Highlight of the Week

Senate Prepares to Answer Call With New Energy Legislation

It's still early in session for the U.S. Senate, but you wouldn't know it by the progress being made on clean energy legislation.Momentum has picked up quickly on a Senate bill similar to the American Clean Energy and Security Act, recently passed in the House. If adopted, the proposed legislation would set renewable energy standards for power producers, create clean energy jobs, and institute a carbon cap system to curb industrial emissions.

Last week, four Obama Administration officials, including Energy Secretary Steven Chu, implored the Senate to confront the threat of global warming directly and move America toward a “new industrial revolution” by endorsing the bill.

"Denial of the climate change problem will not change our destiny," said Secretary Chu. "A comprehensive energy and climate bill that caps and then reduces carbon emissions will."

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, also part of the delegation, emphasized that the bill, while fundamentally dedicated to reducing harmful emissions and re-shaping America's energy economy, also offers the promise of new green jobs at a time when the economy is foundering.

Echoing the belief that the bill holds great financial promise was Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who said the carbon market initiated by the cap-and-trade system represents the “greatest market opportunity in a generation”

Though talk of a revamped clean energy economy is heating up, lawmakers aren't rushing anything: Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced last week that the deadline for the six committees working on the bill has been moved to Sept. 28 to allow the Senate to devote its full attention to crafting the legislation. This should also allow advocates of the bill to build a broader coalition of support among their colleagues.

Contact: Tony Iallonardo at 202-797-6612 or iallonardot@nwf.org.

House Members Lauded for Passing Energy Bill

Though the Senate is still moving ahead with clean energy legislation, advocacy groups haven't forgotten the contributions already made by lawmakers in the fight against global warming.

In a series of television and print advertisements, House members who voted for the American Clean Energy and Security Act, passed in June, have been drawing recognition for their efforts from a wide variety of organizations and citizen coalitions.

Favorable television spots have been running in at least 25 congressional districts, while print campaigns have been launched in approximately 40 districts. Many of the ads focus on the economic promise of the bill, which will create scores of new jobs in the Midwest and elsewhere. A series of print advertisements run by a sportsmen group emphasizes the inclusion of dedicated funds for safeguarding natural resources.

Among members being singled out for praise are Tom Perriello (D-VA); Harry Teague (D-N.M.); John Boccieri (D-Ohio); Alan Grayson (D-Fla.); Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.); and Frank Kratovil (D-Md.).

Happening This Week

Tuesday, July 14:

Full committee hearing, "Transportation's Role in Climate Change and Reducing Greenhouse Gases," Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, 2:30 PM, 406 Dirksen

Thursday, July 16:

Full committee hearing, “Ensuring Competitiveness in Clean Energy Economy,” Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, 9:30 AM, 406 Dirksen

Quote:

"I know that in the past the United States has sometimes fallen short of meeting our responsibilities. Let me be clear: those days are over."

—President Obama, pledging America's commitment to cutting carbon emissions at a press conference on the environment with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. 

Economic Message of the Week
White House Report: Green Jobs Booming

According to a report released Monday by President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors, jobs in the environmental sector are increasing at a faster rate than those in other sectors, and are set to experience “tremendous growth” between now and 2020.

The report, which forecasts the changing labor market in the years ahead based on recent market data, identifies green jobs as part of a growing sector that is transforming the economy, according to a White House official. It emphasizes “worker flexibility” as key to an expected economic uptick.

New environmental sector jobs are expected to include ‘blue collar’ work and “pay more on average than otherwise comparable jobs.” They are also considered “more likely to be…unionized” and instrumental in the growth of a secure middle class.

G-8 Leaders Agree On Temperature Threshold

Leaders of the world’s foremost industrial nations agreed last week to take action to prevent temperatures from rising more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above the average levels of the era before widespread industrial emissions.

The agreement, which came in the opening stages of the Group of Eight summit in L’Aquila, Italy, was the first of its kind and a major step forward for the battle against global warming. An expanded summit session involving nations with growing economies later in the week yielded a similar pact.

President Obama hailed the G-8 agreement as a “historic consensus.” Of particular interest was the involvement of developing countries like China and India, long seen by some as obstacles to curbing global emissions.

"It reflects a real sense of urgency by all of us," said Undersecretary of State William Burns. "It is an unanimous expression of all eight leaders' serious concern about the situation."

NWF Flooding Report Making News

A report issued last week on the effects of global warming on storms and flooding is drawing attention in many at-risk areas.

Among the communities taking special notice of the report are Northeast Ohio, which recently experienced record storms and floods; Eastern North Dakota, which has seen the benefits of smart flood planning methods advocated by Dr. Amanda Staudt, author of the report; New England, which has endured abnormally heavy rain in recent months; Northwest Indiana, which is at an increased risk of flooding due to global warming; and Virginia, which has experienced starkly contrasting dry and wet weather periods in the last year.

“Global warming is partly to blame for these heavy rainfall events,” said Dr. Staudt. “Warmer air simply can hold more moisture, so heavier precipitation is expected in the years to come.”

The report focuses on how global warming has caused more heavy rainfall events; America’s over-reliance on levees and other strategies for taming rivers; communities that are on the frontlines; and what must be done to confront the realities of global warming.

Contact: Aileo Weinmann at 202-797-6801 or weinmanna@nwf.org.