Clean Water Action President John De Cock Statement on President's Planned Climate Speech

Today's Rose Garden climate speech by President Bush is just the latest attempt to run out the clock on global warming without taking meaningful action. The President's failure today to endorse mandatory limits on carbon dioxide emissions means he has left this challenge for the next President and Congress.

President Bush is correct today in identifying the need to deal with carbon emissions generally, and emissions from coal plants in particular. But the President largely remains where he was eight years ago when he pledged to restrict carbon dioxide from coal plants, and instead caved into big energy companies and did nothing.

For Immediate Release
March 31, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC--Today's draft energy and climate legislation from the Energy and Commerce Committee is a strong starting point for curbing global warming and transforming our energy economy.

Addressing our climate crisis is an environmental issue, but it is also the most important economic issue of our time. It is a powerful public health issue. It is, for this generation, the most important moral issue we face.

Congress revisits the Clean Water Act

by Darrell Gerber and Myrna Poticha

originally published in The Denver Post, April 15, 2008

As spring's welcome beauty flows to summer's sun, their climate
cousins flood, drought and storms will likely be paying us a call as
well. So whether you fish, swim or just drink it, April is a good time
to be thinking about water and that's what the U.S. Congress is doing.

After months of intense debate, Congress passed a significant piece of energy legislation in December 2007. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 takes an important step forward by mandating significant increases in vehicle fuel economy standards for the first time in a generation. Improved fuel economy will lower consumer costs, reduce our dependence on oil and significantly reduce global warming pollution.

Washington, DC - Clean Water Action today praised President-elect Obama's proposed economic reinvestment plan as providing a new vision for America's energy future.

"The President-elect's plan is a dramatic departure from the failed policies of the past eight years that got us into this economic mess and offers the opportunity to kick-start the economy and create millions of good American jobs that move us to a clean energy future," said John DeCock, Clean Water Action President.    "We need to look at the details of the plan in depth, but based on what President-elect Obama outlined today we are extremely pleased with the overall direction the plan takes to repower, refuel and rebuild America.