Washington, D.C. ― Yesterday, Californians voted “no” on Proposition 23, the ballot proposition that would have effectively overturned the state’s groundbreaking climate and clean energy law. The Climate Protection Action Fund sent field organizers to California to help defeat this harmful ballot initiative. CEO Maggie L. Fox issued the following statement:

“This vote is a victory for all Americans. It means California, and thus our nation, will keep leading in the necessary transition to clean, renewable energy. Texas oil companies spent millions to bankroll Proposition 23, but the voters chose not to listen to the dirty energy companies and their lies. With this vote, California will continue to lead the nation in building a clean energy future, which will benefit our economy and help solve the climate crisis.”

For Immediate Release: October 20, 2010
Contact: Giselle Barry, 202-567-6800, press@climateprotect.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― Today, Former Vice President Al Gore and the Climate Protection Action Fund have released a new video statement urging opposition to a harmful California ballot initiative, Proposition 23. In the statement, Vice President Gore asked Californians to vote against the ballot proposal that would effectively overturn the state’s pioneering energy and climate law.

“The fight for America’s clean energy future is taking place right now, and it’s come to California,” Vice President Gore said. “This is a fight we simply cannot afford to lose.”

Proposition 23 would suspend the state law known as the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, or AB 32. This law sets limits on the greenhouse gas pollution that is changing our climate, while creating incentives for the production of clean, renewable energy. The funding in support of Proposition 23 has come overwhelmingly from out-of-state oil companies.

The Climate Protection Action Fund is working to defeat Proposition 23 by sending staff members to California for voter outreach and education.

“This is a pivotal moment, and all of us need to be involved,” Vice President Gore said. “The polls show that Proposition 23 is a close vote. We need everyone in California to get out and vote ‘no’ on Proposition 23.”

As the vote on Proposition 23 looms closer, supporters of the ballot initiative are scrambling to convince voters of its supposed benefits to the economy, jobs and the environment. We know better, and we have the evidence to prove it. Proposition 23 would overturn California’s pioneering clean energy law, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. Supporters of Proposition 23 would have you believe that freezing California’s clean energy initiatives is good for America’s future. It’s not — and you should have all the facts.

Below we’ve compiled some of the myths opponents of clean energy are spreading to confuse Californians, and the facts they don’t want you to see:

Myth: Proposition 23 is the “California Jobs Initiative” and will help with the state’s unemployment.

The Facts: Passing Proposition 23 could slow job growth in California. The state’s renewable energy mandate, along with major investments in solar power, could create tens of thousands of jobs per year — jobs that would not be created if Prop. 23 passes. [1] If Proposition 23 is passed, clean energy companies might move out of the country, taking jobs with them. As of 2007, the state had over 10,000 businesses in the clean energy sector supporting more than 125,000 clean energy jobs. [2] Voting “no” on Prop. 23 will help keep those numbers on the rise.

Myth: Proposition 23 will help California’s economy and save consumers money.

The Facts: Big oil companies only care about their own bottom lines, and their bottom lines are tied to our addiction to dirty fossil fuels. Keeping clean energy in California will be good for both our wallets and our environment. We’ll develop renewable energy here at home instead of buying oil from abroad. And we’ll protect consumers from spikes in the price of fossil fuels.

For more information, check out this article from Pasadena-Star News.

Myth: Proposition 23 will only overturn California’s clean energy law for a short while. The environment will be “fine” in the meantime.

The Facts: Prop. 23 would suspend the state’s clean energy law until unemployment reaches 5.5% for a full year. That level that has only been achieved three times in recent decades, so in effect, the law could be suspended indefinitely. Our environment is already showing signs of damage from the burning of fossil fuels. Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, talks about ocean acidification and its potential devastating effects on California’s fishing industry in this article from northern California’s Times-Standard. Stopping a law that protects our air and water would be a huge mistake.

Don’t believe the lies about Proposition 23. Get more facts about California and clean energy from the Repower America factsheet (PDF) and help us spread the truth about Prop. 23.

This blog post is part of a series on Proposition 23 in California. Click here to learn more about Proposition 23.

