Groups urge senators Gillibrand and Schumer to strengthen federal climate change legislation
"Don't drop the ball on the environment," Groups Urge
August 10, 2009 - On the first day of the U.S. Senate's summer recess, representatives of environmental, civic, and senior organizations urged Senators Schumer and Gillibrand to support strong climate change legislation. The groups held news conferences at five of the Senators’ regional offices to jointly urge that the Senators support legislation that caps greenhouse gas emissions, protects consumers from rate hikes and bolster the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) oversight of climate change pollution.
“Senators Schumer and Gillibrand have been champions of the environment and we are here today to thank them for their leadership and urge them to continue to push for comprehensive policy that has the potential to remake our economy and move us away from the dirty fuels of the past,” said Lauren Schuster, NYPIRG's Environmental Campaign Coordinator and New York State's 1Sky organizer. “On the first day of the Senator's summer break; we thought a beach party was an appropriate way to remind our New York Senators not to drop the ball on the environment.”
The groups reminded the Senators that a comprehensive climate bill will maximize clean energy jobs for America and begin to cut carbon pollution, a scientific imperative. A strong policy will 1) ensure that residential consumers are adequately protected against increases in their energy costs; 2) reinstate the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants under the Clean Air Act; and 3) will ensure that the nation reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.
“At this defining moment, we know that inaction is not an option,” said Gillian Caldwell, Campaign Director of 1Sky. “Senators Schumer and Gillibrand must not listen to the forces of the failed status quo – big oil and dirty coal – who demand that the Senate sacrifice our future by saying now to clean, safe sources of energy that never run out.”
After the United States House of Representatives passed climate change legislation in June, several committees in the U.S. Senate have held hearings dedicated to comprehensive climate and energy legislation. Senate Majority Leader harry Reid (D-NV) has set a deadline of September 28 for all committees to submit their final drafts of the bill. A final version of the bill is expected to be released shortly thereafter.
NYPIRG's 1Sky Campaign is a collaborative campaign of hundreds of diverse organizations and small local businesses and thousands of individuals across New York State who have united to fight for fair and effective climate and energy policy. NYPIRG is New York State's most effective social justice organization with chapters at 20 college campuses across the state. 1SKY, one of the largest national campaigns in the country, combines the force of over 425 allied organizations, almost 2,000 volunteers, covering more than 390 congressional districts in 50 states and a team of 40 – including 28 organizers in 19 states working to mobilize constituent support.
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