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Climate Action in Congress

Climate Action in the House

On June 26, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES Act), H.R. 2454, by a vote of 219 to 212. This comprehensive national climate and energy legislation would establish an economy-wide, greenhouse gas (GHG) cap-and-trade system and critical complementary measures to help address climate change and build a clean energy economy.  The legislation was introduced into the House Energy and Commerce Committee by Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-California) and Rep. Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts), chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, on May 15.  

 

Climate Action in the Senate

Now that the House has passed the ACES Act, similar legislation is under consideration in the U.S. Senate.  The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico), passed the American Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009 (S.1462) on June 17.  This bill addresses several energy issues, including many addressed under the ACES Act.  On November 5, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California), passed the  Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act of 2009 (S.1733), which draws heavily from the ACES Act and establishes a cap-and-trade system.

As four other Senate committees hold jurisdiction over the legislation, the timing of the climate change debate within the broader Congressional agenda remains unclear.  The Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana), is expected to hold hearings when the Congress returns from recess in January.  A coalition led by Senators Kerry (D-Massachusetts), Graham (R-South Carolina), and Lieberman (I-Connecticut) is working outside of the committee process to broaden the base of support for comprehensive climate legislation within the Senate, releasing their Framework for Climate Action and Energy Independence in the U.S. Senate on Dec. 10.  Climate change legislation is not expected to be taken up until after the health care debate is completed. 

In the meantime, progress advances as Senators continue to introduce climate change bills.  Majority Leader Reid (D-Nevada) is expected to combine the various elements into a comprehensive bill that he will bring to the Senate floor in the next few months.  If the Senate passes this combined bill, differences between the Senate and House bills would have to be reconciled, with the final bill passed by both houses, before the bill could be sent to President Obama and signed into law.

There is an opportunity to get a clean energy and climate bill that includes cap and trade passed in this Congress and enacted by the President. The Pew Center continues to strongly believe that achieving this goal requires two important elements: leadership by the Obama administration and greater bipartisanship in the Senate. 

 

Key Legislation in the Current Congress