Senators John Kerry and Barbara Boxer today introduced a Senate bill to address climate change. The Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act (CEJAPA).
This bill is badly needed to immediately address climate change, but it
is a bill that aspires to accomplish that mission in a manner that
addresses other important issues Americans face.
This bill creates jobs. It creates American jobs that are
sustainable. It helps to establish a real infrastructure of long-term,
green jobs in the United States. This is one of the most important
collateral benefits of this bill. It helps to address our rising
unemployment numbers and it supports the creation of vital new businesses
to fuel the American economy with activity that is better for the
environment and better for our communities.
This bill makes America more secure. According to a poll taken on
September 1, 2009 by the Benenson Strategy Group, Nearly two thirds of
the American people believe urgent action is necessary to stop the flow
of billions of dollars to hostile foreign regimes. We are hemmoraging
money in a way that damages our economy and provides financial
resources for our enemies. This puts our national security seriously
at risk . CEJAPA will move us toward energy independence and direct
much of that outflow of money back into the United States.
This bill will reduce greenhouse gases and force changes on the fossil fuel
industry that will begin to address the planetary scale damage that their business
model inflicts on us. The clean energy majority in this country has awoken
to the fact that we must not continue to degrade our atmosphere if we
have are to have a hope of arresting the damage already underway. A
broad cross section of the American public, including our parents, our
children, teachers, veterans, business leaders, faith leaders, farmers,
sportsmen, and hard working wage earners support the goals of this
legislation. This is mainstream legislation applying a set of
mainstream, common sense solutions to a serious problem that no amount
of unhinged, cable news rhetoric can address.
Let your Senator know your support this bill.
In the weeks to come, there will be many attempts to strengthen and
weaken this bill and fossil fuel industry, with their massive financial resources, will try to drown out our voices. They very nearly were successful
in defeating ACES in the House through the use of threats,
intimidation, massive amounts of lobbying money, deception and fake
grass roots activity. Don’t let them get away with it in the Senate.
They will be even more fierce in trying to weaken or defeat this bill
and we and our Senators cannot allow them to do so.