Climate 411

On Grist, Rep. Ed Markley shares his thoughts of the BP spill and clean energy.

“And finally, America must move to a safer clean energy future so that we don’t have to rely as much on oil to power our cars and our economy. The House has acted, passing the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy & Security Act. Every day we delay action, China moves ahead in wind technology. The Germans create more solar jobs. Worst of all, American consumers send half a billion dollars a day to OPEC and countries that wish us harm. In overwhelming numbers, the American people are ready to start working our way to a clean energy future. They want to wake up from BP’s oil spill nightmare to a future powered by clean, safe energy solutions.”

E2 has Senator Lieberman advocating for Reid to bring the climate bill to the Senate floor.

“You bring your best ideas to the floor then let the senators debate and negotiate,” he said. “And that’s what we want to see happen on the Senate floor.”

E2 also has the summary of the new EPA analysis of the American Power Act.

“A new EPA analysis of Senate climate change legislation estimates the plan would impose an average annual household cost of $79 to $146 over 40 years.”

Climate Progress showcases the new Environmental Defense Fund video of Glee’s “somewhere over the rainbow” with oil disaster images.

On Slate, Michael Levi and Trevor Houser take a look at how the climate bill will affect energy security.

“We found that, according to the chamber’s own definition of energy security risk, the bill would help America, nearly across the board.”

Last night the President challenged the nation to move aggressively toward energy independence.

“For decades,” he said, “we have failed to act with the sense of urgency that this challenge requires. Time and again, the path forward has been blocked — not only by oil industry lobbyists, but also by a lack of political courage and candor.”

It  now looks like the Senate will debate its response over the next four weeks, culminating in a vote during the 2^nd week of July.  As this debate goes forward, every Senator must be asked if the energy proposals they support truly fulfill the

“sense of urgency this challenge requires”.

We cannot afford another “energy bill” like we’ve had in the past – a weakened, lobbyist-crafted collection of half-measures, like those passed in 2005 and 2007.  Business as usual is what put us in this situation, where millions of barrels of oil pour into the Gulf, and billions of dollars flow to the Middle East.  As the President said,

“The consequences of our inaction are now in plain sight. We cannot consign our children to this future…Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash American innovation and seize control of our own destiny.”

Each senator must be asked if the policy they support truly meets this test.  And if they will join the President in pledging to refuse to

“settle for the paltry limits of conventional wisdom.”

The Huffington Post– “BP Disaster: Wake Up American and Smell the Crude Oil”

By Christine Pelosi, Campaign Boot Camp author and California DNC member

“Most Americans do see a connection between the BP disaster and America’s addiction to oil that leaves us beholden to the hazards of extractive technologies and the perils of oil-rich dictators.”

“The public is there, the House Democrats are there — time for the President to move the Senate to ‘create a new energy policy that speaks to our dependence on foreign oil and deals seriously with global warming,’ Now that’s change I can believe in.”

The Huffington Post – “The President’s Oval Office Address and What’s Next”

By Al Gore, Former Vice President, Chairman of Current TV

“I applaud President Obama’s call for a comprehensive legislative solution to the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.”