Washington, D.C. ― Today, the InterAcademy Council, an organization of the world’s science academies, issued a report on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report affirmed that the Panel overall is successful in their work and called for a series of management adjustments as the IPCC works on future assessments on climate change science. It follows a July 5 report by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, which upheld the conclusions in the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report on climate change. Alliance President and CEO Maggie L. Fox issued the following statement:

“Previous independent reviews have upheld the IPCC’s scientific conclusions that human activities are changing our climate. The evidence of climate change is clear and overwhelming — despite desperate attempts by professional deniers and paid skeptics to discredit climate scientists and academic institutions. The recommendations of this report to strengthen the management structure of the IPCC will only improve the scientific community’s ability to communicate with the public about the dangerous reality of climate change. The scientific evidence that the climate crisis is real and urgent remains clear and affirmed. Our task now is to cut the greenhouse gas pollution causing this crisis and transition to a 21st century clean energy economy. Our leaders must adopt and support sound, cost-effective policies to make a transition to clean, renewable energy — and we have no time to lose.”

Last night, as the sun set over the Capitol, The Alliance for Climate Protection’s softball team, The Lions, took on our climate’s greatest enemy: the oil lobby. They took to the field and scored 27 to the paltry 14 brought in by the Oil Barons.

What was so intimidating about the Lions last night? It could have been their grassroots mobilization and the record attendance of both players and fans. It could have been their on-message heckling. They didn’t pass up an opportunity to ask why the batters were against creating millions of clean energy jobs. It could have been their fans lining the field dressed in the famous oil barrels, which they’ve used time and time again to highlight the Deepwater disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Or it could have been the fact that every Lion scored at least one run and/or had an RBI with four homeruns scored.

At the beginning of the season, Big Oil came to the Alliance and specifically asked for the matchup. This was a much-needed win for the Lions and for clean energy. Let’s hope they lobby just as badly as they play softball!

Around the globe, we are on track to see the hottest year yet in 2010. From the flooding in Pakistan to droughts in Russia and landslides in China, the effects of this year’s extreme weather are catastrophic and undeniable.

The recent pattern of extreme weather events is consistent with what scientists have projected to result from climate change: temperature shifts, severe rainfall and snow in some parts of the world, and major droughts in others.

Check out Repower America’s fact sheet on extreme weather and share it with your friends.

Despite the overwhelming facts, skeptics — like the now infamous Koch brothers¹, Massey coal² and Lord Monckton³ — will no doubt continue to spend big bucks to keep spreading misinformation about global warming.

But if we want to fight the skeptics, we’ll need a growing number of people to get informed. As the evidence mounts, leaders like Russian President Dmitry Medvedev are finally speaking out about climate change. President Medvedev spoke out at a United Nations Security Council meeting and said,

“What is happening now in our central regions is evidence of this global climate change, because we have never in our history faced such weather conditions in the past. This means that we need to change the way we work, change the methods that we used in the past.”⁴

In Pakistan, nearly 1,600 people have died this summer from the worst monsoon-related floods in living memory. And around the world, 2000-2009 was the warmest decade on record⁵, and 2010 is on track to be the warmest year the world has seen in 131 years.

Extreme weather events are putting lives in danger all around the world. Make sure you get the facts and spread the word.

Learn more about the link between extreme weather and climate change today.

________

1. Jane Mayer, “Covert Operations: The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama,” The New Yorker, August 30, 2010. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/30/100830fa_fact_mayer

2. Tom Zeller Jr. and Ben Werschkul, “A Coal Executive Pushes Back,” The New York Times, August 17, 2010.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/17/coal-executive-pushes-back/

3. Suzanne Goldenberg, “Climate change denier Lord Monckton meets Glenn Beck,” The Guardian, October 30, 2009. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2009/oct/30/lord-monckton-glenn-beck-copenhagen

4. The Kremlin, “Speech at expanded Security Council meeting on fire safety measures for strategic facilities,” August 4, 2010. http://eng.kremlin.ru/transcripts/724

5. National Climatic Data Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “State of the Climate in 2009,” June 2010. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/bams-state-of-the-climate/2009.php

Here at our Washington headquarters, there’s plenty of disappointment that the Senate failed to act on a climate change bill. But that doesn’t mean we’re about to give up. On the contrary, we are rolling up our sleeves and turning our attention to the future.

