Public Policy & Legislation
Federal
In 1997, the Senate unanimously rejected the Kyoto Protocol, which would commit all participating countries to capping and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (with the exception of China and India). It has never officially been submitted to the Senate for ratification.
Congressional bills aimed at capping greenhouse gas emissions have been introduced in 2003, 2004 and 2005 but failed to make it out of committee.
In June 2008, a bill introduced by Senators Lieberman (D-CT) and Warner (R-VA), called the America's Climate Security Act, came to the Senate floor for debate but could not overcome a filibuster. It is unlikely that any further action will take place in the Senate until the new term.
On the House side, the Safe Climate Act (H.R.1590), introduced by Harry Waxman (D-CA), which has been referred to the House subcommittee on Energy & Air Quality. Two addition bills have recently been introduced by Representatives Markey (D-MA) and Doggett (D-TX). All three bills are promising in their scope and the UUA is monitoring their progress.
In the meantime, you can take action by urging your Representative to sign the Climate Change Principles letter from Representatives Waxman, Markey, and Inslee. While not legally binding, the letter establishes strong principles by which future climate change legislation is to be measured.
State
In the absence of clear leadership from the federal government, many states have taken the initiative in responding to the growing crisis.
In September 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger signed California's Global Warming Solutions Act. The Act caps the state's greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels by 2020. This legislation represents the first enforceable state-wide program in the U.S. to cap all greenhouse gas emissions from major industries, and includes penalties for non-compliance.
In January 2008, sixteen states joined in a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because the EPA refuses to allow states to set tougher vehicle-emissions standards. The sixteen states are: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
For more information contact environment @ uua.org.
Last updated on Friday, June 20, 2008.
