Statement from 1Sky:

1Sky Campaign Director Gillian Caldwell issued the following statement in reaction to the introduction of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA).

“With the introduction of the Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act by Senators Kerry and Boxer the race is on in the U.S. Senate to get us on the road to a clean energy economy and tackle global warming.  We applaud the two senators’ leadership, and recognize that this bill reflects some important improvements over the legislation that recently passed the House of Representatives, particularly with respect to ensuring we have the ability to clean up old and dirty coal plants, and put an end to the expansion of dirty coal technologies. The Kerry-Boxer bill also responds to widespread calls to strengthen the 2020 target for reducing global warming pollution in the face of escalating evidence that the planet is warming even more quickly than scientists predicted.

However, we can and we must do more.  This is just the beginning of what will be a heated debate: Will our elected leaders stand with the people and the planet, or will they prioritize profit for the dinosaur industries of the past? Polls have found citizens overwhelmingly support climate action and an urgently-needed shift towards a clean energy economy.  And so 1Sky’s nationwide campaign is in full gear, calling for bold action now in the face of well-funded opposition by dirty coal and big oil who prioritize their own profits over our economic recovery, our health, our national security, our planet, and our people.  We have not a moment to lose and it is going to take millions of Davids, and even more leadership from President Obama, to overcome the Goliath that is the industries of yesterday that repeatedly stand in the way of our progress.“

1Sky is a collaborative national campaign for strong federal action to tackle global climate change and invest in building the clean energy economy of the future.  As one of the largest national campaigns in the country, 1Sky combines the force of 450 allied organizations, and 168,000 committed climate advocates, 2,500 volunteer Climate Precinct Captains covering more than 380 congressional districts in 50 states, and a team of 51 including 40 organizers in 29 states working to mobilize constituent support.