Climate 411

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.”

The Huffington Post – “The Gulf Spill: Hitting Bottom in Our Addiction to Oil”

By Wendy Gordon, green consumer movement leader

“With the American Power Act, we have a bill in the Senate, finally, that uses market mechanisms to manage our energy use. If we want to get out of denial and reap the rewards of going into recovery–and ensure our children a life without this spiraling addiction–we each need to conserve energy, yes, but what we really need to do is support our Senators in passing a strong bill that puts a price on carbon.”

Politico – “Taking Environmental Responsibility”

By Rep. Mike Honda & Fabien Cousteau.  Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) is a member of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition. Fabien Cousteau, founder of Plant a Fish, a nonprofit organization that seeks to replenish undersea life in environmentally stressed areas, is a third-generation ocean explorer, filmmaker and environmental advocate.

“In 10 years, when we look back on the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, hopefully we can note that 2010 is when it all changed — when American policymakers and people finally figured it out.”

“The water, the air and the land won’t repair themselves anytime soon. We must foster advocacy, conservation and restoration of our natural world in every decision going forward.”