The Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act

Posted: 16-Jan-2007; Updated: 31-Jan-2007

The Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act (S.280) is a bipartisan solution to the dangers of global warming. Its primary sponsors are Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) John McCain (R-AZ), Barack Obama (D-IL), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME).

The Climate Stewardship Act would:

• Set mandatory greenhouse gas pollution reductions: All major sectors of the U.S. economy would reduce and cap greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution to 2004 levels by 2012.  It then lowers that cap gradually, such that it reaches 1/3 of year 2004 levels by 2050.

• Make U.S. economy more energy efficient: Real GHG emissions cuts cannot occur without an effective plan for making the U.S. economy more energy efficient. This bill will encourage companies to make new investments in energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy.

• Use free-market incentives to lower costs, grow the economy and promote innovation: The bill takes an approach first developed by Environmental Defense for the federal acid rain program, which helped achieve larger acid rain reductions than required at far lower costs than ever imagined. By taking this same approach, the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act will cut GHG emissions while stimulating innovation in the service of environmental protection.

• Jump-start technology innovations: The bill includes a "technology title." It has new provisions intended to encourage the development and deployment of low-carbon energy technologies, before the cap would take effect in 2010. These provisions include support for cleaner vehicles, cleaner fuels and power generation options including coal gasification and nuclear generation.

• Break the logjam of U.S. inaction to fight global warming: For years, the federal government has resisted taking real action to tackle global warming. This business-friendly, bipartisan act would create legitimate U.S. climate policy.

Official bill summary and further information
You can find more details and the full text of the bill on the Library of Congress's legislative site.