House Democrats introduce global warming bill

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have unveiled climate change legislation that would seek to drastically cut carbon emissions and set a requirement for 25 percent of U.S. energy to come from renewable sources by 2025.

The bill also contains a cap-and-trade system to encourage utilities and other industry groups to work towards these goals.

“This legislation will create millions of clean energy jobs, put America on the path to energy independence, and cut global warming pollution.” Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a statement. “Our goal is to strengthen our economy by making America the world leader in new clean energy and energy efficiency technologies.”

Interestingly, the bill is called the "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009." What does climate change legislation have to do with national security? Well, not much, but with a little politicking, you can argue that energy independence (i.e. not relying on foreign oil for energy) makes our country safer and more stable. By emphasizing this in the bill, Democrats have given moderate Republicans a way to support the bill and justify it using this argument to any of their conservative constituents who might have a problem with climate change legislation.

If you want more info, the full text of the bill is here, and you can also find a shorter summary on the committee's website.