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Klobuchar 'Carbon Counter' Passes First Committee

America's Climate Security Act passes sub-committee; Klobuchar is co-sponsor

November 1, 2007

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s ‘carbon counter’ has cleared its first committee, as part of the America’s Climate Security Act, S. 2191.  Senator Klobuchar is a co-sponsor, along with authors Senators Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John Warner (R-Va.).  The 4-3 vote of the Sub-committee on Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection advances the bill to the full Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, which is expected to take action on the bill in the coming weeks.

The carbon counter provision would lay the foundation for a national greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program.  While the overall bill seeks to implement first nationwide cap-and-trade program in the United States, the bill needs the ‘carbon counter’ proposal to produce accurate and uniform data from which to implement the cap-and-trade program.  The Klobuchar-Snowe carbon counter bill is the first title in the Lieberman-Warner bill.

“This is the first step in long-awaited action on global warming,” said Klobuchar.   “I’m glad to be a part of it.  Our carbon counter is the crucial building block to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. The success of a cap-and-trade program hinges on having an accurate system of monitoring, verifying and reporting greenhouse gas emission.”

America’s Climate Security Act would provide a cap-and-trade strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent by 2050. In doing so, it establishes useful rules for investors and businesses, many of whom have been seeking clear, long-term U.S. goals to guide their decisions domestically and internationally.

Klobuchar is an original cosponsor of the America’s Climate Security Act, which is expected to be the building block for all future action that the Environment and Public Works Committee takes this Congress.

Senator Klobuchar is a member of the EPW Committee.

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