References:
1) Pew
 Charitable 
Trusts,
“The
 Clean 
Energy
 Economy,”
 June
 2009.

2) U.C. Berkeley School of Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, “California at the Crossroads: Proposition 23, AB 32, and Climate Change,” September 2010. Page 30.

For immediate release: September 23, 2010
Press inquiries: Giselle Barry, 202-567-6800, press@climateprotect.org

Washington, D.C. — The Climate Protection Action Fund’s Repower America campaign released a new video, “Breathe,” highlighting public support for a strong Clean Air Act and opposition to the well-funded influence of the oil and fossil fuel lobby. Joining Repower America activists from around the country are Alec Baldwin, comedienne Margaret Cho, musicians the Flaming Lips and actor Kris Kristofferson, among other celebrities.

Thousands of Americans shot video or took pictures of themselves holding signs saying “yours,” “mine” or “ours,” stressing that no one person or company has ownership over clean air. These folks represent the deep concern Americans feel about the oil lobby’s efforts to block action on climate and clean energy in Congress. A recent poll from the Natural Resources Defense Council found that nearly 75% of Americans support protecting the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from corporate polluters.

Hundreds of Repower America members are joined in the video by notable entertainers and leaders such as A Fine Frenzy; Almudena Fernandez; Barely Political; The Belchertown, Bill McGibben; the Massachusetts Fire Department; Bill McKibben; Brandi Carlile; DeStorm Power; DJ Mike Relm; Eric Beck; Gloria Reuben; Hot for Words; Jeff Ross; John Popper of Blues Traveler; Lauren Francesca; Mark Douglas; Matt Urmy; Nalts; UpDaBlock; Vassy Karagiorgos; Wayne Coyne, and Will of DC, among others.

This month, America celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Clean Air Act, one of the most successful environmental laws on record. Thanks to this landmark legislation, we’ve turned back the danger of acid rain and reduced pollution that was shrinking the ozone layer. With this new video, Americans are once again signaling their support for smart, cost-effective policies that protect the legacy of the Clean Air Act and hold polluters accountable.

To view the new Repower America video and for more information on how to repower America, visit www.repoweramerica.org.

Full text of “Breathe”:
Breathe
Who does the air belong to?
The air belongs to all of us
And for 40 years
The Clean Air Act has kept is safe
But polluters and their allies think the air belongs to them
They’re spending over $1.5 million
Every day
To block the truth
And now they are working in Congress
To stop the Clean Air Act from reducing carbon pollution
Whose voice can stop this assault on our
Environment? Economy? Health?
Across the nation, we are standing up for our right to breathe easier
Because clean air belongs to all of us
No matter how much they spend on lies attacking the Clean Air Act
There are more of us
And we won’t be bought
Clean air is not theirs
The air is
Yours
Pass it on
www.repoweramerica.org/cleanair
Please help us share this video

About The Climate Protection Action Fund’s Repower America campaign:
Through its Repower America campaign, the Climate Protection Action Fund, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, is mobilizing a nationwide campaign of more than 5 million members and supporters dedicated to persuading our leaders to support solutions through action to the climate crisis and transition to a clean energy economy.

Since the Clean Air Act was passed in 1970, it has stood as a major defense against big polluters and helped us dramatically reduce both air and water pollution. This legislation that has done so much is once again facing attack from all sides: big oil, dirty coal and their allies in Congress who would like to see the law crumble, threatening our health and our quality of life.

We need more people to join the fight to protect the Clean Air Act, and that’s why Alec Baldwin, Kris Kristofferson and thousands of others have come together to create a new video to help get this important message out.

Please check out the video and spread the word to help save the Clean Air Act.

What has the Clean Air Act done for us?

According to the EPA website, since the Clean Air Act was enacted in 1970, we have observed

● new cars that are 90% cleaner;
● a near halt in the production of most chemicals that deplete the ozone layer;
● a 50% decrease in six major air pollutants; and
● a 70% reduction in toxic air emissions from large industrial sources.

Still not convinced?

