10/27/09

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kate Geller, (202) 785-8683 or kate_geller@lcv.org

Obama, EPW Testimonies Builds Momentum For Clean Energy & Climate Legislation

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced a $3.4 billion investment to modernize the electric grid at an event in Arcadia, Florida. The announcement put climate and energy initiatives center stage, just as the Senate kicks off hearings on the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. On Tuesday, the Senate Environment and Public Works committee will hear testimony from five top administration officials on the legislation.

LCV President Gene Karpinski released the following statement:

“As President Obama has said before: the nation that leads in the creation of a clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. The administration’s leadership and agency incorporation of renewable technology sets the U.S. on a path to becoming that global leader. But in order to fully realize the potential that clean energy offers we must pass comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation.”

“We applaud Chairman Boxer for continuing to move forward with a strong climate bill that creates jobs, increases energy independence and reduces pollution. We look forward to working with the Senate to pass a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill that makes President Obama’s vision of a clean energy economy a reality.”

Momentum for Congressional action on clean energy and global warming continues to build in recent weeks. Highlights include:

• Six in ten Americans support a "cap and trade" proposal to cut pollution, according to a new national CNN poll.[1]
• At a recent speech at MIT, President Obama called for the U.S. to become a global leader in renewable energy.[2]
• Senators Kerry and Graham proved bipartisan support for clean energy legislation by signing a joint Op-Ed in the New York Times.[3]
• A number of corporations have decided to drop their memberships with the Chamber of Commerce based on its opposition to climate legislation.[4]
• Military veterans traveled across the country on a 21-state bus tour to talk to citizens and local community leaders about the dangers of climate change and its threat to national security.[5]
• Executives from 150 corporations came to Washington to urge lawmakers to pass comprehensive clean energy legislation.[6]
        

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[1] http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/10/27/cnn-poll-6-in-10-back-cap-and-trade/
[2] http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/10/obama-at-mit-pessimism-holding-country-back-from-addressing-climate-change.html
[3] http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/opinion/11kerrygraham.html?_r=2
[4] http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113548724&ps=cprs
[5] http://www.operationfree.net/
[6] http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gF1kZDB68saTgN7ahSfncSGg-o2gD9B6H0D80