Friday night's passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act was a historic victory and a major step toward a new clean energy economy for America.
News Coverage Demonstrates the Significance of the Energy Bill and Victory:
ABC News – House Passes Milestone Climate Change Bill: Vote on Cap-and-Trade Bill Marks Major Movement in Energy Policy Debate. [6/26/09]
New York Times – The House passed legislation on Friday intended to address the threat of global warming and transform the way the United States produces and uses energy. The vote was the first time either house of Congress had approved a bill meant to curb the heat-trapping gases scientists have linked to climate change. The legislation…could lead to profound changes in many sectors of the economy, including electric power generation, agriculture, manufacturing and construction…[It] also established a marker for the United States when international negotiations on a new climate change treaty begin later this year. [6/27/09]
Washington Post – …The bill, if it became law, would lead to vast changes in the ways energy is made, sold and used in the United States… [6/27/09]
Los Angeles Times –…The House on Friday evening passed a sweeping energy and climate-change bill that supporters say could revolutionize the nation’s industrial economy. [6/27/09]
Associated Press — The House’s action fulfilled Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s vow to clear major energy legislation before July 4. [6/26/09]
Chicago Tribune – …an ambitious climate bill…that would establish national limits on greenhouse gases, create a complex trading system for emission permits and provide incentives to alter how individuals and corporations use energy. [6/28/09]
AFP – US House passes historic climate change bill. [6/26/09]
Associated Press Analysis – Climate Bill May Spur Energy Revolution. Congress has taken its first step toward an energy revolution, with the prospect of profound change for every household, business, industry and farm in the decades ahead. [6/28/09]
The Time is Now – Momentum Continues to Build for an American Clean Energy Legislation:
President Barack Obama: “The energy bill that passed the House will finally create a set of incentives that will spark a clean energy transformation in our economy…We cannot be afraid of the future. And we must not be prisoners of the past…I want to congratulate the House for passing this bill, and I want to urge the Senate to take this opportunity to come together and meet our obligations — to our constituents, to our children, to God's creation, and to future generations.” [6/27/09]
Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “Today, we have an opportunity to lead America toward an effective and affordable transition to a clean energy future. It is a moment we cannot afford to miss. We have a responsibility to create jobs and make America more secure, protect the health of our citizens, and honor our moral responsibility to our children and our future generations.” [6/26/09]
Former Vice President Al Gore: “Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Leadership of the House, and Chairmen Waxman and Markey have, through their leadership, secured an important bipartisan victory for the American people. The American Clean Energy Security (ACES) Act is one of the most important pieces of legislation Congress will ever pass…We are at an extraordinary moment, with an historic opportunity to confront one of the world’s most serious challenges. Our actions now will be remembered by this generation and all those to follow — in our own nation and others around the world.” [6/26/09]
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: “The House has taken a courageous step toward a safer and cleaner energy future…It is a good product for the Senate and our Committees to start considering and begins the nation’s inevitable movement to clean and abundant renewable energy and away from harmful and inefficient use of fossil fuels… I am hopeful that the Senate will be able to debate and pass bipartisan and comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation this fall.
[6/26/09]