In their Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act, the EPA describes a variety of reasons why you should care about air pollution:

● Public Health: Breathing polluted air is not only unpleasant — it can aggravate existing health problems as well as create new ones (asthma, for example). In a report to Congress, the EPA estimated that in 2010, the Clean Air Act will avert over 1.7 million incidences of asthma attacks and aggravation of chronic asthma.
● Environment: The negative effects of air pollution are not limited to the air. Air pollutants can form acid rain that affects our planet’s bodies of water, wildlife and plant life.
● Economics: Our economy also takes a hit. As air pollution leads to more health problems, the cost of healthcare for affected individuals continues to climb. In addition, the effects on the environment cause significant losses in agriculture and other industries. A 2008 study coauthored by two California State University Fullerton professors found that “dirty air” in California costs the state’s economy $28 billion per year (and that’s just California).
● Bottom Line: The Clean Air Act is our last, best line of defense against air pollution.

Clean air is yours, mine and ours. It belongs to all of us. Let’s keep it that way.

So, why are you fighting for the Clean Air Act? Please leave a comment to let us know why clean air matters to you.

Sources:
1) Environmental Protection Agency, “The Benefits and Costs of the Clean Air Act 1990 to 2010,” EPA Report to Congress: First Prospective Study, EPA-410-R-99-001, November 1999.
http://www.epa.gov/oar/sect812/1990-2010/chap1130.pdf

2) Environmental Protection Agency, “The Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act,” last updated August 29, 2008.
http://www.epa.gov/air/peg/index.html

Washington, DC – Climate Protection Action Fund CEO Maggie L. Fox today said the following regarding analyses of greenhouse has reductions in current legislative proposals.”

“All legislative proposals must reduce greenhouse gas pollution below current levels in order to address the economic, national security and climate crises imperiling our nation.”

“This chart makes the clear and powerful case that only through comprehensive legislation that limits greenhouse gas emissions will we reduce the pollution that is threatening our nation and our planet. Anything less will not address the challenges before us or put us on the path toward a clean energy future.

“Now is not the time to give up the race. In the shadow of today’s 3 month anniversary of the Gulf oil spill, now is the time for our Senators to lead with policies that reduce pollution, create millions of jobs, help end our dependence on oil and fossil fuels and transition American to a clean energy economy.”

Download full chart with sources.

About the Climate Protection Action Fund:
The Climate Protection Action Fund is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded by Nobel laureate and former Vice President Al Gore committed to affecting bold action on climate change. Using targeted legislative campaigns, issue advocacy and grassroots organizing, the Action Fund represents the powerful combined voices of the millions of Americans who understand that global warming is real and that the time to act is now.

Washington, DC – Climate Protection Action Fund Program Director today issued the following statement on the Environmental Protection Agency’s economic analysis of the American Power Act:

“As we await tonight’s remarks from President Obama on the oil spill continuing to devastate the Gulf, today’s release of the EPA’s economic analysis of the American Power Act again assures us that the transition to a clean energy economy will greatly benefit American families and businesses. The positive impacts – in the form of clean energy job creation, lower energy bills for consumers, and reductions in the pollution at the heart of the climate crisis – underscore the weakness of the arguments of those opposed to comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation. There is clearly no reason to block strong legislation other than to protect our nation’s dirty energy status quo.”

About the Climate Protection Action Fund:
The Climate Protection Action Fund is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded by Nobel laureate and former Vice President Al Gore committed to affecting bold action on climate change. Using targeted legislative campaigns, issue advocacy and grassroots organizing, the Action Fund represents the powerful combined voices of the millions of Americans who understand that global warming is real and that the time to act is now.

This was supposed to be the week the Senate made history.

After years of planning and many months of careful negotiating, a major bipartisan proposal on climate and clean energy was all set to be introduced this week. The press conference was scheduled, the speeches were written, and the media was alerted. It would have kicked off debate and served as the foundation of the strong Senate bill we need so badly.

Then it all fell apart.

Comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation is being held prisoner to partisan bickering and political posturing. History has been put on hold — and I need your help to get the Senate back on track.

If enough of us make noise, we can jump-start the process and make sure that this is just a minor detour instead of another dead end.

Call your Senators right now and urge them to put partisan politics aside and take immediate action on climate and clean energy: 1-877-9-REPOWER (1-877-973-7693).