That’s why it was so encouraging to hear our Chairman, Al Gore, on a “virtual town hall” this week with thousands of our supporters. If you haven’t heard the call yet, click here to listen now:

http://www.repoweramerica.org/discuss

The Vice President made it clear to everyone that our fight is not over. You’ve seen the headlines about record-high temperatures, and there are still millions of gallons of oil polluting the Gulf. Our work isn’t done until our leaders stand with us and help solve the climate crisis.

Here’s what Vice President Gore said:

“So how do we move ahead? How can we? Well, we have an ally on our side. Reality. And millions more people, all the time, are recognizing what’s going on.”

And we’re asking for help from each and every one of our members. Click on this link to join a discussion about the Vice President’s call and share ideas on what to do next.

http://www.repoweramerica.org/discuss

As the Vice President said: “I’m personally asking you to recommit to joining me in the fight that lies ahead. We have to continue to make certain that we protect the future of our civilization, that we protect the global environment, that we protect those who are leading the way on clean energy and climate solutions – help those who were with us during this battle, and who we need to continue to be with us.”

The Senate has decided that we won’t get a comprehensive climate and clean energy bill before the August recess — which most observers interpret as a death-knell for the legislation this year.

This failure would be hard to understand at any time, to say the least. But coming as it does in the middle of a record-hot summer and a series of environmental disasters, Washington’s abandonment of this effort is all the more confounding and frustrating.

However, this setback only makes our work more necessary. As long as we care about our country, our planet, and the future we’re leaving for our children and grandchildren, we must continue to fight.

Remember: The climate crisis isn’t going away. And neither can we. It is getting worse, so we have to redouble our efforts.

We’re already planning the next phase of our work, and I’m counting on your continued involvement. I’d like to invite you to join me next Tuesday, August 10, for a conversation to discuss how we should move forward from here. I’ll be answering some questions from Repower America members like you — so please submit a question for discussion.

“Next Steps for the Climate Movement”
Virtual Town Hall
Tuesday, August 10 at 8:30 p.m. EDT
RSVP to join and submit your question

The Senate’s decision is a major disappointment for the climate movement, but there is a silver lining. In the last year, supporters like you have organized on an unprecedented scale. And we’ve built overwhelming popular support for action on comprehensive climate and clean energy solutions.

But by using the right-wing media echo chamber, record campaign contributions and an army of well-paid lobbyists, the oil and coal industries have stopped at nothing to protect the status quo and their profits. They want to keep using the atmosphere as an open sewer for the dumping of their greenhouse gas pollution.

The Senate’s inaction reflects that reality. We have always known that solving the climate crisis is a generational challenge — and the urgency of the climate crisis demands that despite these substantial obstacles, we must fight for every inch of progress. The science has never been more clear and the evidence is mounting day by day.

For those of us who understand the stakes, it’s a moral obligation.

And so we must fight even harder. Together, we must continue to beat back repeated assaults on the authority in the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon pollution. We must continue to pressure our elected leaders — local, state and national — to stand with the American people instead of the fossil fuel industry. We must each take individual action to transition to clean energy in our daily lives. And we must win the ongoing battle of science against spin.

We can and must continue the fight. Please join me on Tuesday, August 10 at 8:30 p.m. EDT to discuss our next steps.

http://acp.repoweramerica.org/jointhecall

Washington, D.C. ― Today, the Environmental Protection Agency rejected petitions from 10 groups, including Peabody Coal and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to reconsider a finding that greenhouse gas pollution endangers human health. The EPA affirmed that climate change is happening as a result of human actions, despite the claims of these groups based on “selectively edited, out-of-context data and a manufactured controversy.” The Alliance for Climate Protection Program Director Kevin Curtis issued the following statement:

“There is clear and overwhelming scientific evidence that pollution is changing our climate. This week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that climate change is ‘undeniable’ and the past decade was the warmest on record. The EPA was right to uphold the finding that climate change is a real threat to human health.

