Earth Equity News

U.S. CAP Proposal Falls Flat. By Stacy Morford, SolveClimate, January 19, 2009. "Rep. Henry Waxman, in his new role as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, whipped the rug out from under the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (U.S. CAP) before the group even had a chance to present its climate action recommendations this morning. By doing so, he sent corporate polluters a clear message that he means business. Waxman said he wants a comprehensive, science-based bill on climate and energy through his committee by the Memorial Day recess. U.S. CAP's climate plan [PDF, 28 pp] falls far short of what scientists say is the minimum necessary to protect the planet, and it was abundantly clear to the committee that the proposal was lacking in the merit Waxman had just called for. One U.S. CAP member, the National Wildlife Federation, had dropped out of the business-environment partnership rather than endorse the plan... By any measure, U.S. CAP's proposal falls short of the science. It calls for 'ample amounts' of carbon offsets and minimal carbon reduction targets for 2020. It also urges the new administration to soften its long-range targets for emissions cuts, and essentially delays any emissions reductions for a decade or more... Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder summed up much of the environmental community's reaction when he called the U.S. CAP plan 'deeply flawed.'"