House committee passes Waxman-Markey clean energy bill--here's our reaction

[1]

After four grueling days of markup work and nearly a hundred amendments, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted a few minutes ago in favor of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. [2] The final vote: 33-25. 1Sky Campaign Director Gillian Caldwell just released a press statement with our reaction [3] to tonight's vote:

We believe that the ACES bill introduced by Chairmen Henry A. Waxman (CA-30) and Edward J. Markey (MA-7) is the only viable legislative opportunity we have before the Copenhagen Climate Conference in December of 2009 to move the United States toward a clean energy economy that will create jobs, strengthen our economy, make us more energy independent, and limit dangerous global warming pollution. Representatives Waxman and Markey have worked tirelessly day and night to try to deliver a bill that will provide a clean energy future.

“However, it is clear given the changes since the discussion draft that Big Oil, Dirty Coal, and other polluters are continuously working to weaken the bill and secure funds and bailouts for their industries on the backs of American consumers. In the last three months alone, oil, coal, and natural gas companies have outspent environmental groups 16 to 1. The industries spent $79 million to lobby Congress, outspending the Green community’s comparatively meager $4.7 million in the same time period. Exxon-Mobil alone spent $9.3 million, over twice the amount of money spent by the entire environmental community combined. As this bill moves through Congress, 1Sky is resolved to be 16 times louder, and will count on the power and resolve of ordinary citizens from all walks of life, channeling their voices in ways that move and improve this bill, to make up for the disparity in the financial resources we have to apply to the task."

Read the entire statement [3], and for more details check out our preliminary analysis [2] of the bill.