Statement on the American Clean Energy and Security Act

I applaud the leadership of President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, Chairmen Waxman and Markey, and everyone who is responsible for bringing the American Clean Energy and Security Act before the House today. Despite taking office in perhaps the most challenging time our country has ever faced, President Obama has shown a strong commitment to addressing all of the challenges before him, and I commend him for his vision to tackle long term problems, as well as short term crises.

I believe climate change is the most significant threat to our environment today and is one of the greatest challenges that humans face. The overwhelming scientific evidence makes clear that global warming is a real phenomenon, and that human activities play a significant role. Twenty of the hottest years in recorded history occurred since the 1980’s. Glaciers and permafrost are vanishing. Weather patterns are shifting. Migration patterns are being disrupted.

Meanwhile, human output of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases has reached an unprecedented level. A tremendous amount of carbon dioxide comes from our cars, factories, and power plants. These gases trap excess heat within the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect.

As a report from the United States Global Change Research Program released last week shows, the impacts of global warming are already being felt today, and they will only grow more significant in the future if we continue with business as usual.

NOW is the time to act on global warming.

To fight global warming, dramatic changes will be needed in transportation, energy production, and public policy, and human behavior.

This legislation takes the important step of establishing a cap on greenhouse gas emissions that decreases over time. By limiting the level of greenhouse gas emissions released by the United States, we can take a leadership role in international efforts to curb emissions that will be essential to avoid reaching certain “tipping points” that will bring about catastrophic changes that will impact people and the environment around the world.

The bill also takes the important step of providing incentives for the development of a green energy economy. I often hear from innovative Silicon Valley firms about their work in this area. They want to take the international lead in the development of “cleantech” but are frustrated by the lack of incentives, and even disincentives, in our country to develop renewable energy.

Today we will be putting in place a framework that recognizes and puts a value on the damage that fossil fuel emissions are doing to our planet, which will put clean, renewable energy sources on an equal playing field and usher in a new era for a green economy in the United States. We are also ensuring that the new jobs created in this field will be open to everyone in America, not just a privileged few.

It will not be easy to make the dramatic changes we need, especially changes in human behavior. As a former teacher, I feel education will be essential to allowing those changes to happen, which is why I introduced the Global Warming Education Act, H.R. 1926.

I am gratified that the American Clean Energy and Security Act includes several provisions to help teach the public and re-train workers. It will:

• develop an information and resources clearinghouse for vocational education and job training in renewable energy sectors;
• provide funding for worker training;
• enable the Department of Energy to award grants to increase public awareness of Federal climate adaptation and mitigation programs and the potential for alternations in consumer behavior to further American energy independence;
• establish an industrial energy efficiency education and training initiative;
• promote a public outreach efforts to increase awareness about the importance of building energy efficiency; and
• authorize the Secretary of Education to award clean energy curriculum development grants focused on emerging careers and jobs in the fields of clean energy, renewable energy ,energy efficiency, climate change mitigation, and climate change adaptation.

This is great moment in the history of our country. We are finally acknowledging the impact our use of fossil fuels has had on our environment and are taking steps to reduce that impact. In doing so, we are ushering in a new era of clean, green energy that will spur a new energy economy that Silicon Valley is poised to lead.

Again, I thank President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Chairmen Waxman and Markey for all of their hard work on this legislation and for all they have done for our country, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to vote for this important legislation.