The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated.

If our leaders in Washington cannot overcome the current climate of partisanship and distrust, the bill that Senators John Kerry, Lindsey Graham, and Joe Lieberman have spent so many months laboring over could be left with no Republican support.

That would mean any hope of passing a comprehensive bill this year — a bill that would finally address the climate crisis, our addiction to oil and the future of our economy — would fade away.

We can’t let partisan bickering stand in the way of policy that is critical to Americans across every region, party, and demographic — and whose policy substance has support from courageous Senators on both sides of the aisle. The only way to get this bill back on track is for every Senator to hear from constituents who are demanding action.

Call your Senators now and tell them that they can and must end our addiction to foreign oil, create almost 2 million clean energy jobs and begin to cut carbon pollution:

1-877-9-REPOWER (1-877-973-7693)

And then report your call here.

Let’s be clear: The Kerry-Graham-Lieberman bill draft won’t be perfect — and we hope to be fighting over the coming weeks to strengthen it as much as possible.

But we won’t get to have that fight if we don’t make ourselves heard, right now, about how important it is to solve the climate crisis and transition to a clean energy economy.

Your voice is needed like never before.

P.S. Last week, Arizona passed an unjust and punitive anti-immigrant law that violates common sense, human decency, and the same sense of shared humanity and responsibility for our common fate that brought many of us to the climate movement. Our founder, Vice President Al Gore, and the rest of us here at the Repower America campaign ask you to stand with us in solidarity to oppose this law, recognizing that no society that tolerates such disregard for other human beings is capable of building a healthy and sustainable economy and natural world.

For Immediate Release: April 28, 2010
Contact: Alice McKeon, Giselle Barry; (202) 567-6800, press@climateprotect.org

Washington, DC – As the U.S. Senate determines how to move forward on current clean energy and climate proposals, today dozens of everyday Americans, from Florida to Maine and in between, brought their homegrown support for clean energy legislation straight to their Senators on Capitol Hill. A group of forty local leaders, including Dianne Byrum, who was the first woman to serve as Democratic Leader of the Michigan House of Representatives, Sister Betty Kane, a Sister of St. Francis in Pennsylvania, Karen Majewski, the mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan, Scott McIntyre, a CEO from Florida, Tim Webster, a veteran from Ohio, will visit with their Senators to convey the urgency of moving forward with comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation this year.

“Every day our leaders fail to enact clean energy legislation, our economy, national security and environment suffer,” said Webster. “Clean energy can make us energy independent – that’s why I count myself among the thousands of Virginians who support clean energy legislation, and it is why I came to Washington this week to speak with my Senators.”

During their meetings, the Repower America members will discuss the benefits of transitioning to clean energy for their states, opportunities for small business in the clean energy economy, as well as current efforts to forward legislation in the Senate.

“It is important to the folks back home in Tampa Bay for our Senators to pass comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation this year that will revitalize our economy and end our reliance on foreign oil,” said McIntyre. “I wanted my voice on Capitol Hill to remind Senators LeMieux and Nelson of the needs of Florida and the urgency of finishing what we started.”

“It’s time to get Senator Levin and Senator Stabenow plugged into the clean energy revolution like we are in Hamtramck,” said Mayor Majewski. “With the auto industry still struggling to rebound from the economic downturn, clean energy is creating jobs in Hamtramck as our community helps build the technology that fuels the hybrid Chevy Volt.”

“The race to secure our clean energy future is near the finish line, and the Senate needs to push forward,” said Byrum. “I’m visiting my Senator today to carry the message that Michigan needs the jobs and economic opportunity that comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation will bring. Now is the time to act.”

“The current economic crisis has hit everyone hard, but our urban communities have been particularly crippled,” said Sister Betty Kane of Aston, PA. “I have been called to help the least fortunate. Comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation would go a long way toward assuring the defense of God’s creation, and that the poor and vulnerable communities most affected by the devastating impacts of climate change are protected.”

Albert, Ayers and McIntyre are a part of a groundbreaking multimedia campaign centered around The Repower Wall, an interactive online community, where more than 62,000 people and businesses have uploaded messages supporting a transition to clean energy.

