MoveOn & coalition are pushing 3 amendments (4.00 / 2)

Coalition includes includes 1Sky, Acorn, Democracia Ahora, Environment America, Green for All, Health Care Without Harm, Oxfam, MoveOn, Rock the Vote, Sierra Club, US Action.

Ask your rep to sponsor/consponsor.

Here are the three key changes to the energy bill that these progressive champs are calling for:
• Ensure More Clean Energy for America: Increase the Renewable Electricity Standard to 30 percent by 2020, combining renewable energy and energy efficiency to deliver more clean energy jobs to the U.S. economy more quickly.  Utilities would have to achieve 17 percent mandatory renewables and 10 percent mandatory efficiency by 2020, while maintaining flexibility to do either with 3 percent.
• Ensure that All Coal Plants Meet Strict Global Warming Emissions Standards: Maintain or strengthen existing authority under the Clean Air Act to establish limits for global warming emissions from coal plants.
• Create more Clean Energy Jobs for America and Build Resiliency to Climate Change: Reduce allocations to polluting industries in order to supplement allowance accounts that would bolster green job development and protection of vulnerable communities that are impacted first and worst by climate change. Shave allocations from fossil fuel producers and redistribute to programs that deliver energy efficiency and renewable energy, create green jobs and train workers to fill them, and protect natural resources and vulnerable communities here and around the world.

There is no such thing as a free market.

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by: Albanius @ Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 14:25:17 PM CDT

Dear Colleague letter from Chellie Pingree, Keith Ellison & cosigners (4.00 / 2)

including my Rep, Paul Tonko D-NY21, a freshman but acknowledged energy expert.  He was longtime Chair of the Energy committe in NYS Assembly, then head of NYS ERDA - Energy Research and Development Authority.

Ask your rep to sign on.

Dear Colleague text:

Letter circulated by Rep Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Keith Ellison (D-MN)

June ___, 2009

Dear Colleague

Thank you for your continued commitment to strengthen our economy and protect our environment. As you know, H.R. 2454, The American Clean Energy and Security Act, offers our country the most important opportunity in generations to jumpstart our economy, create millions of new, well-paying jobs and set the stage for America to compete and win in a 21st century economy while reducing global warming pollution. A strong clean energy jobs bill will benefit small businesses and set us on the pathway back to economic prosperity. H.R. 2454 in its current form represents a great effort put forward by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. We commend the work that has already been done and look forward to working with you to strengthen and pass the bill.

We continue to hear concerns from the environmental communities and green jobs advocates in our districts and across the country about measures that can be made to significantly strengthen the impact of the bill. America has a chance to lead in the global race if we pass a bill that truly levels the playing field for new energy industries. The clean energy jobs bill will best serve America if we can strengthen its provisions to maximize job creation, invest in the skills of our workers and the long-term economic prosperity of our country, and significantly reduce the pollution that has been caused by fossil fuel industries for decades.

With all of this in mind, please consider the following measures that we believe will significantly increase the overall effectiveness of the bill and help us reach our shared goals in moving towards a cleaner, stronger green economy:

Ensure More Clean Energy for America

Increase the Renewable Electricity Standard to 30 percent by 2020, combining renewable energy and energy efficiency to deliver more clean energy jobs to the U.S. economy more quickly. Utilities would have to achieve 17 percent mandatory renewables and 10 percent mandatory efficiency by 2020, while maintaining flexibility to do either with 3 percent.

Ensure that All Coal Plants Meet Strict Global Warming Emissions Standards

Maintain or strengthen existing authority under the Clean Air Act to establish limits for global warming emissions from coal plants. Create More Clean Energy Jobs for America and Build Resiliency to Climate Change

Reduce allocations to polluting industries in order to supplement allowance accounts that would bolster green job development and protection of vulnerable communities that are impacted first and worst by climate change. Shave allocations from fossil fuel producers and redistribute to programs that deliver energy efficiency and renewable energy, create green jobs and train workers to fill them, and protect natural resources and vulnerable communities here and around the world.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

There is no such thing as a free market.

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by: Albanius @ Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 14:30:25 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Awesome! (4.00 / 1)

Got a link? I want to email my Congresscritter and ask her to cosponsor.

Yes, Virginia, there are progressives in Nevada.

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by: Andrew Davey @ Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 14:43:41 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Fantastic! (0.00 / 0)

I'm glad we may not have to completely abandon Waxman-Markey. If the ConservaDems will have a chance to amend the bill for the worse, why shouldn't we have a chance to amend it for the better? Let's push the progressives to do just that & urge our Congresscritters to send a good bill to the President's desk.

Yes, Virginia, there are progressives in Nevada.

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by: Andrew Davey @ Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 14:45:51 PM CDT