From: Mike Tidwell, The Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Dear Friend of the CCAN: Date: May 5, 2015
Tell Your U.S. House Representative: Co-sponsor the “cap-and-dividend” climate bill.
What if we could click our ruby slippers and transport ourselves to a magical place where polluters pay for their pollution and every three months we get money put into our bank accounts?
It’s not a dream. It can happen — if support keeps growing for a “cap-and-dividend” bill co-sponsored so far by 20 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Healthy Climate and Family Security Act (HR 1027), introduced by Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen, is the best climate solution bill ever introduced in Congress. It would cap carbon emissions nationwide, forcing polluters to pay for their emissions and rebating 100% of the collected funds with a quarterly “dividend” check to every U.S. citizen.
And eventually, it will pass. I’m sure of it. Because tackling climate change while boosting the incomes of struggling American families is an idea that can prove absolutely contagious. Won’t you help? Please urge your member of Congress to co-sponsor this vital climate legislation!
By putting a price on carbon, the Healthy Climate and Family Security Act encourages energy conservation, energy efficiency and a shift to clean, renewable sources of power. (See the reference below.) U.S. families will benefit both economically and environmentally from cleaner air, water and land, millions of jobs created in energy efficiency and renewable energy, and money in family bank accounts during the transition.
It’s not just Capitol Hill where support is growing. Forty organizations have signed on to a statement endorsing the bill, including 350.org, Sierra Club, Public Citizen, National People’s Action, Center for Popular Democracy, Center for Biological Diversity and the National Community Action Foundation.
As the number of House co-sponsors and organizational supporters grows, this legislative approach to solving the climate crisis could also become part of the 2016 presidential election-year debate. In addition, growing support will bring pressure on the U.S. to take a stronger position at the important United Nations Climate Conference in Paris at the end of the year.
You can help. You could urge your members of Congress to co-sponsor the Healthy Climate and Family Security Act!
Our families deserve to benefit from this innovative, and truly American, approach to achieving scientifically targeted reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, while economically assisting our families.
Sincerely, Mike Tidwell, Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network
1. For more information and resources on the Healthy Climate and Family Security Act and the “cap-and-dividend” approach to tackling climate change, select:
http://climateandprosperity.org
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Obama signs energy efficiency bill into law
By Timothy Cama – The Hill Newsletter — 04/30/15
President Obama on Thursday signed into law a measure that is intended to improve energy efficiency in buildings and stop efficiency rules for certain water heaters. The measure had strong bipartisan support and easily passed the Senate in March and the House in April.
It creates new voluntary building efficiency standards and exempts certain grid-enabled water heaters from efficiency regulations.
Obama brought to the White House energy efficiency advocates and the leading congressional backers of the legislation, including Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), for the signing ceremony, along with Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.
“What we’ve seen is a coming together of Republicans and Democrats who are going to facilitate us being much smarter in terms of building buildings, how we use energy and, as a consequence, we’re going to save money for consumers, we’re going to save money for businesses, and we’re going to deal with issues like climate change that have an enormous economic and health impact on Americans as a whole,” Obama said before signing the bill, according to the White House.