The White House, The House, and the Senate: a Clean Sweep for Clean Energy

The Huffington Post

The White House, The House, and the Senate: a Clean Sweep for Clean Energy

By Edward J. Markey | November 13, 2008 | www.huffingtonpost.com

On election day, voters in record numbers sent a message to the world. The United States will now be the leader, not the laggard in the race for clean energy technology and the fight against global warming. After eight years of energy policy written by Big Oil and embarrassing episodes from President Bush on the world's stage with respect to global warming, President-elect Barack Obama and stronger Democratic majorities in the House and Senate will put America on a faster track to a green economic recovery that will create millions of new green jobs, help America become energy independent, and cut global warming pollution.

Let's start with changes on Capitol Hill. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who took the lead on new energy solutions and climate by creating the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, will have at least 24 additional seats in the House. Those seats would have made the difference this past summer when the Speaker attempted to crack down on oil market speculators and help consumers at the pump by tapping government oil reserves.

While the Democratic Congress achieved several major victories last year, including the first increase in fuel economy standards in 32 years and extending tax credits for wind and solar, several key pieces of energy legislation passed by the House were blocked by a handful of Senate Republicans. Their biggest push back was against passing a Renewable Electricity Standard, which would require America to generate 15 percent of its electricity from clean, renewable energy -a measure 26 states already have in place. But help is on the way. With the addition of my former House colleagues Mark and Tom Udall and several other new Democrats, the Senate is getting forward-thinking clean energy champions.

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