Energy

Congressman Dingell is a leader in addressing climate change issues. As Chairman Emeritus of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, he worked closely with his colleagues to ensure that the American Clean Energy and Security Act will responsibly move our country forward to a greener future. This bill would require that a percentage of the nation's electricity be generated by wind, solar and other renewable energy sources as well as energy efficiency upgrades by the end of the next decade. The bill would also mandate steps toward the development of a national power grid capable of increasing production from renewable sources, establish grant and loan guarantee programs to promote electric vehicles, provide training and funding assistance to states that adopt advanced building efficiency codes, and launch efforts to encourage retrofitting facilities. In addition, the legislation would set federal standards for rating the energy efficiency of buildings. The legislation would cap gas emissions at 83 percent below 2005 levels by 2050.

To cushion the impact of the bill on industries and regions dependent on fossil fuel-powered energy, energy-intensive manufacturing companies, utilities and oil refineries would be allocated emission allowances. The recipients of the credits would be required to pass the savings along to consumers.

In addition, Congressman Dingell was successful at getting funding to retool our auto and other manufacturing plants to make the cars and products of the future. A natural resources adaptation section was added to the bill with funding attached.  In the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change we are warned that in the lifetime of a child born today, 20 to 30 percent of the world’s plant and animal species will be on the brink of extinction if we don’t take action now. The great conservationist and the 26^th President of these United States, Theodore Roosevelt, taught us that conservation is a great moral issue – that it is our duty, as it insures the safety and continuance of the nation.

The bill also provides international offset credits for activities outside the United States.  This acts as a series of carrots for developing countries to take action to also reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.  It is important to note that in order for developing countries to be eligible for these sectorial offsets, they must show marked improvement in greenhouse gas reductions before they can even be considered for offset credits for further improvements.

These investments will go a long way towards ensuring the health and security of our children and grandchildren as many jobs would be created by a strong renewable energy sector. Additionally, as a tireless advocate for conservation, Congressman Dingell secured a portion of the allocations for wildlife and natural resources adaptation. This funding will be used to protect our wildlife, land and water from the potentially devastating affects of climate change.

The Congressman amended the bill to establish a Clean Energy Investment Bank to provide various types of credit to support the research and development and deployment of clean energy technologies including loans, loan guarantees, and other credit enhancements as well as secondary market support to develop products such as clean energy-backed bonds that would allow less expensive lending in the private sector. This amendment will help fund the research and development as well as deployment of these energy sources to meet the mounting demand for zero-carbon technology to dramatically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions as America transitions to clean energy.

Congressman Dingell has long fought to improve the energy policies of the United States. During the 110th Congress, as Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Dingell was the leader in passing legislation that removed more than 8.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, an amount equal to the annual emissions of all cars on the road in America today.

Other environmental and energy issues that fall within the Energy and Commerce Committee’s jurisdiction include: Safe Drinking Water, Leaking Underground Storage Tanks, Superfund, the Clean Air Act and Solid Waste.

Environment

Congressman Dingell often quotes his father, who frequently told him, “We borrow this Earth from those who come after us.” As such, for over half a century, Congressman Dingell has been a tireless advocate of protecting our Nation’s wildlife and environment as a whole.

He was an architect of the 1972 Clean Water Act, authored the Endangered Species Act, and wrote the National Environmental Policy Act, which assures that Federal agencies weigh the environmental consequences of development projects before they are undertaken. He also played a major role in the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the National Wildlife Refuge Administration Act.

The Congressman is a member of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission and, through his work on the Commission and in Congress, has been a tireless advocate for the Wildlife Refuge System and our National Parks. In fact, in terms of protecting our public lands, there is no greater champion than Congressman Dingell. In 2001, the Congressman sponsored legislation to create the first ever International Wildlife Refuge. Since then, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge has flourished – growing from approximately 300 to 5000 acres. The Refuge is one of a handful of urban refuges in the system and is near and dear to the Congressman’s heart, as he grew up hiking and hunting on very shores which are now part of the Refuge.

Congressman Dingell introduced legislation to increase the price of the federal Duck Stamp. These pictorial stamps produced by the U.S. Postal Service for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Originally created in 1934 as the federal licenses required for hunting migratory waterfowl, Duck Stamps have a much larger purpose today. Federal Duck Stamps are a vital tool for wetland conservation. Ninety-eight cents out of every dollar generated by the sales of Federal Duck Stamps goes directly to purchase or lease wetland habitat for protection in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Understandably, the Federal Duck Stamp Program has been called one of the most successful conservation programs ever initiated and is a highly effective way to conserve America’s natural resources. It has been nearly 20 years since the last increase, but between inflation and the increased cost of land, the $15 price to enter a duck reserve which is the other main source of funds for conservation simply does not go as far as it used to.

Coming from Michigan, a state blessed with the Great Lakes, Congressman Dingell understands the importance of the Lakes to Michigan. Michigan owes its tourism industry to the Great Lakes – where people come from around the country to recreate, hunt, fish and relax. The Lakes as a transportation system provided Michigan with the means to turn the State into a manufacturing powerhouse. That is just one of the reasons the Congressman has made clean water one of his top priorities, playing an integral role in the 1972 Clean Water Act. Given the recent decisions coming out of the Supreme Court, the Congressman strongly feels that the law is under attack. In order to address this issue, Congressman Dingell is working to pass legislation to clarify original the Congressional intent that all waters of the United States be covered. Congressman Dingell is also a Co-Chair of the house Great Lakes Task Force. It is through the Task Force that Representative Dingell works on issues like getting a comprehensive clean-up and protection plan for the Lakes and addressing the problem of aquatic invasive species.

Congressman Dingell is particularly pleased to that President Obama has committed to making the Great Lakes a top environmental priority. In fact, the President’s Fiscal Year 2010 budget includes $475 million for the Lakes. This represents the largest investment in the Great Lakes in a President’s budget in history.

Congressman Dingell and Congressman James Oberstar, have led the fight in the U.S. House of Representatives to restore Congressional intent regarding the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. Since the Supreme Court cases in 2001 (Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) and 2006 (Rapanos v. United States) the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act has been severely curtailed. In 1972, during the debate on the Clean Water Act, Congressman Dingell made clear that the Act applied to “all waters of the United States.”   Prior to the Clean Water Act, rivers were catching on fire and Lake Erie was dubbed the Dead Sea by fisherman. Today, largely because of the Clean Water Act, our lakes, rivers and streams are in significantly better condition than they were prior to 1972.    

Congressman Dingell was also instrumental in moving the ball forward for the designation of the River Raisin Battlefield in Monroe as a unit of the National Park System. During the 110th Congress, he introduced legislation to require the National Park Service to take the land and designate a National Park if the land should be donated to the Park Service. Monroe is poised to make such a donation.. This legislation was part of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act, which was enacted in the 111th Congress, on March 30, 3009.

The River Raisin Battlefield site was the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the War of 1812. Out of nearly 1,000 American troops that participated in the engagement, only 33 escaped death or capture. This bloody event, arguably the largest land engagement of the war, gave birth to the emotional rallying cry “Remember the Raisin,” which spurred the American forces on to victory at the Battle of the Thames nine months later.
 

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