Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair John Kerry and
Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer introduced the Clean
Energy Jobs and American Power Act today.
“This bill is a good beginning,” said Margaret Hartzell, global
warming advocate with Environment North Carolina. “It is the first of many
steps toward a cleaner, healthier, and safer world.”
A major strength of the bill, according to Environment North
Carolina, is that it preserves and builds on the Clean Air Act’s protections,
which will enable America to move to wind, solar, and other clean energy technologies
by requiring the nation’s fleet of old and inefficient coal-fired power plants
to eventually meet modern air pollution standards.
In addition, the bill also improves on legislation passed by
the House in June by aiming to cut global warming pollution from large
polluters 20 percent by 2020. This
comes just a week after the release of a sobering United Nations report
concluding that the impacts of global warming are arriving faster than the
world’s scientists had predicted just two years ago.
“Over the next few weeks, months, and years, we will need to
do much more to capture the full potential of clean energy,” said Hartzell. “But this year begins the race to
transform our energy system and avoid the worst impacts of global warming.”
Environment North Carolina urged Sen. Kay Hagan to support
strengthening and passing the energy and climate bill.
“North Carolina has a lot to lose if the worst impacts of
global warming come true,” said Hartzell.
“But with more than 1,000 clean energy businesses here in the state
already, we also have a lot to gain from the transition to a clean energy economy.”
