Climate Change
The warming of the earth's climate system is happening. The vast majority of scientists, as well as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, support this unequivocal conclusion. Sea temperatures are rising, glaciers are melting, and air temperatures worldwide are increasing. Scientists, a majority of the public, industry, and state and local officials now agree that climate change is a challenge our society must address. Here in Colorado, we are already witnessing the impacts of climate change with increased threats from drought, wildfire, and bark beetle infestation. We need to take swift but responsible action before we see major negative effects - not only to our climate, but our national security, and our economy.
Most importantly, we must move beyond debates about whether global climate change is occurring - it is happening. I believe we can meet this challenge by working together in our communities, states, across the country, and across the world to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, develop more efficient appliances and cleaner-running vehicles, and learn new ways to lessen our impact on the planet.
And while the threat of global climate change is serious, I also believe that it presents us with opportunities. As we work to find new ways to travel, build homes and buildings, and interact with our surroundings, we will increase the demand for new products and technologies, creating new jobs in cutting-edge, in-demand fields. In Congress, I have worked to create incentives for entrepreneurs to build green technologies and industries, which have the potential to employ thousands of Coloradans and help strengthen rural and urban economies. My colleagues on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and I passed out of committee a bipartisan comprehensive energy bill that will help develop the technologies and advance the policies we need to address climate change.
But the energy bill is just one step that we must take. We also must establish a price on carbon and make real progress toward lowering our greenhouse gas emissions. One of my priorities is passing legislation to help slow climate change. As the Senate debates a climate change bill, I have been working to improve the bill and ensure it is best for Colorado. I will continue to listen to views on all sides, striving to reach compromises that will result in a healthier environment, new jobs, and a stronger, more efficient economy. We must leave our planet in better shape for future generations. And in the coming months and years, Coloradans can count on me to do what is right for the state on issues involving climate change.
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Electric Consumer Right to Know Act (e-KNOW) Act (S.3487)
In today's marketplace, consumers have a clear understanding of the price of gasoline and what their car mileage means for their pocket books. They also have ready access to the number of minutes remaining on their cell phone. But they can't get the same kind of clear, timely data related to their electricity use and its price. That is why I introduced the Electric Consumer Right to Know Act, which would establish consumers' right to access their own real-time electricity data. Defining this right is an important step toward helping consumers use electricity more efficiently and save money on their electric bills. And on top of that, I am proud to say that this idea came directly from a Coloradan at my Energy Jobs Summit in February 2010.
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S. 3364 - the Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act of 2010
I introduced this bipartisan legislation, along with Senator Collins from Maine, in response to frustrations voiced by Colorado school officials who found that information about energy efficiency grants for schools is hard to find and scattered among many federal agencies. The Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act would coordinate information on all federal energy efficiency programs for schools through a central office in the Department of Energy so states and school administrators may more easily access the programs. It also connects schools together so they can learn from one another in improving the energy efficiency of our local schools. These reforms will ultimately save taxpayer dollars.
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S. 3395 - Renewable Energy Market Access Program (REMAP) Act of 2010
I introduced this bill to further develop the renewable energy industry by supporting the export of their innovative American products abroad. Specifically, the bill makes U.S. exports of renewable energy and energy efficiency products more competitive by providing technical trade assistance to small- and medium-sized businesses. The REMAP Act would strengthen the clean energy economy and create jobs here at home by finding new markets for U.S. renewable energy goods and services and making our products more competitive abroad. We must find creative and fiscally responsible ways to create new American jobs - today.
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Combating the Bark Beetle Epidemic
Since I was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and now as a U.S. Senator, I have fought to help Colorado mitigate the threats to public safety and infrastructure caused by the bark beetle epidemic. At my urging, in February 2010, the U.S. Forest Service announced that it would allocate $30 million to our state - out of a total $40 million - to address the urgent needs caused by the bark beetle and spruce beetle. These resources will be focused in the Medicine Bow & Routt, Arapaho & Roosevelt, and White River national forests - which together contain almost 3 million acres of dead lodgepole pine trees - with $2 million going to address issues related to the spruce beetle in Southern Colorado and on the Western Slope.
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Letter to the President on clean energy and climate legislation to spur economic growth
On January 26, 2010, I sent a letter to the President with 16 other Senators urging him to work with Congress this year on clean energy and climate legislation that would help create new clean energy jobs and expand new clean energy industries. I believe we must act now to jumpstart the American clean energy revolution and create American jobs - before other countries beat us to the punch.
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S.2052: Nuclear Energy Research Initiative Improvement Act
I introduced S.2052, the Nuclear Energy Research Initiative Improvement Act of 2009, to explore new ways to make nuclear energy as cost-efficient, safe and secure as possible. This bipartisan bill authorizes the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct research into modular and small-scale reactors, enhanced proliferation controls, and cost-efficient manufacturing.
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Energy Storage Hearing
I believe that developing efficient and economically feasible energy storage technology is a critical step if America is to lead the world in the clean energy revolution. This technology will help us make wind and solar power more efficient and provide additional backup capability for the electric grid, reducing blackouts for homes and businesses. At my request, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a December 10, 2009, hearing on this topic. You can find information about the hearing here: http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=df36b718-e767-4437-7703-c8dfb3ea58cd
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S. 433: Renewable Electricity Standard (RES)
In February 2009, I introduced S. 433 with Senator Tom Udall, to establish a national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES), similar to the statewide RES we have in Colorado, and require that 25 percent of our electricity be produced from renewable energy sources by 2025.