Washington, DC –
U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement after the Committee voted 11-1 to send S. 1733, the
Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act
to the full Senate for consideration.
”
This is a good bill for our country and the entire world and I am proud to be associated with it. It’s a good bill for our national security, economic security and our environment, all of which are at a critical crossroads. For our national security, the
Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act moves us toward energy independence so that we don’t have to rely on countries who disagree with our way of life for our energy needs. To strengthen our economy, it uses American technology to create American jobs. To protect our environment, it restores America’s leadership position in the world by demonstrating that we, as a nation, are serious about reducing pollution and combating the effects of climate change.
“This is a good bill for Maryland. Our state is already a leader in alternative and renewable fuels and
Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act creates high quality jobs by investing in home-grown technology at places like Algenol in Baltimore where they are making fuel from algae; like those at Volvo-Mack Truck in Hagerstown where they are making hybrid trucks; like those at Chesapeake Geosystems, a Maryland company that’s an east coast leader in geothermal heating; and like those at DAP that makes spackling that is used in weatherizing homes and businesses.
“The
Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act provides an important blueprint for the Administration as we move closer to the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen, which is just weeks away. I am hopeful that Copenhagen will produce an agreement on the architecture of a final climate regime in which countries make a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I hope we have an agreement that spells out the mechanism for reaching and enforcing those targets as well as outlining the financing for the developing world. But other countries will not commit to reduce greenhouse gases unless they see that both houses of U.S. Congress are serious. It was essential that we demonstrate that the Senate is making progress toward producing comprehensive climate legislation.
“We have an urgent responsibility to act. If we do not act on this bill, we face irreversible, catastrophic climate change. Our children and grandchildren will face a world where there is not enough water, food or fuel. We all will face a world that’s less diverse, less beautiful, and less secure.”
