Green Labor Journal - Working for a Substainable Future

Senate Debates Climate Bill

Labor endorses balanced cap-and-trade legislation.

By Jerry Brown Oct 30, 2009

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On September 30, 2009, U.S. Senate Democrats introduced legislation to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The Senate bill, co-authored by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and John Kerry (D-MA) is largely similar to H.R. 2454, the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act, which narrowly passed the House by 219 to 212 in June.

The 801-page Senate bill proposes an even more aggressive 20 percent emission reduction target by 2020 below 2050 levels and includes incentives for natural gas and advanced biofuels.

Addressing the United Nations in late September, President Obama assured world leaders that the U.S. would pass climate change legislation prior to the upcoming U.N. Climate Change Conference.  In December 2009, delegations from 192 countries will convene for two weeks of talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, in order to establish a new, post-Kyoto treaty on reducing greenhouse gases.

Despite international warnings that "real commitment from all countries is needed to secure a breakthrough deal,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has signaled that final action on the climate bill could be pushed back to 2010, due to a heavy legislative schedule involving must-pass health care reform and financial regulatory overhaul.

Speaking on climate change and energy policy, in May 2009, former AFL-CIO President John Sweeny commended Chairman Henry Waxman and the members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee for leadership on the crucial issue of addressing climate change, investing in green technologies and creating jobs.

“The AFL-CIO supports cap-and-trade legislation that takes a balanced approach towards an economy wide-program and prevents foreign competitors from getting advantages over American companies.  The American Clean Energy and Security Act also ensures that the nation maintains a diverse energy portfolio that includes renewable energy, fossil fuels, nuclear and hydro-electric,” Sweeney said.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka endorsed this position, and called for a “just transition to a green economy,” during a September 22nd speech to the Job, Justice and Climate conference in New York.

Trumka said “The union and environmental movements must act together to reduce carbon emissions, stabilize climate changes and reverse practices that put our very survival at risk.”

Trumka added that we need to “act to address the climate and energy crisis by creating good green jobs [and] in the process we will revive our economy.”  

“If we take on climate change at scale, we will create jobs at scale.  For every $100 billion invested in green economy we create 1 million news jobs.  We need to move toward a new economy based on good jobs.”

“That is the hope for us as we look forward to ringing in a new progressive era: that the transition to renewable energy is a process that looks out for people as well as it looks out for the environment.”

Observing that climate change is a global threat and not just a U.S. problem, Trumka noted “It will not help anyone if we change by offshoring our emissions.  That’s why goods produced in nations that do not abide by carbon emission reductions should be subject to border adjustment tariffs to offset the loss.  I don’t see any other way to be serious about global carbon emissions.  Anything else will simply relocate the emissions.”

The Wall Street Journal views this position as one of the potential problem areas that create long odds for the climate bill in the senate, arguing that tariffs on goods imported from countries that don’t match U.S. greenhouse gas reductions would be a slap in the face to China and India, raising fears of a trade war.
    
[Editor’s Note: Given the significance  of climate legislation to American workers, the U.S. economy and the future of the planet, the Green Labor Journal will carefully follow the congressional debate on this issue.]