Jeff Merkley (D-OR) has proven himself, in his brief stint thus far in the Senate, to be a hero for renewable energy and environmental protection. He is likely to be one of our biggest allies in the process of producing climate legislation, and has already fought for the inclusion of some very important provisions in the Kerry-Boxer Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (CEJAPA) introduced yesterday.
All that and more after the jump.
Jeff Merkley was elected to the Senate in a relatively close race this past fall against incumbent Republican Gordon Smith. The final margin of victory was just a little over three percent, and the vote tally into the wee hours of Wednesday morning was actually showing a lead for Smith. But thanks to Merkley's record as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, in tune with Oregon's continuing progressive trend, and thanks to big coattails from Barack Obama, who won Oregon in a landslide, Merkley pulled it out in the end.
Recent Comments On Climate Change Legislation
Grist recently asked Senator Merkley a couple of questions regarding the climate change bill.
Here’s the transcript, provided by Grist:
Introduction: Greetings! I want to take just a few minutes to answer some questions from David Roberts from Grist. Now, David has some questions about our upcoming climate legislation.
Q: The first is: What are the most important ways to strengthen the climate bill that came out of the House?
A: Well, the first key thing is to strengthen the pollution-reduction target. We need to have at least a 20 percent reduction by 2020. Second is, we really need to focus on reducing the most polluting technologies, such as the current use of dirty coal technology. Third, we need to improve the integrity of our offsets. And fourth, we need to reduce the temptations to have speculation enter in to the trading regime. So those are all ways that we need to strengthen the legislation from the House.
Q: And the second question from David is: Is there any policy or provision in the climate bill that can serve as a rallying point for progressive organizing and advocacy?
A: Certainly I think one key thing that I would encourage folks to focus on is renewable energy standard. Because this is really about substituting green renewable energy, wind, and wave, and solar and geothermal, for the carbon-based energy that we are currently using. Right now, we are bringing a lot of fossil energy out of the ground. We’re burning it, it creates carbon dioxide; we break that through these renewable energies. Having a very strong standard, and implementing it as quickly as possible, would be a huge rallying point that would create not only a lot of clean energy, but a tremendous number of clean energy jobs which would be great for recovering our economy, and strengthening the financial foundation of our families.
Conclusion: So I want to thank David for his questions, and thank all of you for caring so much about the stewardship of our planet, about the reduction of our dependence on foreign oil, and about creating a strong clean economy. Thank you.
What's clear from even this short video is how committed Jeff Merkley is to passing significant climate change legislation. Frankly, it is hard to imagine an ACES bill that could end up being anywhere remotely as robust as what Merkley would support. Whatever bill ends up coming to the floor, Merkley is guaranteed to vote for it, with the possible exception of legislation that has been diluted to pointlessness (we saw this in the House where some progressives voted against the bill because they thought it was not strong enough). This means that Jeff Merkley is going to be one of the senators trying to pull ACES legislation to the left, and we need to give him strong support as he does so.
This is especially important given Merkley's seat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, one of the committees that will be producing ACES bills.
Additionally, Merkley has introduced legislation, co-sponsored by Dick Lugar, to offer low-interest loans for energy-efficiency upgrades to buildings, and Oregon's position as a leader in renewable energy, spurred in part by legislation that came through Oregon's House of Reps. while Merkley was a member and then Speaker, resulted in the state landing more than a quarter of the funds given out in a recent announcement of clean energy grants from the Department of Energy as part of the stimulus bill. This means that Jeff Merkley is already, as a freshman senator, helping to create green jobs and give a boost to the Oregon economy. How many states can say the same about their senators?
Contributions From Oil And Coal Industries
Oil and coal companies have given Jeff Merkley a staggering $0 between 2005 and now. That's right - zero. They know they aren't getting anywhere with this guy.
Conversely, he has received over $69,000 from environmental groups, and the League of Conservation Voters is one of his top 10 donors.
