Earth Equity News

Boxer, Kerry Launch Campaign to Pass Senate Cap-And-Trade Bill. By Darren Samuelsohn, ClimateWire, September 30, 2009. "Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), John Kerry (D-Mass.) and nine Senate supporters kicked off the autumn global warming debate on September 30 with a campaign-style rally releasing their comprehensive climate bill. 'We know clean energy is the ticket to strong, sustainable economic growth,' Boxer, the chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said at the Capitol Hill event, in front of a large American flag and three dozen or so military veterans, business leaders and environmentalists. 'Ultimately, this bill is about keeping Americans safe,' added Kerry, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. The Kerry-Boxer bill (PDF), the 'Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act,' comes in at 821 pages, starting with a mandate by 2020 to curb the nation's greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent from 2005 levels. It omits many details, leaving negotiations with Democrats and Republican moderates to fill in the blanks. But the measure offers specifics on several critical issues, ranging from incentives for natural gas and nuclear power to how Congress can promote tree planting and sustainable farming practices as alternative compliance options for industry. The bill's sponsors also sought to change the legislative lingo surrounding the bill, dropping references to 'cap and trade.' Instead, Boxer and Kerry released a summary of their bill that labeled greenhouse gas trading provisions as a 'Pollution Reduction and Investment' program."