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Today the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works passed the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (S. 1733) by an 11-1 vote, a preliminary step to sending the climate bill to the Senate floor for approval. The legislation is sponsored by Senators John Kerry, Barbara Boxer and Paul Grattan Kirk, Jr.
If passed, the bill is slated to create clean energy jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure energy independence. After being approved by the U.S. House of Representatives as the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454), it was introduced to the Senate at the end of September and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
A New York Times piece warns that the procedural maneuver used to pass the bill despite a Republican boycott may “undermine support from moderate senators if the bill reaches the floor.” Republicans insisted that further economic analysis of the bill by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was necessary prior to the committee vote, the article said.
President of the Natural Resources Defense Council, Frances Beinecke, praised the committee’s action, saying, "This clears the way for full Senate action on clean energy and climate legislation that will put Americans back to work, reduce our reliance on foreign oil and create a healthier future for our children. Americans are united around these goals. It's time for the full Senate to act."
Environmental Defense Fund’s president, Fred Krupp, remarked that, “The Senators who supported this effort recognize the urgent need to end our addiction to imported oil, create jobs, and cap the pollution that causes global warming.”