Voting Record
Though Merkley has not been in the Senate very long, Progressive Punch has him at 100% on environmental issues, much of which is related to budget amendments.
During his tenure as Speaker of the Oregon House, Merkley oversaw an updating of the Bottle Bill to include bottled water, and to create a task force that would recommend future updates. Other significant legislation included a requirement for Oregon's largest utility companies to procure 25% of their energy needs from renewable sources by 2025.
In a Project Vote Smart questionnaire filled out during the campaign last year, Merkley indicated his opposition to using nuclear power as an "alternative" energy source, drilling for oil in off-limits locations like ANWR, using ethanol as an "alternative" energy source, and increasing development in general of coal, oil, and gas. On the other hand, he indicated his support for strengthening the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, emission controls and fuel efficiency standards for all vehicles, creating a cap-and-trade system, and putting money into researching renewable energy.
Work on CEJAPA
Yesterday, Merkley Joined Senators Boxer and Kerry to Introduce the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act
Merkley pushed for the inclusion of provisions in the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act that will promote American energy independence and create clean energy jobs in Oregon, including:
- Investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency. These investments create jobs in Oregon’s rapidly growing wind, solar, and biomass sectors, and help families and businesses reduce energy bills by investing in energy conservation. The Senate bill calls for greater increases in renewable energy and energy efficiency investment than the House bill did, with specific programs for thermal renewable energy and energy conservation programs and for renewable energy generators.
[As someone who works at an energy efficiency organization based in Oregon, I appreciate this one.]
- Ensuring that Oregon’s forest lands—both federal and private lands—can provide sustainable and renewable biomass energy and be a thriving part of America’s clean energy future.
- Requiring polluters to reduce pollution 20 percent by 2020. The pollution reduction and investment program established by the bill cuts the pollution that threatens children’s health and causes global warming, and it makes polluters pay to invest in clean energy technologies to transform our economy. The Senate bill’s 20 percent pollution reduction is an increase over the 17 percent reduction in the House bill and increases investment in clean energy technologies.
- Reducing our dependence on foreign oil by increasing investment in public transportation and other transportation infrastructure. To save oil and emit less global warming pollution, the bill establishes a program for major metropolitan areas and states to plan for long-term transportation infrastructure that reduce oil dependence and meets pollution reduction targets, similar to what the Portland metro area has already started to do.
The Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act additionally reduces pollution by maintaining the tools of the Clean Air Act so the EPA can continue to use it to reduce pollution that threatens children’s health, hold polluters accountable, and ensure investment in the cleanest energy technology. This provision is in addition to the requirement of 20 percent pollution reductions by 2020.
"Throughout our history, the United States has led the world in innovation. By following this blueprint for transitioning to a clean energy economy, we can harness American know-how to produce American technology and American jobs. At the same time, we’ll be bolstering our communities, strengthening our national security, and protecting our families from harmful pollution," Merkley said.
[emphasis added]
These are exactly the kinds of things we should be seeing in climate legislation. A strong pollution reduction target, huge investments in clean energy technology, a big push for expanded public transit, appropriate use and protection of our nation's forests, and the creation of thousands of good-paying jobs.
Additionally, the Kerry-Boxer bill preserves the EPA's authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate polluters, something that Waxman-Markey (the House bill) does not do. This is clearly a key issue, and has gained even more importance in light of yesterday's announcement that the EPA will begin requiring, as soon as 2011, that all new and significantly updated facilities (which will apply primarily to power plants and factories) generating at least 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually prove that they have installed the best available technology for curbing emissions.
Giving Thanks
Contact Senator Merkley and thank him for his emphatic support of robust climate change and energy legislation. Let him know that this legislation is important to you, and that we're counting on him to help make ACES legislation as strong as it can be.
Contact form.
Phone numbers:
(202) 224-3753 in Washington, D.C.
(503) 326-3386 in Oregon.
Act Blue page.
pic: Oregon's Crater Lake National Park