To Urge Strengthening the Kerry-Boxer Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act

Environmental Justice
UUSC signed on to a letter addressed to Senator Barbara Boxer, asking her to strengthen the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (Kerry-Boxer) on global warming.

Purpose
The purpose of this action is to request that the climate bill ensure emissions reductions that are consistent with the best available science and that can be adjusted as that science further develops. While the targets in the Kerry-Boxer bill are stronger than those in the House-passed American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), H.R. 2454, they are both less than what is necessary to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Also, the Clean Air Act already provides the president with tools to curb greenhouse-gas emissions. By protecting most of the administration's existing authority to use the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases, the Kerry-Boxer bill makes a significant improvement over ACES. Unfortunately, the Kerry-Boxer bill contains many of the same loopholes in ACES that undermine the integrity of the cap. Of particular concern is the large number of offsets. Any mechanism to limit greenhouse-gas emissions must be transparent, stable, and predictable, while minimizing the ability of private entities to manipulate the system. The Kerry-Boxer bill currently does not contain protections to ensure the integrity of the market mechanisms. Finally, any climate legislation must ensure that polluting industries are responsible for the costs of their pollution.

We believe that the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (Kerry-Boxer), S. 1733, falls short of what is needed. Therefore we are urging Senator Barbara Boxer to strengthen the legislation before it goes onto to the Senate floor.

Latest Major Action
2/2/2010 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 267.