Climate bill needs to be passed by Senate
Rarely does history present itself with an opportunity as great as the one currently sitting in the United States Senate. This opportunity is the American Clean Energy and Securities Act of 2009, also known as the climate bill. The bill takes on the issue of global warming, a major problem our generation must deal with. The bill is co-authored by Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif. It’s main purpose is to reduce gases commonly tied to global warming and to move away from traditional sources of power, such as fossil fuels. The legislation focuses on power plants, refineries and factories, which all produce excessive amounts of fossil fuels. Since fossil fuels release "heat-trapping gases" that induce global warming, the bill looks to use cleaner energy sources, such as wind, geothermal or solar energy. The proposal would use a cap-and-trade program to limit the use of gases that would be considered harmful to the environment. Companies that do not meet this standard will be fined, or forced to buy permits from companies that have not used their limit. The legislation passed the House of Representatives on June 26 by a vote of 219-212, one vote more than the majority. Three Indiana Democrats voted against the bill. The bill is currently stalled in the Senate, due to a debate over the cap-and-trade system and whether it should be included in the final version. It is time for Congress to put bipartisan issues aside and come together to pass this legislation. It is remarkable the bill only passed the House by one vote. With something as historic as this, it needs to be passed overwhelmingly. Global warming is not a myth; it is here and it is affecting us every day. If we do not do something to stop it, or at the least to slow it down, things are going to change for the worse. We need clean energy alternatives to be put in place immediately. If this legislation fails, companies will continue to use fossil fuels without even thinking about the environment. We need to show them we mean business, and we want to live in a healthy environment. It is time to write letters to Sens. Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh. It is time to let them know that we want this bill to go through and we want to live in a world that is clean and healthy. The time to act is now.
