by Chris Nava, VP Political Action

Last week the White House spokesperson for Energy and Climate change, Carol Browner signaled that final action on the ACES bill will be delayed, and that there was no chance that a bill would be ready to sign before the President attends the global climate meeting in Copenhagen in early December.   At the same time Senator Reid issued a statement indicating that in all probability, the ACES bill will not be taken to the Senate floor for a vote until the end of December.  This is not to say that there is not meaningful activity behind the scenes.

Senators Barbara Boxer and John Kerry presented the Senate version of the ACES Bill to expected attacks from Republicans who have characterized so-called cap and trade legislation as a massive energy tax that will kill jobs and dampen economic recovery.  The Senate bill is largely modeled on the climate bill that passed the House last summer, and it is generally felt that in some respects it is an improvement. The bill mandates heavy investments in new job-producing, clean energy technologies.

At its heart is a provision that seeks to cut greenhouse gases by 20 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, a significant and more ambitious target than the House bill’s 17 percent.

As with the House bill, the focus is on four national priorities:  putting the U.S. in control of our energy future, re-establishing our economic leadership and competiveness in the world, reducing carbon emissions which affects the health of our planet and it inhabitants, and ensuring our national security.

Cap and trade remains a mechanism for reducing harmful emissions by placing a steadily declining ceiling.  Emitters would be allowed to trade allowances or permits to give them the flexibility in meeting their targets. The goal is to edge out the use of older and dirtier fuels while investing in cleaner ones.

The battle to pass climate legislation in the Senate will be a contentious one.  Fear mongering, lies and the injection of millions of dollars from Big Oil and Big Coal to defeat the bill are already in play.  Republicans are crying a “massive energy tax”, a “job killer”, and an “economic disaster”.   Much work remains to be done in hammering out differences and in dispelling  “lies” before  the Senate version of Aces becomes law.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hopes to bring the bill to the floor of the Senate by the end of the year.  H e has said that he plans to combine the bill with a comprehensive energy package that was approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Aces is more than an environmental bill.  Pennsylvania Representative Joe Sestak reminds us that “we are not a secure nation – or economic one – when one meeting of OPEC can throw us into a crisis…

“(the bill) includes economic safeguards against polluting nations, but more importantly, it is America that wears the mantle of leadership in the world, and this legislation demonstrates our commitment to seizing the initiative in the energy revolution”.

There is much that we can do as well informed and active citizens of our planet to bring about passage of significant energy legislation.    Become informed.  Check our Reference section for recommended sources.  Weigh in with our legislators. Senator Feinstein’s web site provides a good picture of her thinking on the issue, as w ell as others. From there it is easy to e-mail her and comment on her position.  Reponses to e-mails are sent in a matter of days.  Senator Boxer should be thanked for taking leadership in co-sponsoring the bill in the Senate.  There are a number of good websites that facilitate thoughtful and quick action on the issue.  It must be remembered that taking action in this manner does not replace the important use of phone calls and personal letters.  Look for coming “must” actions in the coming weeks as we take on our role of responsible inhabitants of our planet.