Legislative Update - October 2009

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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Climate change legislation has been TU's hottest legislative priority in recent months. The summer, the House of Representatives took historic action on an energy and climate change bill, and the Senate is taking up the issue this fall. The American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454) passed the House on June 26 . The bill accomplishes TU’s two main goals for climate legislation: reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping natural resources adapt to a changing climate. H.R. 2454 will reduce emissions to 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and then to 83% below 2005 levels by 2050. The bill also directs federal agencies to consider, plan for, and address the impacts of climate change on natural resources and provides funding, through the auction of emissions permits, to the agencies and to state governments to protect and conserve fish and wildlife and their habitat.

On September 30, The Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, the Senate’s energy and climate change legislation, was introduced. The bill calls for stronger emissions reduction targets than the House bill - 20% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83% by 2050- and includes many of the same natural resource adaptation provisions to protect and conserve fish and wildlife found in the House bill. However, the Senate bill does not yet include the amount of funding that will be available for adaptation activities. TU will be working throughout the fall as the Senate continues to fill in details of the bill to ensure adequate funding for fish and wildlife adaptation programs and ultimately to pass the bill.

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