Kerry, Lieberman: President Obama Personally Pushes for American Power Act

Statement

Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), authors of the Senate's comprehensive energy independence and climate change legislation, today praised President Barack Obama for committing to round up votes to pass the American Power Act:

"President Obama is clearly putting his shoulder to the wheel to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation this year. Nothing could be more definitive than his explicit commitment today to find the remaining votes needed to pass this vital legislation.

"Today marks four times in just the last twelve days that the President has thumped the bully pulpit to urge Senate action. We share the President's determination to pass this critical bill so that our nation can begin to move toward a clean energy future. The tragic events in the Gulf underscore the need to move without haste to ensure, as the President eloquently stated, that "the next generation will not be held hostage to energy sources from the last century.' This is clearly a moment demanding bi-partisan action. It can attract votes on both sides of the aisle. It's good policy and good politics both. We have to leverage this moment to get the American Power Act passed this year."

In a statement today at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, President Obama declared of the American Power Act: "The House of Representatives has already passed a comprehensive energy and climate bill, and there is currently a plan in the Senate -- a plan that was developed with ideas from Democrats and Republicans -- that would achieve the same goals. Pittsburgh, I want you to know, the votes may not be there right now, but I intend to find them in the coming months. I will make the case for a clean energy future wherever I can, and I will work with anyone to get this done, and we will get it done. The next generation will not be held hostage to energy sources from the last century. We are not going to move backwards, we are going to move forward."

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