1Sky Reacts to Climate Action in U.S. Senate During the First Week of Copenhagen

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2009
Contact: Alex Posorske; (301) 270-4550 x 230; alex@1sky.org

Takoma Park, M.D. – 1Sky, one of the largest collaborative campaigns in the country dedicated to fighting for bold federal climate legislation, issued the following statement in reaction to developments in the climate fight in the U.S. Senate this week:

“As we stand near the beginning of a potentially historic week in Copenhagen it is encouraging on one level to see the level of activity coming in the U.S. Senate focused on fighting climate change.  We need to send a strong signal to the international community that we are serious about addressing climate change and action in the U.S. Senate is the key way we can do that domestically.  Senator Barbara Boxer’s (D-CA) Environment and Public Works Committee has already put out a bill with some very strong aspects.  Today Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) put out a bill that has some strong features as well as bipartisan support.

The bipartisan framework revealed yesterday by Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) yesterday is also encouraging in some ways.  With so many senators playing politics with the issue of global warming and playing to the right wing base, it is - unfortunately since it should not be a matter for debate - refreshing to see a bipartisan team of senators acknowledge that we have a serious problem that has to be addressed.

However, we do have some serious concerns with the framework introduced by Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman.  Seventeen percent reductions in emissions by 2020 are simply not enough to stave off the worst effects of global warming, or seal a strong global deal.  Suggesting that clean air act requirements for dirty coal plants are mere bargaining chips to be given away is also not a very good sign.

Meanwhile, the continued attention paid by Kerry-Graham-Lieberman to expensive and inefficient technologies like nuclear, untested processes like carbon capture from coal plants, and unneeded giveaways to Big Oil like accelerated off-shore drilling continue to be very concerning.

1Sky will be closely watching this bill as it develops in the Senate and will be urging climate leaders in the U.S. Senate to combine good aspects of all three bills in order to create a climate bill that will not only pass, but will be a comprehensive, bold step toward solving the climate crisis. The entire 1Sky network will stand ready to be as loud as possible for a bill that delivers strong, science based short term emissions cuts, preserves Clean Air Act authority to regulate dirty coal plants, and creates millions of clean energy jobs.”