U.S. Senate due to act on the Energy Bill and Global Warming Legislation
congresswatch | Climate Crisis | Energy
In the last edition of Congressional Watch, we reported on the pending 2007 Energy Bill and America’s Climate Security Act (ACSA) introduced by Sens. John Warner (R-Va.) and Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.) legislation that is poised to pass Congress before the end of the year…but time is running out!
Both the energy and global warming bills are due for consideration by the Senate when it resumes the first week of December. The ACSA bill, which was introduced with mixed reviews by Montana and national conservation groups, is due for a committee hearing and “mark-up” in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. (Congressional Watch reported on this bill, and conservation groups’ varying opinions of it, in its September edition.)
On the Energy Bill front, a compromise bill between Republican and Democratic senators must be hammered out when Congress resumes. Although conservation organizations may have varying opinions of the ACSA legislation, there is strong consensus on several provisions within the current Energy Bill, including measures that groups agree should be strengthened in the final legislation.
Read the letter, which ten Montana organizations recently sent to Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester, urging them to support a strong Energy Bill for the nation.
Read the press release that was sent on behalf of the ten organizations, regarding the sign-on letter and key federal standards for fuel efficiency and renewable energy production.
Senator Max Baucus is in a unique leadership position to ensure the Energy Bill gets moved to the forefront of the congressional agenda before the end of the year. As majority chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Baucus also sits on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
As reported in previous editions of Congressional Watch, the Senate passed its energy bill on June 21 and both Senator Max Baucus and Senator Jon Tester voted for the bill.
The most significant requirement in the Senate bill is an increase in automobile fuel-efficiency standards to a fleet average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020, compared to the current 27.5 m.p.g. standard.
The House passed its legislation on August 4th but Congressman Dennis Rehberg voted against it.
Among other things, it requires utility companies nationwide to generate 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. The Montana Legislature passed a similar provision in 2005, which requires public utilities to produce 15% of their retail electricity sales from renewable energy sources by 2015.
Montana conservation and environmental organizations are urging Senators Baucus, Tester and their colleagues to ensure that the energy bill they pass similarly includes the renewable electricity standard passed by the House.
Please write Senator Baucus and Senator Jon Tester and urge them to lead the way by fighting for passage of a comprehensive Energy Bill in 2007!
For more information on the 2007 Energy Bill, visit:
League of Conservation Voters: www.lcv.org
Montana Environmental Information Center: www.meic.org
Montana Public Interest Research Group: www.montpirg.org
Northern Plains Resource Council: www.northernplains.org
Western Organizations of Resource Councils: www.worc.org
Sierra Club: www.sierraclub.org
Natural Resources Defense Council: www.nrdc.org
National Environmental Trust: www.net.org
National Center for Appropriate Technology: www.ncat.org
Natural Resources Defense Council: www.nrdc.org
