Here We Go! Call to Action on the Climate Security Act

Here we go! We are getting the vote we have been looking for on the Climate Security Act (S. 3036) tomorrow morning at about 10 am. There could be an agreement later today to move this bill forward to tonight (we will let you know if there are any changes in timing). Either way, today is the big day for us, our allies and the public to weigh in.

Yesterday, our opponents overplayed their hand in stalling and obstructing debate on this bill on behalf of the oil companies. Senators Boxer, Reid and Warner have pounced to take them on and set the best possible context for the big vote. Today is our day to weigh in with Senators and ask them to:

• VOTE YES TO BREAK THROUGH THE OBSTRUCTION AND FILIBUSTER TACTICS OF REPUBLICAN LEADERS.
• VOTE YES TO GET TO A REAL LEGISLATIVE PROCESS TO AMEND AND PASS THE CLIMATE SECURITY ACT.
• SPECIFICALLY, VOTE YES ON “CLOTURE” FOR THE BOXER SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT TO THE CLIMATE SECURITY ACT, S. 3036.
• A “NO” VOTE IS A VOTE AGAINST PROMPT ACTION ON GLOBAL WARMING AND A CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE.

Republican leaders launched a series of irresponsible attempts to drag debate down yesterday, turning their back on senior Republicans like John Warner who have been working to advance legislation with the support of other Republicans including Senators Coleman, Dole, Snowe and Collins. The tactics include the highly unusual moves of requiring an 8-hour reading of the bill, word for word. They also created late night dramatics with a procedural move that caused Sen. Reid to send out the Sergeant at Arms to round up Senators in the dead of night to get sufficient Senators to proceed around midnight last night.

Debate today on the Senate floor will be from 11-4, although we expect A LOT of finger pointing in the early hours as well when the Senate is on other business.

As we approach today’s vote, we have an opportunity to make a new appeal to Senators who are supportive of the Climate Security Act but have told us they are not yet ready to vote for it because they hoped to offer up amendments to improve it. We need them in this key test of support for serious action on global warming in order to break through these delay tactics. This will likely be the only clear, accountable vote on global warming legislation this year.

“When I met with Sen. Boxer last night, she had nothing but great things to say for the work that National Wildlife Federation has been doing, and asked us all to ‘unleash’ everything we have today,” said NWF global warming director Jeremy Symons.

To keep up-to-date and access tools for calling your Senators, visit NWF’s Climate Action Center at www.nwf.org/climateaction

Senate Republicans Block Debate on Global Warming

WASHINGTON, DC (June 4, 2008) – Today Senate Republicans repeatedly refused to waive a full reading of the Climate Security Act (S.3036, Boxer-Lieberman-Warner substitute), forcing the clerk to begin reading the entire 491-page bill out loud.

Jeremy Symons, executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s global warming campaign, said today:

“Senate Republicans are literally throwing the book at this bill to help oil companies block any action on global warming and a clean energy future. By stalling this bill, Senate Republicans can only stall America’s economy. We need to jumpstart our economy with action now to invest in new technology and create clean energy jobs.

“The choice is clear – recharge the economy or let it sit in neutral. Move forward with legislation that addresses an enormous problem while transforming our energy future or stick your head in the sand and hide behind Big Oil propaganda.

“America is ready for a new energy future. If opponents succeed in blocking action on climate change, they will block America’s path to a new and stronger economy. The Climate Security Act deserves real debate, not Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s procedural trickery and delay tactics.”