“American businesses have everything to gain if we adopt comprehensive policies to build a clean energy economy. When we make a transition to clean energy and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, we can create millions of new jobs and reduce the pollution that is causing the climate crisis.”

About the Alliance for Climate Protection:

The Alliance for Climate Protection was founded in 2006 by Nobel laureate and former Vice President Al Gore. With more than five million members and supporters worldwide, the Alliance is a unique non-profit, non-partisan organization that is committed to educating the global community about the urgency of implementing comprehensive solutions to the climate crisis.

Washington, D.C. – Now that graduation season has passed, grads from across the country are braving the heat to land that coveted first “real” job. Sadly, at no time in recent memory has it been more difficult to jump into the employment pool. That’s why this week, more than 3,000 students from South Dakota to Florida polished up their resumes and made a very special submission. The students sent their resumes to Senators in 13 states asking to be employed in clean energy jobs.

Today’s graduates face the worst economy in decades. However, America stands to gain nearly 1.9 million jobs by transitioning to a clean energy economy. To make that possible America’s leaders must quickly adopt comprehensive climate and clean energy policies.

“Building a clean energy economy is hard work, but my generation is up to the task,” said Samantha Mertz, a Political Science major at Truman State University in Missouri. “Students and recent graduates like me can provide the energy to kick start this new industry. Making investments in wind, solar, other renewable sources and energy efficiency can create careers for millions of people.”

“In engineering, business, the sciences and construction recent graduates will bring new skills and a fresh voice to the conversation,” said MaryLynne Smith, a recent graduate of James Madison University. “We are willing to do the work to create a whole new economy for America, one based on clean sustainable energy and jobs that simply can’t be outsourced. But to do so we need our Senators to lead.”

From architects to pipe fitters and steel workers to accountants a clean energy economy would create openings for folks of all skill sets and all education levels. At 21 events across the country students and recent graduates are asking their Senators to take the lead in the transition to a clean energy economy.

“I hope my Senators will consider my resume and work with me to produce the thousands of jobs that businesses are ready and willing to create for graduating students like me,” said Chris Stergalas, a recent graduate from the University of Michigan.

In total 40 organizers and more than 200 students delivered more than 3,000 resumes to their Senators. None have been contacted yet for an interview.

As we witness the worst industry-caused environmental catastrophe in our history, the deadliest coal mining disaster in 40 years, and sweat through the hottest first 6 months of any year on record, there’s never been a more urgent time to move forward with a clean energy and climate policy.

There’s no doubt that big oil, big coal, their army of lobbyists and their partners in Congress are cheering the obstruction that blocked Senate action on clean energy and climate legislation. Their cheers are cheers for China taking the lead in clean energy jobs, the Middle East getting more of our money, and America getting more
pollution and fewer jobs.

At every opportunity, a minority of Senators who are in the pocket of America’s largest polluters in the coal and oil industries chose obstruction over working together to solve America’s energy and national security challenges. As a result of their actions, the big polluters will continue to reap record profits at the expense of Americans.

As we look forward, one thing is clear: the Senate’s job is not done. They must use every opportunity available to address clean energy and climate reform by working to limit carbon pollution and invest in new clean energy sources that are made in America, including protecting the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to crack down on polluters.

Joint Statement Signers:

National & Regional
1Sky
Campus Progress Action
Center for American Progress Action Fund
Center for International Environmental Law
Clean Water Action
Defenders of Wildlife
Democracia
Earth Day Network
Earthjustice
ecoAmerica
Energy Action Coalition
Environment America
Environmental Defense Fund
League of Conservation Voters
National Audubon Society
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council
Operation Free
Rock the Vote
Sierra Club
The Alliance for Climate Protection
The Wilderness Society
Union of Concerned Scientists
US Climate Action Network
Voces Verdes
World Wildlife Fund

Regional
Cascade Climate Network (Pacific Northwest)
Climate Solutions (Pacific Northwest)
Conservation Law Foundation (New England)
Environmental Law & Policy Center (Midwest)
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (Southeast)

