The Waxman/Markey Energy Bill: Hey, who turned out the lights??
June 12th, 2009 by Susan Nilon in News
This is the pinnacle moment in time for all of the environmentalists that have worked so hard to get here. We finally have a president who understands how important our planet is and who grasps the severity of climate change. He has appointed a cabinet who not only understands global warming, but they are so well versed on the topic that they have written books and have supported large global efforts to fight climate change. We no longer have just a theory behind the suspicions, but we have the science that backs the arguments. Even the scientists have given us a how-to manual with little stickers to put on the calendar that mark the years of our efforts. And to top it off, we have a Democratic majority! What more could we ask for?
Well frankly, a lot. With that being said, we have the efforts of Chairmen Waxman and Markey who have written what started out as a very sweet energy bill. But like the rules of laundry, when you throw your colors in with the whites… everything comes out pink. But this time, your pretty new shirt is not only a different color… it has also shrunk in size. The “energy” bill, while it originally promised 297,000 new renewable-energy jobs by 2025 and 222,000 new energy-efficiency jobs by 2020, it now has combined the energy efficiency and renewable energy portion of the bill, leaving barely enough money to put out a shingle.
In addition to that, there is a large portion dedicated to carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), or otherwise known as “clean coal” with $10 billion in rate-payer subsidies. And the way the bill reads now, carbon offsets are set up to allow someone to open up a polluting company here in the United States and off-set the carbon output by purchasing a small amount of land in South America. And the hardest of all to swallow is this: The recommended goal by scientists to reduce global warming is 25-40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80-95 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. The current version of the bill would only reduce greenhouse gas emissions here in the United States only between 4 and 7 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2020. What happened to the math? Didn’t they read the label before doing the wash?
As you might have guessed, the people who waited with much anticipation for this bill are now in a quandary. As much as they want to support this bill (because it is the first to ever come along), they are also feeling a little bit cheated… like a diabetic working at a bakery.
What about the jobs that we so desperately need? What about the resurgence of American innovation that will propel a new renewable industry and allow us to participate with the rest of the world. We can finally become exporters instead of always being importers. And we can help save the planet! Wahoo!
So without asking for people to stop this bill, environmental groups such as Greenpeace are asking for the public to stand up and demand a better bill. Time is running out. Within weeks, the bill will be on the floor of the House and Senate. There is no going back. As Chairman Waxman pointed out in a conference call the other day, “Opporunities like this only come along every 15 years.”
So here is your chance. All you need to do is put your comments to this link and that’s it. Let you voice be heard! Tell Chairmen Waxman and Markey that we want a better energy bill! [Greenpeace/EPA]
June 12th, 2009 at 11:58 am
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