State Environmental Group Applauds Federal Climate Bill
BOSTON — A major draft bill released today by U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., sets the stage for Congress to pass historic energy and global warming legislation, according to Environment Massachusetts.The draft bill uses a framework advanced by major U.S. businesses.
"This is a pragmatic bill that tries to balance a historic opportunity to unleash clean energy to rebuild our economy and stop the climate crisis, with the diversity of views on the Energy & Commerce Committee," said Environment Massachusetts field organizer Winston Vaughan in a press release from the environmental group.
The draft legislation released today in Washington follows in the footsteps of major bills passed last year by the Massachusetts Legislature designed to tackle global warming emissions and boost state efforts to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
"I commend Chairmen Markey and Waxman for their ongoing leadership in the area of global climate change, which is the most pressing environmental issue of our time," said state Rep. Frank Smizik, D-Brookline, chairman of the newly formed Global Warming Committee in the State House, in a statement.
Smizik said federal efforts will aid the state's Global Warming Solutions Act passed last year that calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
"A strong federal climate change program is critical to addressing this pollution problem and will help states like Massachusetts achieve their emissions reduction goals," said Smizik. "I look forward to supporting Chairmen Markey and Waxman as they work to garner support from their colleagues in Congress."
Other Bay State legislators also expressed their support.
"As we work to build Massachusetts' clean energy economy and put Bay Staters to work building solar panels and wind farms, we'll need a strong partnership with the federal government," said state Sen. Jamie Eldridge, D-Acton, vice chairman of the state Senate Environment Committee, in a release. "Today's bill from Chairmen Waxman and Markey is a great step in that direction."
The draft bill sets standards to repower America with clean energy, including a requirement that the nation obtain 25 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, like wind and solar power, by 2025. The draft bill also requires the United States to reduce its global warming emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 through a combination of domestic action and efforts to help stop tropical deforestation.
"First and foremost, we applaud the draft bill's that will transform our economy and the strong pollution-reduction requirements that reflect the latest climate science," said Vaughn.
While Environment Massachusetts applauded the bill's "strong clean energy standards," it expressed concern about high levels of carbon offsets in the bill, which provide less-certain reductions in emissions, and large subsidies, including funds from ratepayers, for still-unproven carbon capture and storage technology.
"We also need to examine the details of the draft bill to make sure that Massachusetts and other states can continue to move forward with even stronger solutions to global warming where they are needed," said Vaughan.
Environment Massachusetts is a state-based, citizen-funded environmental group working for clean air, clean water and open space.
