Sierra Club Urges Senate to Move Forward with Climate and Energy Bill

Washington, DC: The Sierra Club issues the following statement from Michael Brune, Executive Director, in response to the latest developments on comprehensive climate and energy legislation in the Senate:

"Right now America is mourning workers lost in a coal mine in West Virginia and an oil rig off the coast of Louisiana. The latter tragedy is also causing 42,000 gallons of oil to be spilled into the Gulf every day.  These human and environmental disasters put our desperate need for a new clean energy economy in stark relief.  We need to move away from dirty, dangerous, and deadly energy sources. We join our colleagues in saying that every day the Senate fails to pass clean energy and climate policy, we put our economy, our national security and our environment at risk.  Now is the time to put America back in control of our energy future with comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation. It's time to finish what we started.

"The Kerry-Graham-Lieberman proposal can serve as a foundation on which we can liberate America from dependence on foreign oil, create millions of new clean energy manufacturing, construction and service jobs here at home, and slash the carbon pollution that is threatening our economy, our health and our climate.

"But it will only serve as a solid foundation if the Senate completes it.  Dirty energy industries of the past like coal, oil and nuclear must not be allowed to pressure the Senate into watering down this proposal to weaken clean air standards which protect our health; unduly subsidize energy technologies like nuclear which already receive an unfair public bailout; or ignore the need for America to serve as a world leader in protecting forests and helping the world prepare for potential climate disruption.

"We ask the Senate and President Obama to work with the bill's sponsors to move this process forward, strengthen the bill, drawing on the best features of other proposals by other Senators, and take it to the floor for consideration by the full Senate in the coming weeks."

A letter from Sarah Hodgdon (and a link to send an email to your senator) follows:

Dear Sierran,

Tell Your Senators to Keep Clean Energy and Climate Legislation Moving.

The bipartisan clean energy and climate bill that Senators Kerry, Graham and Lieberman are working on is our best chance to get comprehensive legislation through Congress, but it was put on hold over the weekend.

We could still see an announcement on a bill this week, but only if we act now to tell our senators it's time to take control of our energy future.

The Kerry-Graham-Lieberman proposal can serve as a foundation on which we can liberate America from our dependence on foreign oil, create millions of new clean energy jobs here at home, and slash the carbon pollution that is threatening our economy, our health and our climate.

But only if the Senate completes it.

It's time to finish what we started -- send a message to your senators asking them to keep strong, clean energy and climate legislation moving.

This month America is mourning workers lost in a West Virginia coal mine and an oil rig off the coast of Louisiana, which is also spilling 42,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf every day.

These human and environmental disasters put our desperate need for a new clean energy economy in stark relief.  Every day the Senate fails to pass clean energy and climate policy, we put our economy, our national security and our environment at risk.

Tell your senators we need strong legislation NOW that will move us away from dirty, dangerous, and deadly energy sources.

Thanks for all that you do to protect our environment.

To send an email to your senator, click here.

Sarah Hodgdon

Sierra Club Conservation Director