Senate Democrats this week are still discussing what should go into a catch-all bill on the oil spill, energy, and climate change. One proposal that might make it into the final bill is a carbon emissions cap on utilities. Now powerful utility companies, who contribute large sums to federal campaigns, are demanding to be exempted from existing Clean Air Act regulations on other harmful and toxic emissions (e.g. mercury and particulates), in exchange for supporting a weak carbon cap. David "Dr. Grist" Roberts referred to the proposed quid pro quo as "the scam of the decade."
My petition, the text of which is posted below, asks Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to push as hard as possible for a stronger cap on carbon emissions and to oppose trading our air quality for climate progress.
Right now, the US Senate is in back-room negotiations on this bill. Harry Reid will attach a "manager's amendment," with various as yet undetermined components, to the "Spill Bill," S.3516, which has already passed out of committee. There will be another caucus meeting tomorrow (Thursday) to get more agreement on what should be included.
But this phase of determining what goes into that final bill is only as "back-room" as we let them keep it. They need to know that we are paying attention and understand what proposals are on the table at various points, and they should hear from us which ones we support. While it's probably going to be too difficult right now to persuade enough Senators to support an economy-wide carbon cap and trade program (or tax or whatever), there is still a chance we can push for inclusion of a strong carbon cap on utilities, who contribute a very large chunk of America's carbon output. The utilities, as stated above, are trying to bargain their way out of existing or soon-to-take-effect air quality regulations, some of which date back decades, in exchange for "accepting" a fairly weak carbon cap.
We can't allow a step back on our environmental policy, especially when it would roll back existing regulations designed to keep our air cleaner and reduce the public health costs of unregulated industry. The Bush Administration was too lax anyway, and now they're trying to that laissez-faire regulatory policy back.
Plus, Americans want to move forward on clean energy and climate policy, contrary to what many Senators support. From American Chronicle on Monday:
A new poll released by Benenson Strategies Group shows the American people strongly support a comprehensive energy and climate bill that includes provisions encouraging alternative energy production and limits on carbon pollution.
From the poll:
60 percent of likely voters – and 56 percent of self-identified Independents – support legislation that invests in domestic energy sources and encourages companies to use and develop clean energy.
67 percent believe the federal government should be doing more when it comes to regulating corporate polluters.
65 percent support the federal government investing more in clean energy sources.
Two-thirds of Americans want more regulation on corporate polluters, but utilities are lobbying for less. The American people understand how bad this "compromise" would be.
As Van Jones and Jorge Madrid wrote yesterday, this is a terrible idea:
In exchange for cutting their carbon emissions, power plants want to undermine the EPA and get permission to increase other kinds of dangerous pollution. They even want the go-ahead to dump more sulfur and deadly mercury into our air and water.
This literal "poison pill" proposal would turn progress in climate protection into a devastating setback for the health of all Americans — especially for those who live near power plants. The dirty energy lobby hopes that America can be convinced to accept more poison to get less carbon.
[...]
Beltway insiders may be trying to convince themselves that curbing the authority of the EPA and gutting clean air protections is a necessary step to achieving an agreement on climate change legislation.
But this is a false choice. We can have clean air protection for our children today and climate protection for our grandchildren tomorrow. We must not allow the health of our communities to be used as bargaining chips.
They also went on to remind us that the people who live near power plants and breathe in/drink/eat these toxins daily are usually lower-income and often minorities. They don't have it too good to begin with, and they're first to be traded in the back-room deals.
All of us may have to make some sacrifices and adjustments along the path to a greener and more prosperous America. But communities of color already have the worst air and drinking water – and suffer the most risk from environmental hazards. In the last century’s dirty energy economy, they already suffered disproportionately.
* People of color are exposed to 70 percent more of the dangerous particulate matter linked to greenhouse gas pollution.
* People of color, particularly Blacks and Latinos, visit the emergency room for asthma at three and a half times the average rate that whites do, and die from it twice as often.
* People of color are 79 percent more likely than whites to live in neighborhoods with industrial pollution.
I cited social justice in the petition, too, for that reason.
Be sure, as well, to check out A Siegel's diary posted a bit earlier today, where he highlights many of the health risks of coal-fired power generation. Plus, the diary includes a video of Harry Reid telling Fox Business News very simply and accurately, "Coal makes us sick." So we just need to remind him what he already knows.
Since Senate Majority Harry Reid will be the main force behind the components of this bill, I targeted this petition just to him. You can edit the letter to say anything you want (except the subject line is fixed, I believe), but the pre-written letter I developed includes the following key points:
-Spill Bill should include both clean energy and climate provisions
-It should include a stronger carbon cap on utilities
-It should NOT exempt utilities from existing emissions regulations
-It should be done before November
The goal is to get at least 5000 signatures by next Wednesday.
FULL TEXT:
Don't trade Clean Air for a Weak Carbon Cap
Greetings,
I am writing to support passage of the "Spill Bill" with clean energy and climate provisions included, before the 2010 election. It is critical that anything Congress passes in that direction be considered a true step forward, not a step back. With that in mind, I want to make clear my support for a strong carbon emissions cap on utilities (at the very least), as long as this does not roll back existing emissions regulations for utilities that emit other toxins and particulates. Our children are already at risk from the effects of climate change, and we should not increase the threats of other emissions to their health. As a matter of social justice, too, we cannot allow utilities to increase their emissions in predominantly minority and low-income communities once again.
Although a utility-only carbon cap would be a limited measure, I believe that now more than ever, we must begin transitioning America to a cleaner, greener future. Climate change is real and urgent, and we can gain many clean energy jobs during the necessary transition. The sooner this happens the better. A carbon cap on utilities will be a step in the right direction, and it will get a larger process moving.
Senator Reid, please include a strong carbon cap on utilities and do not exempt polluters from existing emissions regulations. Do not let this wait until after November, because you will never have a stronger chance than now. Please push as hard as possible now to make this happen.
[Your name]
Feel free to edit it any way you want before you submit, and please pass it on. As I said, my goal is at least 5000 letters/signatures within a week. It's probably ambitious, but I personally believe this is an extremely important issue. Thanks.
I will be writing more diaries this week (while some of the regulars are at NN10) on this bill. Today I'm focusing on Harry Reid and the utilities cap, but if you'd like to call your Senators (especially conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans), please go ahead and do that, too. I'll try to get to that in a diary tomorrow.