Climate Debate Blossoming, But Will it Bear Fruit?

This post is by Tony Kreindler, Media Director for the National Climate Campaign at Environmental Defense Fund.

Operation Climate Vote

This post is part of a series on the work of the Environmental Defense Action Fund to enact an effective climate law. You can help by writing to Congress.

We’re closer than ever to passing national climate legislation:

• Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) predicts a Senate floor vote in June.
• House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) signals he’ll circulate a bill in April.
• House Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher (D-VA) says there’s a 50-50 chance of passing climate legislation this year.

But we need to maintain grassroots pressure to keep legislators focused on the need to pass a bill this year.

To that end, we have launched a new television ad campaign featuring the CEOs of John Deere and Eaton Corporation. They talk about how effective climate legislation not only can stop global warming, but create jobs.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/EtLOv9cIca4" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

As the ad points out, we don’t have to choose between growing the economy and stopping climate change. With the right policy, we can do both. And to stay competitive in the 21st Century, we must do both.

We’ve got the political momentum now, but this spring will be critical. We need the continued support of our members and activists to seize the momentum and spur Congress to pass a strong global warming bill this year.