Blue Green Alliance * Clean Water Action * Earthjustice * Environment America
Environmental Defense Fund * League of Conservation Voters * National Audubon Society
National Wildlife Federation * Natural Resources Defense Council * Pew Environment Group
Physicians for Social Responsibility * Sierra Club * Union of Concerned Scientists
World Wildlife Fund
February 25, 2010
Dear Senator,
On behalf of our millions of members and supporters, we write to convey our strong support for enacting
climate and energy legislation this year to create jobs, enhance America’s security, and require
reductions in carbon pollution. We also want to express our strong opposition to forgoing action on
integrated legislation in favor of an energy bill such as the American Clean Energy Leadership Act of
2009 (ACELA).
The nation faces three fundamentally linked crises that must be addressed without delay: the
environment, the economy, and national security. We cannot afford to neglect opportunities for creating
American jobs, to leave our national security at risk, or to pump more dangerous pollution into the
atmosphere. Our collective goal must be an integrated solution to these crucial issues. Success must be
measured by bold steps forward on these inherently inseparable challenges.
Effective climate and energy legislation will create approximately 2 million jobs, cut America’s
dependence on foreign oil in half, and cut carbon pollution by 2 billion tons by 2020. While many policy
tools are needed, the indispensable key to these critical results is to put a limit on carbon pollution. This
limit, in combination with strong energy policies, is crucial for creating the powerful economic incentives
required to unlock the investment and ingenuity that will drive large-scale job creation, ensure pollution
reduction, and advance energy independence.
In comparison, even though it contains important energy efficiency programs, the overall impact of
ACELA as it now stands would be to forgo ov