Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Berman voted to pass landmark clean energy legislation that will limit the pollution that causes climate change, reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil, and create millions of new American jobs.  The American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act builds on clean energy investments made in the Recovery Act and unleashes private sector investment to create jobs that can’t be outsourced.

The bill will significantly reduce dangerous pollution by limiting emissions from electric utilities, oil refineries, and other major sources.  It also promotes American clean energy, including wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass, while promoting new efficient American vehicle technology.  The legislation also creates an opportunity for farmers and ranchers, allowing them to earn carbon offsets in exchange for planting trees, preserving existing forests, practicing sustainable farming methods, and other stewardship activities.

The bill uses the same type of market-based American solution we successfully put into place to fight acid rain with the bipartisan Clean Air Act in 1990.  That legislation led to a 10 percent decrease in electricity rates and 16 million new jobs. 

The American Clean Energy and Security Act is also critical to our national security, helping reduce foreign oil imports by more than 5 million barrels a day—what we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela.   Further, it is a crucial part of our economic recovery, creating millions of new American jobs and entire new industries.

With a combination of price spike protections, energy refunds and cost-saving technology, this bill will protect consumers, keep costs low, and protect current jobs by helping energy-intensive industries transition to a cleaner, more profitable future.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the legislation would cost a typical American household less than a postage stamp per day, or less than $111 a year.  Lower income households will see no new costs; in fact the Congressional Budget Office found that they would actually save $40 per year with the plan.  To maintain the return to fiscal responsibility that has become a hallmark of this Congress, the bill will not increase the deficit.

This bill sets out to tackle the most pressing global challenge we face—in a way that creates jobs and grows the economy, makes us more energy independent, and protects consumers and taxpayers in the process.

Taking a bold approach, the American Clean Energy and Security Act has received broad support from a nationwide coalition that includes consumer groups, environmental organizations, agriculture and forestry groups, and labor organizations, among many others. 

The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 219 - 212 and now heads to the Senate for further action.