State & Local
Alabama Chapter of the Sierra Club
Alaska Business Clean Energy Network
Alaska Climate Action Network
Alaska Conservation Voters
Alaska Inter-Tribal Council
Alaska Marine Conservation Association
Homer Electric Association Members Forum
KACN-TV/Alaska Communications Center
Arkansas Interfaith Power &Light
Arkansas Wildlife Federation
Audubon Arkansas
Climate Change Task Force
Fort Smith, Arkansas Flyfishers
OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
Repower Arkansas
Sierra Club Arkansas Chapter
Sierra Club Central Arkansas Group
Village Commons
White River Conservancy
350.org
California League of Conservation Voters
CALPIRG Student Chapters
Interfaith Power and Light
KyotoUSA
The Vote Solar Initiative
Audubon Colorado
Audubon Society of Greater Denver
Center for Native Ecosystems
Colorado Clean Water Action
Colorado Conservation Voters
Colorado Interfaith Power and Light
Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG)
Environment Colorado
Friends of Boulder Open Space
High Country Citizens’ Alliance
Physicians for Social Responsibility, Colorado Chapter
Roaring Fork Audubon
Solar Gardens Institute
Clean Water Action Connecticut
Environment Connecticut
DE Chapter of the Sierra Club
Greater Washington Interfaith Power & Light
Operation Free
Audubon of Florida
Big Bend Coastal Conservancy
Coastal Angler Magazine & Anglers for Conservation
Democracia
Emerald Coastkeeper, INC
Environment Florida
Environmental Coalition of Miami Beach
Florida Alliance For Renewable Energy
Florida Business Network for a Clean Energy Economy
Florida Conservation Alliance
Florida Keys Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America
Florida Renewable Energy Association
Florida Renewable Energy Producers Association
Florida Wildlife Federation
Gulf Coast Environmental Defense
IDEAS
KeysReuse
Naples Network for Climate Action
Rainbow River Conservation, Inc.
Reef Relief
Repower Florida
Sierra Club Florida
Snook Foundation
Space Coast Climate Change Initiative
St. Petersburg Audubon Society
Student Environmental Awareness Society
Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, Inc.
United for a Sustainable America
Urban Paradise Guild
Center for a Sustainable Coast
Environment Georgia
Sierra Club Georgia Chapter
Conservation Council for Hawai’i
Hawaii Interfaith Power & Light
Life of the Land (Hawaii)
Surfrider Foundation–Hawaii Chapters
Windward Ahupua`a Alliance
Sierra Club Idaho Chapter
Environment Illinois
Faith in Place and the Illinois Interfaith Power & Light Campaign
Indiana Wildlife Federation
Repower Indiana
Save the Valley
Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter
Environment Iowa
Iowa Interfaith Power & Light
Sierra Club-Kansas Chapter
Topeka Audubon Society
Cumberland Chapter (KY), Sierra Club
Green Light New Orleans
Louisiana Bucket Brigade
E2 Tech Council
Environment Maine
Environmental and Energy Technology Council of Maine
Maine Association of Building Efficiency Professionals
Maine Audubon
Maine Interfaith Power & Light
Maine League of Conservation Voters
Maine Wind Industry Initiative
Natural Resources Council of Maine
Repower Maine
U.S. Green Building Council, Maine Chapter
Maryland League of Conservation Voters
Progressive Cheverly
Ceres
Clean Water Action Alliance of Massachusetts
Environment Massachusetts
Green Action, Massachusetts
Green Decade/Cambridge
Green for a Change
Green Needham Collaborative
Lexington Global Warming Action Coalition
Mass Audubon
Massachusetts Climate Action Network
New England Farmers Union
Quincy Environmental Network
Repower Massachusetts
RuralVotes (MA)
Sustainable Arlington
Sustainable Duxbury
Sustainable Winchester
Citizens Against Environmental Destruction
Environment Michigan
Michigan Businesses for Clean Energy
Michigan Clean Water Action
Michigan Energy Alternatives Project
Michigan Interfaith Power & Light
Michigan League of Conservation Voters
National Wildlife Federation, Michigan Chapter
Progress Michigan
Repower Michigan
SEIU Michigan State Council
Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
1000 Friends of Minnesota
Alliance for Sustainability
CLEAN (Coalition of Legislators for Energy Action Now)
Clean Water Action Alliance of Minnesota
Fresh Energy
Mankato Area Environmentalists
Minnesota Conservation Federation
Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union
Minnesota Public Interest Research Group
North Star Chapter of the Sierra Club
Will Steger Foundation
Mississippi Chapter of the Sierra Club
Columbia Climate Change Coaltion
Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Green Action, Missouri
Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation Office, School Sisters of Notre Dame, St. Louis Province
Missouri Votes Conservation
Peace Economy Project
Repower Missouri
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and Associates
Citizens for Clean Energy, Inc. cce-mt.org
Jeannette Rankin Peace Center
Montana Audubon
Montana Conservation Voters
MontPIRG
Repower Montana
Repower Nebraska
Environment Nevada
