October, 2003
On October 30, 2003, the Senate voted, 43-55, to defeat the McCain-Lieberman “Climate Stewardship Act”. The CSA would have returned emissions of greenhouse gases in most major sectors of the economy to 2000 levels by 2010. It was the first serious attempt in Congress to stem the growth of emissions and grapple with the increasing threat of global warming. 75% of Americans wanted this legislation, according to a recent Zogby poll. Sadly, their voices were drowned out by the big coal and oil interests.
This vote is a warning, however, to the “just say no” crowd. When the President’s so-called “Clear Skies” initiative on power plant emissions comes up for a vote, 43 Senators are likely to threaten a filibuster unless the President agrees to include carbon dioxide, as he once promised. White House panic is beginning to show-it put out a blatantly untruthful position statement in opposition to the CSA.
The majority of Senators, as well as the President, still seem to think that the problem of global warming will go away if they ignore it long enough. It won’t. In ever increasing numbers, Americans will demand action. States and municipalities are already acting, but their best efforts are not enough. We need action at the national, and ultimately international, levels. Unfortunately, the longer the naysayers are able to delay, the
more the rest of us will pay.
The following resources are available regarding the Climate Stewardship
Act:
- The language of the bill
- A summary of the bill
- Testimonials (in PDF)
- CIEL Press Statement on the CSA