Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and other supporters of the “Climate MATTERS Act” held a news conference to discuss the ways in which the bill would fight global warming while contributing to the economy at the same time.
The bill emphasizes the combination of marketplace and science to address global warming, which would provide economic opportunities like “green jobs”, said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). According to Mark Heesen, president of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), venture capitalists invested over $2.2 billion into more than 200 clean technology deals in 2007. 1,700 scientists are calling for an 80 percent reduction in global warming pollution by mid-century, said Lexi Shultz, deputy director of the Climate Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
According to Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), the number of miles driven by Americans is increasing 3 times faster than population. The bill would help reduce high gas prices by investing in alternative fuels, said Rep. Doggett. Currently, the transportation sector accounts for one-third of the global warming pollution, according to Colin Peppard, transportation analyst for Friends of the Earth. With only 5 percent of Americans having access to rail transportation, it is important that alternatives be considered, Peppard said.
Rep. Van Hollen said that this bill is important because it will help revamp the relationship between the U.S. and international community, which was hurt when Bush rejected the Kyoto Protocol. The bill contains strong provisions for implementing a cap-and-trade program, especially when it comes to auctioning pollution allowances, Rep. Doggett said. According to a press release from the Sierra Club, Alaska Wilderness League, Environmental Defense Fund, and other environmental groups, auctioning allowances can “give polluters strong financial incentive to innovate, deploy clean technology, and achieve deep pollution reductions.”
Rep. Blumenauer said that the next 6 months will determine the public outset for solving the global warming problem.
Supporters say clean up U.S.’s act with “Climate MATTERS Act”
The bill emphasizes the combination of marketplace and science to address global warming, which would provide economic opportunities like “green jobs”, said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). According to Mark Heesen, president of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), venture capitalists invested over $2.2 billion into more than 200 clean technology deals in 2007. 1,700 scientists are calling for an 80 percent reduction in global warming pollution by mid-century, said Lexi Shultz, deputy director of the Climate Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
According to Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), the number of miles driven by Americans is increasing 3 times faster than population. The bill would help reduce high gas prices by investing in alternative fuels, said Rep. Doggett. Currently, the transportation sector accounts for one-third of the global warming pollution, according to Colin Peppard, transportation analyst for Friends of the Earth. With only 5 percent of Americans having access to rail transportation, it is important that alternatives be considered, Peppard said.
Rep. Van Hollen said that this bill is important because it will help revamp the relationship between the U.S. and international community, which was hurt when Bush rejected the Kyoto Protocol. The bill contains strong provisions for implementing a cap-and-trade program, especially when it comes to auctioning pollution allowances, Rep. Doggett said. According to a press release from the Sierra Club, Alaska Wilderness League, Environmental Defense Fund, and other environmental groups, auctioning allowances can “give polluters strong financial incentive to innovate, deploy clean technology, and achieve deep pollution reductions.”
Rep. Blumenauer said that the next 6 months will determine the public outset for solving the global warming problem.