Blog Action Day: Climate legislation enters the Senate

With the introduction of the S. 1733, the Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act, by Senators Kerry and Boxer on September 30, the race is on in the U.S. Senate to put America on the road to a clean energy economy and tackle global warming. 1Sky's nationwide campaign is in full gear and has full-time organizers in 30 states calling for bold clean energy legislation and climate action now. With the release of the Kerry-Boxer bill, the momentum continues to build for a clean energy future. The Senate bill includes some key improvements that the grassroots have been demanding since the Waxman-Markey bill passed the House in June.

We must push hard to preserve these victories, address our concerns, and ensure the strongest possible bill in the months ahead. Businesses and individuals are raising their voices in support of bold and comprehensive climate legislation and are leaving behind those who stand in the way. We must ensure that our Senators support provisions in the Kerry-Boxer bill that:

1. Transition us away from dirty fossil fuels of the past and toward the clean energy of the future: The Kerry-Boxer bill leaves key Clean Air Act provisions intact, maintaining existing mechanisms to crackdown on dirty coal technology. These provisions are crucial for ending the construction of new dirty coal plants that use outdated technology and making sure that the oldest, dirtiest coal plants control their global warming pollution.
2. Take serious steps to cut global warming pollution as soon as possible: Cut carbon pollution from fossil fuels at least 20% by 2020. Targets for cutting carbon in Kerry-Boxer are 3% stronger than the House bill, but new eliminations of coverage for methane and industrial processes mean we lose 2.5% of what was achieved by strengthening the targets.
3. Lay the foundation to create millions of clean energy jobs: The Kerry-Boxer bill includes some key job-creating and job-training programs necessary to jumpstart America's transition to a clean energy economy. Provisions in the new bill ensure that new clean energy jobs will be accessible to the broadest range of American workers.

And as the Senate begins to allocate valuable emissions allowances generated by placing a cap on carbon, we must hold Senators accountable and urge them to:

4. Maximize public benefit: Maximize the number of allowances used to create clean energy jobs, train workers to fill them, and bolster support for a global climate deal by investing in adaptation, avoided deforestation, and the export of clean technology. Do not distribute allowances freely to dirty coal plants and oil companies who have been reaping record profits in recent years.

-- 1Sky policy analyst Jason Kowalski