Nevada Conservation League
ProgressNow Nevada
Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club
Environment New Hampshire
Gilmanton Energy Committee
LARELLA
LEACH NEWS GROUP
Project Laundry List
Repower New Hampshire
The Energy Committee Of Sanbornton
WMD – Women Making a Difference
Environment New Jersey
Kent International
NJ Environmental Federation
NJPIRG Student Chapters
Sunshine Solar Systems, Inc.
Audubon New Mexico
Central New Mexico Audubon Society
Cerro Pelon Ranch
CommonGroundUnited
Environment New Mexico
League of Women Voters of New Mexico
New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light
New Mexico Wildlife Federation
Red Rock Pictures
Rio Grande Chapter-Sierra Club
Sangre de Cristo Audubon Society
The Renewable Energy Industries Association of New Mexico
Audubon New York
Environment New York
Environmental Advocates of New York
Parents for Climate Protection
Renewable Energy Long Island (RELI)
Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter
Audubon, North Carolina
Cape Fear Friends of Wildlife
Cape Fear Garden Club
Capitol Chapter, North Carolina Wildlife Federation
Conservation Council of North Carolina
Dan River Basin Association
Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society
Environment North Carolina
Habitat and Wildlife Keepers
Johnson County Wildlife Club
Lake Norman Wildlife Conservationists
Mountain Wild Chapter, North Carolina Wildlife Federation
Nat Greene Flyfishers
NC Conservation Network
NC Council Trout Unlimited
NC Wildlife Federation
North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light
Organization For Wildlife and Lands Stewardship
Pisgah Chapter, Trout Unlimited
Protecting, Advocating, and Conserving Together (PACT) in the High Country
RuralVotes (NC)
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Table Rock Chapter, Trout Unlimited
Turtle Island Adventures, Inc
WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility
Repower North Dakota
Environment Ohio
Ohio Farmers’ Union
Ohio Interfaith Power & Light
Repower Ohio
B.E. Cause
3EStrategies, LLC
Clean Edge, Inc.
College Ecology Club – University of Portland
DFWA
Douglas County Global Warming Coalition
Environment Oregon
EverPower Washington LLC
GreenWave Productions
Helios Resource Network
HM3 Energy
Native Fish Society
Oregon Environmental Council
Oregon Fair Trade Campaign
Oregon Interfaith Power and Light, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Oregon League of Conservation Voters
Oregon Sierra Club
PolicyInteractive
Salem Audubon Society
Urban Greenspaces Institute
Arrowhead Chapter Trout Unlimited
Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture)
Clean Air Council
Conservation Consultants, Inc.
Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania
Delaware Riverkeeper Network
Friends of the Nescopeck
Izaak Walton League of American
Keystone Progress
League Woman Voters of Lower Merion and Narberth,Pa.
PennEnvironment
Pennsylvania Business Leaders for a Clean Energy Economy
Pennsylvania Works!
PenTrans
Philadelphia Jewish Labor Committee
Pike County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs
Repower Pennsylvania
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
The Center for the Celebration of Creation
Trout Unlimited – Iron Furnace Chapter
Environment Rhode Island
Conservation Voters of South Carolina
Kitchen Table Climate Study Group
League of Women Voters of South Carolina
Repower South Carolina
South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce
South Carolina Wildlife Federation
1Sky
Augie Green
Brookings County Democrats
Christian Environmental Forum
Eastern South Dakota Building and Construction Trades Council
OMG: Center for Theological Conversation
Repower South Dakota
South Carolina Solar Business Alliance
South Dakota Farmers Union
Tennessee Conservation Voters
Tennessee Interfaith Power & Light
Environment Texas
Sierra Club Utah Chapter
Utah Interfaith Power & Light
Vermont League of Conservation Voters
Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation
Chesapeake Bay Group Sierra Club
Chesapeake For Change
Environment Virginia
Friends of Stafford Creeks
Green Alternatives
Northern Virginia Climate Action Network
Public Policy Virginia
Repower Virginia
Shenandoah Group of the Sierra Club
Terra-Scapes
Virginia Chapter-Sierra Club
Virginia Conservation Network
Virginia Council Trout Unlimited
Virginia Great Falls Group – Sierra Club
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
Virginia Native Plant Society
Virginia Organizing Project
Virginia Solar Energy Association
Voice of Vietnamese Americans
Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power & Light
65th Street Change Gang
Conservation Northwest
CoolMom
Environment Washington
NW Energy Coalition
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
WashPIRG Students
Ohio Valley P.E.A.C.E Group
1000 Friends of Wisconsin
Midwest Environmental Advocates
Wisconsin Environment
Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters
WISPIRG Student Chapters
Wyoming Conservation Voters

