Two groups of American veterans, military and national security leaders are calling on Congress to take action on clean energy legislation.

Last week we told you about Partnership for a Secure America — a new group that's calling for a climate bill for the sake of our national security. Now the group has released a signed statement calling for "a clear, comprehensive, realistic and broadly bipartisan plan to address our role in the climate change crisis."

The statement is signed by 32 heavy-hitters from national politics and the military, and from all over the political spectrum.

At the same time, our friends at Vote Vets are launching a new national TV ad campaign. From their website:

Featuring Iraq War Veterans, (the ad) makes the case that oil profits to the Middle East fund the same terrorists we’re fighting, and closes with the line that “It’s not just a question of American energy, it’s a question of American power."

Vote Vets has also sent more than one hundred veterans to Washington D.C. this week to push for passage of a bill. They are working with a coalition of other veterans and security groups called Operation Free.

Environmental Defense Action Fund's latest TV ads are setting the record straight about capping carbon pollution.

Last week, Environmental Defense Action Fund launched a hard-hitting new campaign targeting members of Congress who opposed the American Clean Energy and Security Act. The ads call them out for their failure to help reduce America's addiction to imported oil.

Steve Cochran, director of EDAF's national climate campaign, said this:

This is a sustained campaign to educate the public. The public should know when their elected representatives vote against their interests.

Opponents of this bill have based their campaign on phony numbers and scare tactics. We're going to beat them with the facts. As this bill moves to the Senate, we are focusing on letting constituents know who is ready to take action to cut imported oil and who just wants to talk about it.

The ads will run through the end of September, and you can see them online:
Mark Souder (R-IN)
Tim Holden (D-PA)
Patrick Tiberi (R-OH)

Today, in an ad running in four Capitol Hill publications, the United States Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) is calling on Energy and Commerce committee members to advance the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

USCAP is a coalition of businesses and environmental organizations that have come together to call on Congress to cap carbon emissions. With the introduction of the American Clean Energy and Security Act, USCAP released a statement [PDF] on the legislation, and followed with this landmark coalition ad.

The ad references USCAP's Blueprint for Legislative Action, which spells out how a cap on carbon emissions will protect the U.S. economy and our environment.

The Energy and Commerce committee is expected to vote the American Clean Energy and Security Act today.  We have been following the mark-up of the bill, and debunking the nay-sayers latest myths. Stay tuned for more updates.

Keeping up our streak of unlikely partnerships, we've just launched a new campaign. It features the heads of two power companies talking with their customers about the best way to control costs. See what they have to say:

Jim Rogers, chairman of Duke Energy, says, "A well-designed cap will provide a smooth transition to clean energy. This will keep electricity affordable."

John Rowe, CEO of Exelon, says: "A smart cap will control costs and protect your family's budget."

While we don't agree with them on every environmental issue, these companies are important partners in passing climate change legislation. See more about this ad campaign.

Why does John Fetterman, mayor of Braddock, Pa., want a cap on carbon? One word: Jobs.

Who is right when a national environmental group holds a video competition and the public and the "experts" disagree on who should win?

At the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, the jury of film experts chose Forty Shades of Blue as the best dramatic film.  The Audience Award went to Hustle & Flow.  I don’t know which was a better film, but I do know Hustle & Flow went on to earn $20 million in wide release in the U.S., while Forty Shades of Blue topped out at $75,000.  I’m sure it doesn’t always happen that way, but it goes to show that the experts don’t always know what will succeed in the marketplace of ideas.

We at Environmental Defense Fund just finished something a bit like a film festival — a competition that challenged participants to make a 30 second ad that explains how capping greenhouse gas pollution will help cure our national addition to oil.  This week we announced two winners, one selected by our staff and another chosen by thousands of voters online.  Like at Sundance, the voters and the judges chose different winners…in fact, the video chosen by us "experts" came in dead last in the online voting.

I thought it might be interesting to explain our decision and see what others think. Read more »