Kerry-Lieberman Is 'Transformational'

by REP President Rob Sisson, published June 1, 2010 in Politico

On May 21, Politico ran an op-ed by three left-tilting groups — Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and Public Citizen — that claimed the Kerry-Lieberman legislation "puts polluters before climate."

Their harsh assessment is as naive as it is wrong.

This legislation is transformational. By putting a price on carbon emissions, it will send the long-overdue price signal necessary to jump-start our move away from fossil fuels.

One aspect of the Kerry-Lieberman bill that irks these critics is language designed to increase domestic production of traditional energy sources — language they decry as favoring "polluters." Our nation is too dependent on fossil fuels. As problematic as that is, the transition to alternative forms of energy will take time. We cannot just click our heels together and make it so.

As the nation shifts to low-carbon sources of energy, we must find ways to optimize the fossil fuels that we are going to continue to burn. Let’s see whether we can make carbon sequestration and natural-gas-fueled fleet vehicles work.

It is telling that the three groups stubbornly insist on focusing their ire on nuclear energy, when the greenhouse gas pollution that is altering our climate comes from fossil fuels. Without increased reliance on nuclear, achieving the reductions in fossil fuel use required to safeguard our climate, strengthen energy security, and create new energy technology jobs will be considerably more difficult.

Time is not on our side. An unwillingness to compromise could result in further delay in putting the country on the right energy course. The reality is that passing any legislation requires a careful balancing act to secure the 60 votes needed.

The Kerry-Lieberman proposal strikes that balance. The fantasy legislation envisioned by Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and Public Citizen does not.