For immediate release: July 27, 2010
Contact: David Di Martino, (202) 247-7271, dd@bluelinesc.com

Washington, DC – Top leaders from several national organizations today said that the U.S. Senate’s inaction on climate and energy legislation will send more American jobs to China, send more American dollars to hostile oil regimes, and leave America with more pollution and no economic benefit from a new clean energy economy. These leaders released a statement from more than 200 national and local organizations calling on action from the Senate on a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill.

The call for action from the Senate came during a national telephone news conference with reporters to discuss the urgent need for the Senate and the Obama Administration to use every opportunity available to address clean energy and climate reform. These leaders, among others, voiced growing frustration over the actions of some Senators who are in the pocket of America’s largest polluters – the oil and coal industries. To listen to a recording of today’s telepresser, click the following link: here.

For months, a broad and diverse coalition of Americans has echoed the need for immediate action on a clean energy and climate bill. More than three months into the worst industry-caused environmental catastrophe in our history, after the deadliest coal mining disaster in 40 years, and while sweating through the hottest first six months of any year on record, there’s never been a clearer or more obvious case for the Senate to move forward with a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill.

“Kicking the can down the road is irresponsible when the harsh impacts of climate change are so clear,” said Kevin Knobloch, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists. “The heat waves that are occurring around the country — and have killed people — are likely to become more severe if we allow global warming emissions to continue unabated.”

“Big Oil, Big Coal and their army of lobbyists and partners in Congress have blocked the Senate from taking action on this vital issue,” said Peter Lehner, Executive Director of the National Resources Defense Council. “At every turn, a minority in the Senate chose obstruction over working with their colleagues to find solutions to America’s energy and national security needs. Their behavior will only maintain the status quo and cost our nation dearly.”

“It is wrong that America’s biggest polluters prevented the Senate from enacting common-sense policies to reduce carbon pollution, invest in clean energy, and ultimately create good-paying clean energy jobs to put Americans back to work,” said Maggie L. Fox, President and CEO of The Alliance for Climate Protection. “We need courage and greater leadership from the U.S. Congress and President Obama to ensure that future environmental disasters, health hazards, and missed opportunities to create clean energy jobs will not occur.”

“It’s deeply disappointing that Big Oil, Dirty Coal and their allies in Congress have blocked the Senate for now from creating a clean energy economy that creates jobs, makes America more energy independent and protects the planet,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski. “The twin challenges of building a clean energy economy and addressing global warming are too important to fail. Now is the time for real leadership from our elected officials to ensure the fight continues to transition our nation to a cleaner, more secure energy future.”
These leaders participating in today’s telepress conference are available for comment. If you are interested in setting up an interview with one of these individuals, please contact David Di Martino.