Stories: U.S. Climate Action

This document provides a detailed summary of the greenhouse gas (GHG) offset provisions in the Clean Energy Partnerships Act of 2009 (S.2729), which was introduced as a bill by Senators Stabenow, Baucus, Klobuchar, Brown, Begich and Harkin on November 5, 2009.

Lash on New Senate Framework for Climate Legislation

Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham (D-S.C.) have released a significant bipartisan framework for climate legislation.

The new bipartisan framework for climate legislation will help negotiators in Copenhagen better understand where the Senate stands.

Payments for ecosystem services are becoming an increasingly important part of the U.S. business and regulatory landscape. As programs that provide payments for ecosystem services grow, policy makers will need to determine how these various payments should interact with each other.

Climate change is a global issue that requires action from all countries. As the U.S. Congress develops a domestic climate and energy package, the United States seeks assurance that other countries will also act and a means to track the progress of commitments by verifying that actions have been implemented.

S.1733, the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (CEJAPA) also known as the Kerry Boxer bill , provides a number of important provisions that will ensure that offsets used in the U.S. cap-and-trade program represent real, additional, measurable and verified greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions.

This summary provides a concise overview of the Chairman’s Mark of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (CEJAPA), released by Senator Boxer on October 23, 2009.

New analysis compares emissions reductions in the current Kerry-Boxer and Waxman-Markey bills.

Jonathan Lash, president of the World Resources Institute (WRI), is testifying today before the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee regarding action of other countries to address climate change and the implications of their action for the United States.

Some important messages from his testimony:

The [Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act of 2009][act-link] (CEJAPA) provides a number of provisions that facilitate the demonstration and deployment of carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technologies. This document provides a brief overview of the most important of these. Coal use is responsible for over 40 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions[^1], and significant, deliberate action will be required to reduce these emissions. The CEJAPA lays a foundation for moving CCS technology to scale by reducing costs and providing funding for demonstrations.