other issues, the issue of regional disparities, finding them to be relatively minimal under the CLEAR Act. Senators Cantwell and Collins continued to publicly advocate for CLEAR, with Cantwell appearing on the national radio show “Living on Earth.” As Earth Day approaches, an article by Earth Day founder Denis Hayes, among other points made, supported the CLEAR Act. And Darren Samuelsohn in E&E News analyzed what is happening overall with climate legislation in the US Senate, including the perspectives of Senators Cantwell and Collins.

In This Issue:

  1. Senators Cantwell and Collins call attention to Institute for Policy Integrity report verifying that CLEAR Act will have positive economic effects
  2. Washington Post: “CLEAR Act delivers, study says”
  3. Senator Cantwell appears on Living on Earth national radio program
  4. Earth Day leader Denis Hayes: “the best climate legislation that has yet been proposed”
  5. E&E News reports on status of climate legislation efforts in first week back after Easter recess

#1  Senators Cantwell and Collins call attention to Institute for Policy Integrity report verifying that CLEAR Act will have positive economic effects

In a press release issued on Monday, April 12th, CLEAR Act co-sponsors Senators Maria Cantwell and Susan Collins “said an independent study by the Institute for Policy Integrity at the New York University Law School concluded that their bipartisan cap-and-dividend legislation will drive technological innovations and create clean-energy jobs. The report finds that the CLEAR Act would avoid large regional disparities and provide the greatest support to low-income families.”

To see the full press release and for links to the IPI report go to:

http://cantwell.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=323761

#2  Washington Post: “CLEAR Act delivers, study says”

In a blog post on the Washington Post website on April 12th, Michael Livermore, Director of the Institute for Public Integrity, is quoted, in reference to their study, as saying, “”These jobs will offer relatively high wages in industries that are experiencing overcapacity and unemployment. The economic incentives in the CLEAR Act will begin to mop up some of the slack in the market. Presently unemployed construction workers will find more opportunities as green investment kicks in.”

See the full blog post at:

http://views.washingtonpost.com/climate-change/post-carbon/2010/04/clear_act_delivers_study_says.html

#3  Senator Cantwell appears on Living on Earth national radio program

Appearing on Living on Earth, “the weekly environmental news and information program,” carried on approximately 300 radio stations, Senator Cantwell explained a key difference between the CLEAR Act and what Senators Kerry, Graham and Lieberman are working on:

“We’re trying to get a legislative solution that the American people can buy into, that they can see that this is a workable way for us to get off of carbon; and to my more skeptical colleagues, a process that you literally are going to put into legislative statute, that you know how the formula works and how the reductions will be made. So you’re not worried about this changing. The predictability is in the simplicity of the formula. And I think that while there probably will be discussions on how to add the larger energy pieces to this, what we’re really trying to do is unveil a concept and push an idea that is the level of simplicity that is needed to get America’s buyoff. It is a clear and predictable path.”

For a transcript of the full interview go to:

http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=10-P13-00015&segmentID=3

#4  Earth Day leader Denis Hayes: “the best climate legislation that has yet been proposed”

In an article published on Yale Environment 360, Denis Hayes, international chair of Earth Day 2010, called for strong action on climate while supporting the CLEAR Act. Writing about the CLEAR Act he said, “Most experts I know agree, in private, that the Cantwell-Collins bill in the Senate is the best climate legislation that has yet been proposed. In fact, it is the only option under consideration that would make a meaningful dent in greenhouse gas emissions in the near term. It places an absolute cap on carbon where it enters the economy; auctions 100 percent of carbon permits; and returns the revenues to the public on a pro rata basis. Moreover, it’s just 40 pages long, while the competing bills contain another thousand pages of loopholes, special interest exceptions, and bad baggage.”

For the full article go to:

http://www.e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2262

#5  E&E News reports on status of climate legislation efforts in first week back after Easter recess

In an article by E&E reporter Darren Samuelsohn, in the context of an overview of what is going on in the Senate, he quotes Senator Cantwell on the Kerry/Graham/Lieberman effort: “’I can’t wait to see a bill from them,’ Cantwell said yesterday, noting that the two legislative approaches are very different in nature. ‘They’re trying to go a lot, the whole gamut,’ she said of Kerry, Graham and Lieberman. ‘We’re just focusing on the right mechanism for changing the direction on carbon and getting on to a plan that helps us before oil goes back up to over $100 a barrel.’”

