Chicago, IL—U.S.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman and
Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey today introduced the American Clean
Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454), a comprehensive energy bill. The
committee will debate the bill next week, and Chairman Waxman has set a
goal of passing it out of committee by Memorial Day.
“Now is the time to replace the dirty,
unsustainable energy sources of the past with the clean, homegrown energy
sources of today,” said Max Muller, program director at Environment Illinois.
“Shifting to a clean energy economy will not only reduce air pollution and limit
the U.S.
contribution to global warming, it will also increase our security and put
Americans back to work at green jobs.”
The American Clean Energy and Security Act sets
up a framework for transitioning to clean energy and curbing global warming.
The bill would:
- Reduce U.S. global warming emissions by
17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and by 83 percent by 2050;
- Commit the U.S. to achieve additional
emission reductions through agreements to prevent deforestation;
- Establish strong minimum targets for
commercial and residential building codes: a 30 percent energy savings
starting in 2010 and 50 percent savings for residential buildings starting in
2014 and for commercial buildings in 2015. These improved building standards
would save consumers $25 billion a year by 2030; and
- Provide funds to state and local
governments to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy.
“Clean energy can transform our economy, put
millions of Americans back to work, and solve global warming, and this bill
is a first step,” said Muller. “We commend Chairmen Waxman and Markey for
their leadership and their steadfast commitment to advancing the bill.”
However, today’s bill is significantly than an earlier draft in several ways:
- It
will not require the nation to use more renewables compared with what
would already be achieved through existing state standards and
investments from the economic recovery bill passed earlier this year;
- It allows polluters to purchase offsets rather than reduce their own
pollution, which will result in less-certain emission reductions and
delay the transition to cleaner technology; and
- It largely fails to require polluters to pay for their pollution.
“Unfortunately, Big Oil, Dirty Coal, and the
members of Congress who do their bidding have weakened the bill in ways that
will delay the economic and environmental benefits of clean energy and miss
the opportunity to make a real transition in the nation’s energy policy,”
said Muller. “Given the huge
opportunity before us, the science on global warming, and the dire state of
our economy, these are delays that neither the environment nor the economy
can afford.”
“We need bold and meaningful action on clean
energy and global warming. We urge Congressman Bobbie Rush and Congresswoman
Jan Schakowsky, both members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, to do everything in their power to
strengthen and pass the America Clean Energy and Security Act.”
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