[1]"I am here today because the chorus for change is deafening. The time for action is now," said Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) on Wednesday at a press conference, during which he unveiled the "Investing in Climate Action Policy Act [2]," a.k.a. the iCAP bill [2].
In spite of mediocre legislation moving though the Senate, Markey's new iCAP bill brings a new sense of climate reality to the House. Here are some highlights (please excuse the jargon):
The small "i" on "iCAP" is there to emphasize the new, tech-savvy "cap and invest" paradigm. In his speech, Markey compared the bill to legislation in the mid-90's that spurred the technological revolution we're enjoying today. "We've got to take the thumb off the scale, and let new technology compete," he said.
For more details, you can check out Rep. Markey's website [2].
Makey's bill shows fantastic leadership, but it also shows how much work we have left to do to push our members of Congress to a place where the policy matches the science. For example, although the bill is informed by a year-and-a-half of hearings, it does not directly mirror the science in terms of its short term targets [3].
Markey's bill calls for reductions of 20% below 2005 levels by 2020, which is only 7% below 1990 levels by 2020. The science demands that developed countries like the U.S. cut carbon at least 25% below 1990 levels by 2020.
In addition, we need to note that there is very little room for error when it comes to building more coal plants. We need nothing short of an uncompromising moratorium on any new plants planning on emitting global warming pollution. In the meantime, we need to pivot boldly away from fossil fuels, using technologies available now, to confront our energy realities. We need to be the political wind at the back of science-based change, and justice-based politics.
Let's keep this movement moving!
Links:
[1] http://www.1sky.org/node/669
[2] http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3377&Itemid=1
[3] http://www.holmeshummel.net/2C-Target-Range.htm
[4] http://www.1sky.org/flag_content/add/64/comment
[5] http://www.1sky.org/print/671#comment-64
[6] http://www.1sky.org/flag_content/add/61/comment
[7] http://www.1sky.org/print/671#comment-61
[8] http://www.1sky.org/flag_content/add/60/comment
[9] http://www.1sky.org/print/671#comment-60
[10] http://ngo.1sky/~mocmbreyes
[11] http://www.1sky.org/flag_content/add/59/comment
[12] http://www.1sky.org/print/671#comment-59
[13] http://www.1sky.org/flag_content/add/56/comment
[14] http://www.1sky.org/print/671#comment-56
[15] http://jameshandley.blogspot.com
[16] http://www.carbontax.org
[17] http://www.1sky.org/flag_content/add/55/comment
[18] http://www.1sky.org/print/671#comment-55
[19] http://www.1sky.org/flag_content/add/54/comment
[20] http://www.1sky.org/print/671#comment-54
[21] http://thehotparty.org/
[22] http://www.1sky.org/flag_content/add/53/comment
[23] http://www.1sky.org/print/671#comment-53
[24] http://www.1sky.org/flag_content/add/52/comment
[25] http://www.1sky.org/print/671#comment-52
June 10, 2008
2:30 AM
Anonymous said:
This is a great concept. My concern? Is it just too late? We need, but do not have LEADERS, just politicians. We needed these changes (and oh, so many others), a very long time ago. "Talk is cheap" as my grandmother used to say. My family and I now live with a "survivalist" mentality. A sad but true statement today for many. We are all highly educated, involved and caring people. Then why are WE THE PEOPLE's voices NOT heard anymore? I worry that there won't be a planet for my children, let alone their children.
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June 9, 2008
1:16 PM
Beth Goode said:
I love the idea of training people in renewable, clean energy jobs. We need jobs and clean energy. 2050 seems a little far away and much can happen in that time period from now. This is the best of all the proposals I have read thusfar, though.
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June 9, 2008
1:10 PM
Phil Bangs said:
We have to work to replace the Republican Senators who continue to protect Big Oil and Coal. Get involved in your local, state and national elections. New leadership is the only solution.
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June 9, 2008
12:14 AM
Anonymous [10] said:
June 8, 2008 Mesia, M. Buz-Reyes
8:55 Pm
Thanks for the update and to be honest with you I really don't know much about the Lieberman proposal. However, one thing I know is that climate change is having a huge effect around the world such as the natural disasters that's we keep having more often than before. Hurricanes, tornadoes, cyclones, storms are contributing factors to climate change due the global warming. If we don't keep the carbon emissions down our planet will get worse; so, we need to protect our ozone layers from thinning down just like the ice caps from Arctic and Antartic Cirle. Thank you...
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June 7, 2008
11:50 AM
James Sanjana said:
This proposal is much better than the flawed Lieberman
one. As far as I'm concerned , anything from Lieberman is bound to be flawed and inherently dishonest in keeping with his own character
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June 6, 2008
9:14 PM
James Handley [15] said:
By tightening the cap, auctioning ALL permits and distributing some of the revenue as a dividend to those with incomes less than $70,000, Rep. Markey's bill IS a huge improvement over Lieberman-Warner (essentially cap, partial auction and give-away to dirty energy).
The Congressional Budget Office concluded in February that a carbon tax with dividend would be FIVE times as effective as a fixed cap. They then described ways to make cap-and-trade better (and more like a tax).
First, auction ALL permits, then recycle the revenue directly to taxpayers through equal dividends. Add a safety valve to limit price spikes and finally, closely regulate the permit traders. With those four "fixes," cap-and-trade gets closer to the effectiveness of a carbon tax.
But why not go for the best?
For more information about a revenue-neutral carbon tax with dividend, see www.carbontax.org [16].
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June 6, 2008
8:18 PM
Dave Davis said:
Thanks for the heads up and for the hard work. Let's keep the pressure on.
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June 6, 2008
8:11 PM
Maia [21] said:
Thank god there is a real alternative. I was getting upset with all these enviro groups falling in line behind the Warner-Lieberman bill, which I read and did not like.
Maia
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June 6, 2008
8:10 PM
Peter Sklivas said:
Please work to impliment meaningful GREEN Technology & Industry incentives to clean up our planet!
No issue will be more important for generations ahead!
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