For the full article go to:

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/04/13/13climatewire-senate-leader-reaffirms-plans-for-climate-bi-34741.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.

Cap and Dividend Policy Update #2

From the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Mike Tidwell, director
Compiled and edited by Ted Glick, CCAN Policy Director
April 2, 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.

March 29-April 2 Overview: Despite the U.S. Congress being on recess this past week (and next), interest in and support for the cap and dividend/CLEAR Act approach to climate legislation continues to grow. Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter wrote positively about what he calls “cap-and-rebate” in his latest column. Mother Jones magazine carried a story on its website blog about “The Other Climate Bill.” Senator Susan Collins was interviewed by Clean Skies News; during the interview she suggested that the CLEAR Act could be paired with legislation, The American Clean Energy Leadership Act, passed by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last year. On Tuesday, March 30th, in what is probably the first such action in the country, the Santa Rosa, Ca. City Council unanimously passed a resolution in support of the CLEAR Act. And at the end of the week, on Good Friday, the Philadelphia Daily News came out with an editorial supporting the CLEAR Act.

Articles in This Weekly Report

– Philadelphia, Pa. Daily News editorializes in support of CLEAR Act
– Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter: Cap-and-rebate could make energy legislation “very popular”
-Mother Jones article on CLEAR Act: “The Other Climate Bill”
– Senator Collins interviewed by Clean Skies News
– E&E story highlights Senator Collins suggestion to pair CLEAR Act with energy legislation approved in 2009
– Senators Cantwell and Collins issue press release on University of Massachusetts study
-Santa Rosa, Ca. City Council unanimously endorses the CLEAR Act.

Philadelphia Daily News: “Why not look at a simpler approach?”

On April 2 the Philadelphia (Pa.) Daily News came out with an editorial, “Obama Joins ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Team. Criticizing Obama’s decision to open up vast areas off U.S. coasts to oil drilling, it went on to say, “Every day we delay in passing a comprehensive energy and climate-change bill, the more expensive it becomes and the more our planet (and this country) is threatened. An effective bill would include:

“A price on carbon that provides an incentive to lower emissions. If, as Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Wednesday, “Cap and trade is not in the lexicon anymore,” why not look closer at a simpler approach proposed by Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Susan Collins, R-Maine.

It’s called ‘cap and dividend.'”

For the full editorial click here.

Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter: Cap-and-rebate could make energy legislation “very popular”

In a column, “1965 All Over Again”, in the April 5, 2010 newstand issue, Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter says that “energy is just a few tweaks away from being a political winner. Changing cap-and-trade to the far more sensible cap-and-rebate (in which polluters’ fees go straight back to the public as checks) could make it very popular-and confirm the role of clean energy in rebuilding the economy.”

For the full article click here

Mother Jones article on CLEAR Act: “The Other Climate Bill”

A piece written by Mother Jones reporter Kate Sheppard published on March 25th overviews the CLEAR Act in relation to the efforts by Kerry, Graham and Lieberman: “Ready for the battle of the climate bills? As John Kerry, Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman hammer out climate legislation, their biggest challenge may not be coal-state Democrats, or Republicans who deny global warming-but a bipartisan pair of senators who believe they’ve already produced better legislation.”

For the full article click here

Senator Collins interviewed by Clean Skies News

In a 7-minute video, Sen. Susan Collins talks to Clean Skies News about The CLEAR Act. Among other points made, she explains why her plan should be included in Senate climate legislation, what she’s hearing about the Senate bill-writing process, and where she and President Obama have common ground on climate issues.

To view the video click here

E&E story highlights Senator Collins’ suggestion to pair CLEAR Act with energy legislation approved in 2009

A March 29th story by Robin Bravender and Katherine Ling for E&E News called attention to a statement made by Senator Susan Collins in her Clean Skies interview where she suggested that the CLEAR Act could be paired with “energy legislation approved last year by Sen. Jeff Bingaman’s (D-N.M.) Energy and Natural Resources Committee.” That legislation, the American Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009, S-1462, calls for a variety of steps to be taken to advance clean energy, energy efficiency and other goals.

