Congresswoman Doris Matsui Statement on Boxer-Kerry Clean Energy Jobs Legislation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
CONTACT: Mara Lee
(202)225-7163
Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) released the following statement following the introduction of Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and John Kerry's (D-MA) comprehensive climate change legislation, the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. The bill corresponds with the passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) by the House of Representatives earlier this year.
"It is imperative that we address the real threats that climate change poses in regards to flooding and public health, and that we invest in clean energy technology that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil - and our carbon emissions - at the same time. The legislation put forward today by Senators Boxer and Kerry will put us on a path to create new jobs and establish a cleaner, stronger economy that will make the United States a world leader in a clean-energy future.
"I am particularly pleased that the Boxer-Kerry bill includes language similar to provisions that I added to the American Clean Energy and Security Act relating to greenhouse gas reductions and land-use planning. The successes of Sacramento's Blueprint - an example of how individual communities across the country can achieve much-needed emissions reductions by aligning their land-use policies with greenhouse gas-reduction goals - are now being built upon in three bills pending before Congress: the Boxer-Kerry bill, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, and the Smart Planning for Smart Growth Act that I introduced earlier this year.
"The Boxer-Kerry bill is an energy plan and a jobs plan - by making these investments now, we can regain our competitiveness in the world by producing clean energy here at home. This Congress' commitment to putting America on a path toward energy independence will allow our children and grandchildren to live in a country that is more sustainable, more economically viable, and more energy-efficient than the country we live in today."
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