Madison, WI —A major draft bill released today by Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Energy & Environment Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) sets the stage for Congress to pass historic energy and global warming legislation, according to Wisconsin Environment.
“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 Wisconsin Environment Director Dan Kohler.
The draft bill sets standards to repower America with clean energy, including a renewable energy requirement modeled after a similar standard in Wisconsin, 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 strong clean energy standards that will transform our economy, as well as the strong pollution-reduction requirements that reflect the latest climate science,” said Kohler. “Here in Wisconsin we are well-positioned to harness our strong base of research, manufacturing, and agriculture and thrive in a clean energy economy.”
At the same time, Wisconsin Environment 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.”
“As the House Energy Committee considers this bill, we strongly urge Representative Tammy Baldwin to support a strong bill that repowers America with clean energy, helps rebuild our economy, and solves global warming.”
At the state level, Wisconsin Environment supports legislation to promote a strong clean energy economy. “To tackle this challenge and seize the myriad opportunities with clean energy, we need strong action federally and in the state,” concluded Kohler.
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Wisconsin Environment is a state-based, citizen-funded environmental advocacy group working for clean air, clean water, and open space.