The March 29th story also reports on Senator Bernie Sanders’ “deep disappointment” with how the Kerry-Graham-Lieberman bill is developing.

For the full article click here

Senators Cantwell and Collins issue press release on University of Massachusetts study

Last week Senators Cantwell and Collins issued a joint press release calling attention to the study released by professors Jim Boyce and Matthew Riddle of the University of Massachusetts. In Senator Cantwell’s words, “This study validates one of the CLEAR Act’s key principles, that properly designed climate legislation can fairly distribute economic as well as environmental benefits to every corner of America.”

Senator Collins also emphasized the Act’s environmental and economic benefits: “The results of this study will help reassure the American public that we can accomplish the goal of putting a price on carbon without bankrupting American families and businesses. I applaud Senator Cantwell’s leadership. I am delighted to be working with her on this straightforward, effective and fair clean energy bill.”

To view the full press release click here

Santa Rosa, Ca. City Council unanimously endorses the CLEAR Act

In what may be the first such action in the country, the city council of Santa Rosa, Ca., the county seat of Sonoma County with a population of 161,00, unanimously passed a resolution in support of the CLEAR Act. The resolution called on the Mayor to send a letter to their congressional delegation urging them to support the CLEAR Act.

To view the agenda item as it was drafted for the city council click here

SRCouncil
In this picture Mike Sandler and Ann Hancock are holding the large dividend check, flanked by the Mayor and Councilmembers. The check is for $350 (a climate science reference), and is made payable to
“Every Santa Rosan.” The memo line reads: “Dividend payment from polluters to every American.”

CCAN encourages readers of Cap and Dividend Policy Update to distribute it to others who might be interested. We welcome input on the content 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.

Cap and Dividend Policy Update #5

From the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Mike Tidwell, director
Compiled and edited by Ted Glick, CCAN Policy Director
April 25, 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 April 17-24:  As the almost-six-months-long efforts of John Kerry, Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman to put together federal climate legislation teeter precariously, support continues to grow for the CLEAR Act. 36 religious organizations released a statement in which they said they are “enthusiastic about the CLEAR Act.” On Earth Day, April 22nd, Public Opinion Strategies released the results of polling that show “a policy similar to the CLEAR Act generated strong support from Republicans, Democrats and independents.” Senator Susan Collins, speaking at a National Journal forum on April 19th, indicated that Republican support for federal climate legislation will likely depend upon whether money raised is rebated to consumers. She also stated that she sees possibilities for the incorporation of CLEAR Act legislative provisions during a possible Senate floor debate over a bill passed in a bi-partisan way by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee last year. Senate Maria Cantwell was interviewed by Elizabeth Kolbert for Yale University’s Environmental 360 website, and a Climate Wire article explored the views of Maine’s two Republican Senators, seen as key votes.

In This Issue:

  1. A New Nationwide Poll and Surveys in Five Moderate States Shows Majority Support for Energy Reform; “Clean Energy Refund” Preferred by Republicans
  2. Collins: GOP Political Support for Carbon Caps Depends on Where the Money Goes
  3. Elizabeth Kolbert Interviews Maria Cantwell
  4. Religious Groups Sign-on Letter:  “We Are Enthusiastic About the CLEAR Act”
  5. Maine’s Republican Senators and the Efforts to Pass Federal Climate Legislation
  6. Susan Collins Sees Possible Window for  Cap and Dividend

#1  A New Nationwide Poll and Surveys in Five Moderate States Shows Majority Support for Energy Reform; “Clean Energy Refund” Preferred by Republicans

On April 22nd a media briefing was held to announce the results of a Public Opinion Strategies national survey and a smaller five state survey asking likely voters about potential climate legislation. The surveys were conducted in Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Idaho and Virginia, five politically moderate to conservative states. They indicated that a majority of voters across party lines want to overhaul the nation’s energy system to reduce polluting emissions and increase the use of renewable energy sources.

Other key results of the survey were that a clean energy refund has the best potential to attract Republican support, and that in a national survey, a description of a policy similar to the CLEAR Act generated strong support from Republicans, Democrats and independents.

