We beat back the assault on the EPA

Thanks in large part to YOUR efforts, the United States Senate stood up against the influence of big polluters and stood up for public health. On Wednesday, April 6, the Senate voted down amendments to an unrelated business bill, S. 493 that aimed to gut the Clean Air Act and limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to protect Americans from toxins in our air  – including dangerous global warming pollution.   
 

It was critical that the Senate said no to the fossil fuel industry’s attempts to undermine our government’s ability to project public health.

The Clean Air Act represents 40 years of progress in reducing harmful toxins in the air, which helped prevent thousands of heart attacks, asthma attacks, strokes and other illnesses. Thankfully the proposed provisions all failed, and the EPA can continue to keep our air clean and protect the health and welfare of our children, seniors, our families and our businesses.

You can learn more about these clean air act amendments to S. 493, a small business bill, and see how our Senators voted on them by going to this link and looking at the amendments on “issue S.493”:

Thanks to all of YOU who made your voices heard and for making this happen!

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Call your Senators and President Obama today to let them know that attempts to undermine the Clean Air Act’s authority to cut climate pollution are unacceptable.

Be sure to emphasize who you are: a businessperson, farmer, sportsmen, person of faith, veteran, grandparent, etc., when you call.

Defending the Clean Air Act

Our clean air laws have been protecting and improving Americans' lives for 40 years.  And corporate polluters' endless predictions of dire economic harm from these laws have never come to pass. Now, they're at it again, trying to gut our clean air laws. The choice is clear: side with the army of corporate lobbyists trying to protect polluter profits or embrace the values that Americans hold dear-clean air, good local jobs, and a healthier future- by upholding 40 years of successful clean air policy. We have the opportunity to start reducing harmful pollution and spur innovation.  Doing so will let our children breathe easier while investing in a clean energy economy that will create new jobs at home and make America the leader in the trillion-dollar clean energy markets of the 21st century.

The Clean Air Act Works: 
The Clean Air Act was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and has a proven 40-year track record of cutting dangerous pollution to protect human health and the environment in a cost effective manner that spurs innovation. Analyses show the benefits of the Clean Air Act outweighing the costs by as much as a 40-1 margin, with an estimated $21.7 trillion in net benefits to the American people.

Protect Communities, Not Corporate Polluters:  We can either side with the big polluters and their army of lobbyists who want to block the Clean Air Act or side with real Americans who want clean air and water, less pollution, more jobs, and clean energy.

Don't Outsource America's Future:  Right now trillions of investment dollars are waiting on the sidelines. These dollars will be invested once there are clear signals about the clean energy future - this certainty can be provided by the proposed Clean Air Act standards.

China and Germany and India aren't waiting for us. They are barreling ahead building the energy economy of the future. Let's not press pause on investing in American jobs and the technologies of tomorrow.  In 2009, China announced they plan to invest $738 billion in clean energy over the next decade, while we invested $19 billion.

States are Ready: According to the National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA), every state but one is ready to start issuing permits to reduce carbon pollution.

More information on the Clean Air Act - click here.

After you make your calls, sign up to stay engaged.  You’ll receive action alerts from Climate Solutions and 1Sky. 
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So, where are we in the federal effort to put a cap on global warming pollution while building a robust clean energy economy?  

• On June 3, Climate Solutions released polling results that show Northwest voters approve a Senate bill that advances clean energy and calls for a cap on greenhouse-gas emissions.  Learn more about this release and our tele-press conference here.
  

• The House passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) in June of last year.   Broadly speaking this bill calls for a 17% reduction in global warming emissions by 2020 and 80% by 2050.  The bill has many other provisions: some that Climate Solutions supports whole-heartedly – investments in our clean energy economy, renewable energy and energy efficiency standards, and consumer protections - and some that we are less enthusiastic about, such as excessive offsets and allocated permits to fossil fuel industries.  But even with its flaws, ACES would mark a revolutionary change in our climate and energy policy.  Along with many of you, Climate Solutions worked hard with our members of Congress in the Northwest to get the best bill possible. In the end, we enthusiastically supported passage of this bill as did 12 Republicans including Rep. Reichert from Washington’s 8th Congressional District.
  
  
• A national climate policy is one of the few issues that continues to enjoy bi-partisan support in both chambers. This year, Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) has been tirelessly working on a climate bill with his colleagues Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Senator John Kerry (D-MA).  And, Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) has been working with her colleague Senator Maria Cantwell (D- Washington) on a climate bill.  Senator Olympia Snowe (R- Maine) has recently signaled potential support as well.   Unlike health care, it has always been clear that the only way to pass comprehensive clean energy and climate policy is to develop a truly bi-partisan approach.
  
  
• Twenty-two Senators -- including many moderate and swing Democrats -- recently signed on to a letter calling for action on a comprehensive bill this year. "Our lack of a comprehensive clean energy policy hurts job creation and increases regulatory uncertainty throughout the economy," the Senators wrote. "Businesses are waiting on clean signals from Congress before investing billions in energy, transportation, manufacturing, buildings and other sectors. America's competitiveness and export strength are also at stake.” Climate Solutions is proud that we helped ensure that five of the 22 Senators that signed on to show support for action this year were from our region.