With anti-healthcare reformers on the loose at town hall meetings of late, it's no wonder the news is all healthcare, all the time. But when senators return from their August recess, they'll also be tackling the energy/climate legislation. 

-The flawed cap and trade bill, ACESA (Waxman/Markey), passed the House in July without the following amendments to improve it:
-The Renewable Energy Standard (RES) must be restored to the more stringent levels that were in the ACESA draft released in March,
-Strengthen emissions reduction targets, and eliminate or significantly reduce offsets and strengthen verification of offset quality, 
-Protect low and middle-income families: eliminate free allowances to industry, and recycle revenue directly to households.
-Eliminate carbon markets and substitute a direct pricing mechanism, withholding sufficient revenue from recycling to help boost the transition to a clean energy economy and mitigate adverse global warming effects.
-Eliminate carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and limit transition assistance to trade-exposed industries. Increase investment in renewables and in job creation in a green economy..
-Protect EPA’s authority to directly regulate emissions of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.

We are now working on senators to make the necessary amendments without furthering weakening the bill. Take action here.

This is an extremely important action to take. If ACESA passes without these amendments, then it is likely any effort to improve the legislation will come too late to reverse the impending damage of global warming. PDA is asking senators to introduce or support these amendments--without them, we may be better off if the legislation fails.

PDA’s Stop Global Warming/Environmental Issues Team is focusing on this federal legislation and on energy-related environmental issues like mountaintop removal coal mining. Join us here.

Yours for the greening of America,
Laura Bonham
PDA Deputy Director