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In the fall of 2007, Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Senator John Warner (R-VA) introduced the Climate Security Act (S.2191).  The bill was approved by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in December 2007 and is now waiting for a vote by the full Senate, which is currently expected in early June.  The Lieberman Warner bill would make important progress toward slowing emissions of carbon dioxide and other “greenhouse” gases that scientists say are causing the earth’s climate to grow warmer.  It would require reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases through a cap and trade system: companies would be encouraged to reduce their emissions as quickly as possible and would be able to use carbon credits if they are unable to meet emissions targets on schedule.  These credits would be given to industry free in the early years of the bill, but as time goes on would be sold in an open market auction.  Proceeds from the auction will be used to fund research into renewable energy and energy conservation as well as for other priorities.  Over time, the number of credits available for auction would decrease as the amount of emissions allowed by the law grow smaller.

In addition, for the first time, this bill provides specific resources to help people living in poverty, both in the United States and in some of the world’s poorest countries, adapt to the droughts, flooding and other problems caused by global warming.  S.2191 will also help low-income Americans with the increases in energy costs that are a potential result of changing our economy from one based on the use of fossil fuels to one based on cleaner sources of energy and will provide job retraining so that American workers can take advantage of new job opportunities in the “green” economy that will be created by the shift to renewable sources of energy.

The ELCA, together with other faith organizations, recently sent a letter to the Senate expressing our support for strong climate change legislation, thanking Senators Lieberman and Warner and Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) for their hard work in bringing S.2191 to the Senate floor, and urging the Senate to support amendments to improve the bill.  You can read the letter here.