After Obama's address, Congress has a choice to make

I just finished listening to President Obama's first State of the Union address to Congress, and I was glad to hear him speak strongly about the need to address the global threat of climate change. Clearly, he recognizes that transitioning to clean energy will create much-needed jobs and boost our ailing economy.

Our planet can't wait any longer for bold action, and the American people are running out of patience with those who play politics on an issue that, if handled properly, could provide up to 1.7 million new jobs. With the right investments, we can set in place a vibrant new sector of the American economy that won't be dependent on the volatility of the world outside our borders and will provide stable, career-track jobs for our workers. We reject massive new investments in clean coal, offshore drilling and nuclear power, but we stand with President Obama and his clean energy initiatives -- and against the corrupt status quo that only wants more of the same.

That do-nothing status quo is personified by Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and her brazen assault on our ability to use the Clean Air Act to crack down on the dirtiest coal power plants. Protecting the Clean Air Act from this assault will be key to making President Obama's vision a reality.

The President's speech presents Congress (particularly our senators) with a clear choice:

On one side are supporters of a key tool to fight climate change that can also help to usher in a clean energy economy and provide millions of stable jobs for years to come.

On the other side are the forces of the failed status quo that selfishly don’t want America move into a clean energy future. Instead, they want us to keep going down the same energy path that does nothing but destroy our planet and line the pockets of narrow special interests. Their most visible spokesperson right now is Sen. Murkowski -- a politician whose only priority appears to be pleasing the utility industry that has already given her almost $250,000 this election cycle.

A choice like that should be a no-brainer, and we will continue to work to make sure it is seen as such. The true climate battle over the next year will be making sure that the right side wins and the vision that President Obama laid out tonight is not derailed by the special interests that stand in the way of real change.

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