Climate Change

There is extremely strong evidence that global temperatures are changing due in large part to greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. Those emissions are changing precipitation patterns, raising sea levels and altering glacial activity. If left unchecked, these effects will dramatically alter the Earth’s ecosystem.

There is growing evidence of the impacts of climate change on the environment, human health and our economy. The world’s leading climate scientists now predict that during our children’s life time, climate change will raise the average temperature by 3 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, causing 3 out of every 5 species to die, the sea to rise by 2 feet, and will put our state’s drinking water supply in jeopardy. Experts predict that failing to act now will cost us $1.9 to $3 trillion by 2100.

Given these clear consequences, Congressman Thompson strongly believes it is the responsibility of Congress to act. H.R. 2454, The American Clean Energy and Security Act was passed by the House of Representatives July 26th, 2009. The bill aims to transform the way our nation produces and consumes energy. We have the wherewithal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and we have the know-how and the entrepreneurial spirit to invest in clean energy initiatives. With a new federal policy in place, we will promote new, high-value manufacturing and technology jobs.

While Congressman Thompson recognizes elements of the bill are flawed, he is committed to making improvements. The bill has been endorsed by a broad coalition that fundamentally understands we need to change our energy future. That coalition includes electric utilities like PG&E, oil companies, car companies, chemical companies, and major manufacturers such as General Electric, as well as the National Farmers Union.

There have been many distortions about how H.R. 2454 would affect Americans, especially regarding how much it will cost. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently projected the daily cost to be less than 50 cents per person. However, that estimate does not take into account the long-term savings that will be created for American households, an estimated energy efficiency savings of approximately $200 per month by 2020. The bill also contains provisions to return revenues collected as a result of the legislation to consumers to offset any price increases. But perhaps more significantly, the estimates do not include the savings to our nation, in both dollars and in lives, when our foreign policy is no longer driven by our need for foreign oil.

H.R. 2454 will help our economy by creating new jobs. Economists from the University of Massachusetts Amherst state that the bill’s expansion in clean-energy investments coupled with the recovery legislation passed earlier this year will generate roughly $150 billion per year in new clean-energy activity. This would generate a net increase of about 1.7 million jobs.

Congressman Thompson's top priority moving forward is to make sure that the final climate change legislation passed by both the House and the Senate protects families and businesses in our district and in our nation, and makes a down payment on a cleaner, healthier world for our grandchildren to inherit.