Climate Capsule Week of April 27

Highlight of the Week
Clean Energy and Security Act Momentum On Capitol Hill Answers Call for Climate Action

Momentum for a new energy economy made it to Capitol Hill this month when the House Energy and Commerce Committee held hearings all week on the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 with more than sixty witnesses testifying on the bill. The legislation would set national standards for energy efficiency, renewables, and strong targets for reducing global warming pollution.

The bill by Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) positions Congress to answer President Obama's call for comprehensive energy legislation.

Sportsmen and women from across the nation convened in Washington to advocate for the clean energy plan in the Clean Energy and Security Act. The dozens of citizen-lobbyists are backed by 800 organizations from every state who signed a letter pressing for climate change legislation that prioritizes natural resource conservation.

“Global warming legislation is a front burner issue with hunters and anglers and in record numbers we have come to Congress this year to urge them to pass a strong bill fast,” said Thomas G. Gonzalez, National Wildlife Federation’s board chair.  “This is the year and these are the people who will get it done. We are united in calling for climate action now.”

By repowering the country with clean energy solutions, the United States can create jobs, end our dependence on oil, and help avoid the consequences of global warming. The United States must move forward from its dependency on fossil fuels which pose a threat to national security, the economy, and the environment.

Resilient Coasts Blueprint Outlines Steps to Reduce Risks

A coalition of insurers, officials, risk experts, builders, and conservation groups released a blueprint of policy changes and actions that could reduce economic losses from extreme weather and rising sea levels by as much as half along U.S. coastlines.

The coalition, spearheaded by The Heinz Center and Ceres, urges the Obama Administration, Congress, local leaders, and the private sector implement these actions through regulation, investment, education and other means.

The Resilient Coasts Blueprint identifies critical steps from fine-tuning climate risk models to predict rising seas and extreme weather; to preserving vital, storm-buffering wetland areas; to strengthening building codes to reduce hurricane losses. The report provides evidence that shows we can reduce our risks and our costs by 50 percent or more.

Noting that the Gulf and Atlantic coasts have nearly $9 trillion of insured coastal property, coalition members called on investors to take stock of their coastal exposure, especially in real estate and infrastructure, and for banks to include climate risks in lending- and investment-related due diligence.

Happening This Week

Monday, April 27-28: Secretary of State Clinton spoke at the launch of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, which functions to generate leadership necessary to achieve a successful outcome at the UN climate change negotiations this December in Copenhagen.

Tuesday, April 28: NWF's Dr. Bruce Stein testified this morning on the fiscal year 2010 federal budget and the need for strong federal action to safeguard wildlife from global warming. House Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. 9:30 am, Rayburn House Office Building B308.

Wednesday, April 29: Briefing on Climate Change Policy in Other Key Countries hosted by U.S. Climate Action Network and co-sponsored by the Senate Foreign Relations and Environment and Public Works Committees, 4 p.m., 406 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Speakers include leaders from China, South Africa, and the U.K. RSVP Kara Saul Rinaldi, (202) 471-2132 or kara.rinaldi@erm.com.

Quote:

"The choice we face is not between saving our environment and saving our economy.  The choice we face is between prosperity and decline."

—President Barack Obama, speaking at a wind tower production facility in Newton, Iowa on Earth Day.

Economic Message of the Week

Florida Co. Hiring 1,000 Workers To Build Solar Energy Plant

The contractor overseeing Florida Power & Light Co.'s solar-thermal power plant will hire 1,000 workers to revitalize the local economy by helping construct the second-largest solar plant in the world.

The ripple effects of the new green job position will inject new life into local businesses and put construction workers back to work. In Martin County, the jobless rate was 10.1 percent this past March. In Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties, the rates were 9.9 and 12.8 percent, respectively.

Job fairs are scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Indiantown, and the community is expecting a big turnout for the prospect of building "Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center".

When the plant is completed next year, it will generate up to 75 megawatts and provide enough power to serve nearly 26,000 people.

Increase In Dust Storms Affects Ecosystems In Western States

The Colorado Rockies, including the headwaters of the Colorado River and the Rio Grande, have experienced 11 serious dust storms this year, a record for the six years researchers have been tracking them.

An increasing amount of airborne dust is blanketing the region, affecting how fast the snowpack melts, when local plants bloom and what quality of air residents breathe.

Global warming translates into less precipitation and a population boom intensifies the activities that are disturbing the dust in the first place. Soil is being loosened by off-road vehicles, livestock grazing, and road development for oil and gas production, much of it on public land.

One of the biggest problems, scientists say, is that each dust storm deposits a layer of dark material on the mountain snowpack; that layer absorbs the sun's heat and causes the snow to melt earlier.