Rep. Doris Matsui Has Key Sacramento Priorities Included in Draft Climate Change Legislation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May 18, 2009
CONTACT: Alexis Marks or Mara Lee
(202) 225-7163
Rep. Doris Matsui Has Key Sacramento Priorities Included in Draft Climate Change Legislation
Today, Representative Doris Matsui (CA-05) will participate in the first day of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's legislative markup on "The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009," which includes key Sacramento priorities that Congresswoman Matsui has had included in the bill. The draft legislation to be considered includes provisions for flood control, smart planning for smart growth, public health, and clean energy jobs; each of which Matsui has outlined as priorities for the people of Sacramento.
The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) is a comprehensive approach to America's energy policy that charts a new course towards a clean energy economy. The legislation will create jobs, help end our dangerous dependence on foreign oil, and combat global warming. As drafted with Congresswoman Matsui's provisions, the legislation will also help protect Sacramentans from the dangers of floods, create more efficient and safer transportation policy, focus on the public health threats caused by global warming, and create good clean energy jobs in new industries throughout Sacramento.
"As we begin markup on our comprehensive climate change bill, I am pleased that Sacramento's priorities are reflected in this legislation," said Rep. Matsui. "It is imperative that we address the real threats that climate change poses in regards to flooding and public health, and that we pass comprehensive legislation that invests in sound transportation policy and clean energy jobs that will help stimulate our economy and reduce our carbon emissions at the same time."
The current version of the American Clean Energy and Security Act includes protection for Sacramentans and other communities who face an increased threat of flooding as a result of global warming. As California's climate warms, more of the Sierra Nevada snowpack will contribute to peak storm runoff. High-frequency flood events are projected to increase as a result, highlighting the interconnected nature of global warming and flooding in cities like Sacramento.
The draft legislation also includes Congresswoman Matsui's Smart Planning for Smart Growth Act (H.R. 1780), which aligns infrastructure and land use planning with greenhouse gas reduction goals to preserve resources and fight climate change. The Matsui Smart Planning for Smart Growth provision (Section 222 of the recently-released draft legislation), requires states and metropolitan planning organizations to create regional plans designed to generate emissions reductions and cost savings from the transportation sector by reducing per-capita vehicle miles traveled.
The legislation builds off the positive land-use model currently being perfected in the Sacramento region. Sacramento's regional Blueprint is 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.
"Because transportation accounts for 30 percent of the greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere each year, effective climate change legislation must include a transportation component if we are going to achieve the emission reductions we need in order to halt global warming," stated Rep. Matsui. "The inclusion of my legislation in the American Clean Energy and Security Act will give larger communities like Sacramento the incentives they need to grow and develop in a way that is sensitive to global warming."
Congresswoman Matsui also hailed the legislation's focus on public health and clean energy jobs. The bill allows the proceeds of sales of emission allowances for the implementation of projects, programs, or measures to build resilience to the impacts of climate change, includes the impacts on public health. The legislation also makes strategic investments in clean energy infrastructure, which will create new jobs in new industries and build upon the progress we have seen building a clean energy economy in places like Sacramento.
"The legislation we are discussing this afternoon is an achievement for the American people, our planet, and for future generations," said Congresswoman Matsui. "Once this legislation passes, our children and grandchildren will live in a country that is more sustainable, more economically viable, and more efficient than the country we live in today. And for my hometown of Sacramento, this bill is more than an achievement; it is a necessity."
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