To see the full report, go to http://supportclearact.com/resources

#2  Collins: GOP Political Support for Carbon Caps Depends on Where the Money Goes

Speaking at a National Journal forum on April 19th, Senator Susan Collins said, as reported in The Hill, “that Republicans will be more likely to support capping greenhouse gas emissions if the majority of the money raised under a climate law is steered to consumers.

“’If it is going to produce, over the next 10 years, trillions of dollars of revenue that go to Washington, there is not a lot of [GOP] interest in doing that,” Collins said. ‘If, on the other hand, the majority of the money is going to be rebated to consumers, I think there would be more openness to that,’ she added.”

To see the full article go to: http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/93237-collins-gop-political-support-for-carbon-caps-depends-on-where-the-money-goes

#3  Elizabeth Kolbert Interviews Maria Cantwell

In a wide-ranging interview conducted by Elizabeth Kolbert for the Yale University Environment 360 website, Senator Cantwell expands upon the policy and political strengths of the CLEAR Act. Among her statements: “It takes some time to turn the ship toward an idea that is different. But I can’t think of any better time, when the SEC [Securities and Exchange Commission] is deciding that it needs to go after Wall Street for credit default swaps, to make the point that you don’t want to make the same kind of mistake here.”

To see the full interview go to:  http://www.e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2265

#4  Religious Groups Sign-on Letter:  “We Are Enthusiastic About the CLEAR Act”

A statement released by the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns on April 19th and signed by 36 religious organizations around the country called upon Congress “to move swiftly by joining Senators Cantwell and Collins in moving the Clean Limits and Energy for America’s Renewal (CLEAR) Act, S.2877. We are enthusiastic about the CLEAR Act, introduced by Sen. Maria Cantwell (WA) and Sen. Susan Collins (ME) in December 2009. It outlines a promising structure for the United States to reduce its carbon footprint while encouraging the development of alternative, sustainable energy systems.”

To see the full statement and list of signers go to: http://www.theshalomcenter.org/node/1703

#5  Maine’s Republican Senators and the Efforts to Pass Federal Climate Legislation

In a Climate Wire article published on April 19th, the views of Maine’s two U.S. Senators, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, on climate legislation are explored. Described as holding the “balance of power” in the effort to put a price on carbon emissions, “their support in any effort to stem global warming might seem almost automatic. Sen. Susan Collins stomached a lurching helicopter ride between mountains and slept in an Antarctic hut to get a firsthand view of evidence of abrupt climate shifts of the past. Sen. Olympia Snowe introduced global warming legislation more than 20 years ago.”

For the full article go to: 

http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/detail/news.cfm?news_id=1243

#6  Susan Collins Sees Window for  Cap and Dividend

In an article published on the SolveClimate.org website, Senator Collins is quoted as seeing the opportunity for adding in major elements of the CLEAR Act as part of a possible Senate floor debate over legislation passed by a Senate committee last year. “During a National Journal forum, [she]  said that the best approach might be to start with the bill that has the most support — the energy-only bill approved last summer by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee — and then add in other elements during debate on the Senate floor. ‘It’s a bipartisan bill that’s supported by both the committee chairman [Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M)] and the ranking member [Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)]. If that were brought to the floor, it could be a platform to debate a clean energy bill, such as the one Maria Cantwell and I have introduced.’”

For the full article go to: http://solveclimate.com/blog/20100420/taking-climate-bill-straight-senate-floor-could-open-window-cap-and-dividend

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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.

Mother Earth Day in Cochabamba

With the poor people of the earth
I want to share my fate
The brook of the mountains
Gives me more pleasure than the sea

-the last verse of the song, “Guantanamera,” by Jose Marti

Riding in a taxi yesterday early in the morning of the last day of the World Peoples Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, my driver told me, as we passed the big stadium in Cochabamba where the concluding event was being held later that afternoon, that the stadium held 30,000 people. If he was right, then there were 30,000 people celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, Mother Earth Day, in Cochabamba yesterday.

I’d be surprised if there was a bigger Earth Day event anywhere in the world. And it sure would be a nice surprise to find out that this likely reality was reported in the mainstream news sources of the USA. After all, just like the 117 nations at Copenhagen that supported 350 parts per million as the objective that the world needs to get to as far as carbon in the atmosphere, those 30,000 people, and the many like them around the world, just don