CLEAN UP THE AIR
Legislation called the Clear
Skies Act, if passed, will create
anything but clear skies. It rolls back steady progress
under the Clean Air Act and actually would increase
this country's
greenhouse gas emissions more than no legislation.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment
and Public Works, where the Act is being considered,
has decided to take more time to craft this measure,
because the bill lacks the support
in Committee to be approved and reported to the Senate.
A renewable portfolio standard requiring
20 percent of our electricity to come from the wind
by 2020 would cut carbon dioxide
emissions, a major contributor to global warming,
by almost 19 percent, or 137 million metric tons
by 2020.