Some messages from The Repower Wall are also a part of an innovative new grassroots-driven television advertising campaign that provides everyday Americans with the tools to make their voices heard in livings rooms throughout the state and in the nation’s capitol. By including video messages from The Repower Wall in television ads, the Climate Protection Action Fund’s Repower America campaign is amplifying the voices that leaders in Washington D.C. need to hear – their constituents; these are the voices calling for immediate action on clean energy.

For more information about the Repower America campaign, visit
www.repoweramerica.org.

Local leaders traveling to Washington are available for interview, by phone and in-person. Please contact Alice McKeon or Giselle Barry at (202) 567-6800 or press@climateprotect.org for booking.

Dianne Yvonne Byrum, MI: Byrum lives in Onondaga Township and works as a partner with Byrum & Fisk Advocacy Communications. Byrum has been elected to numerous public offices, most recently as a member of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. Prior, Byrum served in the House as a representative from the 67th District, where she served as the first-ever woman Democratic House Leader. She was previously elected to serve in several offices, including the Michigan House of Representatives and the Senate, and as Ingham County Commissioner.

W. Scott McIntyre, FL: McIntyre is a University of Florida graduate is the CEO of Solar Energy Management / SEM LLC a St. Petersburg based state wide certified solar contractor which provides services, such as solar energy PV systems, foam and batten insulation, just to name a few, designed to lower energy and utility costs and add LEED points. SEM also helps run Matrix Construction a state wide certified general contractor specializing in commercial new construction and retrofit with energy efficiency as a goal and or LEED certification.

Karen Majewski, MI: Majewski began public service on the City of Hamtramck’s Historical Commission. She served on city council and as city council president and mayor pro tem before being elected Hamtramck’s first woman mayor in 2005. She was re-elected in 2009.

Tim Webster, OH: Webster served in the US Navy during the first Gulf War, and is also a veteran of the US Army. Since his service, Webster has worked in sales, supply chain management, parts, and warehouse management. He is currently an Electrical Energy Consultant.

Sister Betty Kane, PA: Sister Betty Kane, a Sister of St. Francis of Philadelphia, lives and works in Aston, Pennsylvania. She works particularly with the Franciscan Action Network which promotes care for all creation. Being a Franciscan and a woman of faith, she recognizes creation as a gift from the Creator. In Pennsylvania she lobbied for legislation on climate change and the effects it has on those who are poor. Now it is time to lobby at the federal level for clean, renewable energy.

Paid for by the Climate Protection Action Fund

Washington, D.C. – From grandmothers in Ohio, to young kids in North Dakota, to cats in the Nation’s Capital, people from all across the world have added their talents to the Earth Day Remix of Biz Markie’s hip-hop classic “Just a Friend.” Today, on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, dozens of these faces have joined together in a new music video showcasing the need for comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation this year. Today, the video is highlighted on the YouTube homepage in honor of Earth Day.

“People from all walks of life are telling Senators exactly what we need: We need clean energy, for jobs, for our national security, and for our planet,” said David Boundy, Campaign Manager for Repower America. “In the coming weeks each Senator will have to decide whose side they are on. Will they stand up for the American people by passing legislation that will repower our economy, protect our environment, and make our country more secure by ending our dependence on foreign oil? Or will they choose to protect corporate polluters and the status quo?”

“The climate is changing and the economy is in trouble,” said Markie. “Our urban communities need clean energy legislation and the jobs it can bring. We must rebuild America by getting our Senators to help Repower America.”

This video is the latest in a revolutionary online engagement campaign designed to show support for clean energy. In February, the Climate Protection Action Fund launched new ads comprised of videos uploaded directly to the Repower Wall an interactive online forum, where more than 60,000 people and businesses have uploaded messages supporting a transition to clean energy. Additional ads will debut in the coming weeks.

To watch the Earth Day Remix join the movement supporting comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation go to www.repoweramerica.org/join.

Earth Day Remix Lyrics

Did you even know the Senate was deciding your fate?
Ten years for clean energy they wanted you to wait

Please!

Paid for by the Climate Protection Action Fund