Reps. Petri, Udall Meet With Business, Environmental Leaders On Global Warming

Reps. Petri, Udall Meet With Business, Environmental Leaders On Global Warming

Congressmen Tom Petri (R-WI) and Tom Udall (D-NM) met in the U.S. Capitol Monday with leaders of major businesses and environmental groups to discuss measures against global warming. The congressmen sponsored the Keep America Competitive Global Warming Policy Act during the last Congress, and were interested to hear the business and environmental representatives outline their own recommendations.

"I'm glad to say that everybody in the meeting shared a sense of urgency about climate change. We were in considerable agreement about the measures we should take right away to limit the release of greenhouse gases," Petri said. "Congressman Udall and I are getting ready to reintroduce our bill in the current Congress, and we are seeing glimmers of consensus on the right approach."

"Energy independence and global warming are of paramount concern to the American people. Today, a significant development occurred toward advancing these goals," said Udall. "Major U.S. companies have stepped up to the plate and called for action now. They have helped raise the level of optimism on this issue."

The meeting was organized by the United States Climate Action Partnership. USCAP consists of market leaders Alcoa, BP America, Caterpillar, Duke Energy, DuPont, FPL Group, General Electric, Lehman Brothers, PG&E, and PNM Resources, along with four leading non- governmental organizations - Environmental Defense, Natural Resources Defense Council, Pew Center on Global Climate Change, and World Resources Institute.

Both the Udall-Petri bill and the framework advanced by USCAP would encourage research and innovation and would establish a mandatory cap-and-trade program with specific limits on greenhouse emissions. Businesses that succeed in reducing emissions would be allowed to sell unused emission allowances to other businesses that are having greater difficulty complying with limits. This system would help limit emissions, create economic opportunities and advance U.S. competitiveness.

"Our bill puts a price on greenhouse gas emissions and balances economic uncertainty to unleash American business ingenuity," said Udall. "I hope we hear the same message from the White House tomorrow night as we heard from this Nation's industry leaders today."

"This is a way to get started against global warming," Petri said. "It will give businesses time to make required adjustments in a flexible way that companies can live with without fleeing abroad, taking jobs and production with them."

http://www.house.gov/petri/press/globalwarmingmeeting.htm