Washington, D.C. - United States Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined more than a dozen Members of Congress to introduce landmark House legislation to fight global warming. The bill would set a nationwide standard for heat-trapping pollution responsible for global warming, while creating a market-based system encouraging maximum technological innovation and profitable opportunities for companies to cut emissions.
Republican and Democratic House Members sponsoring the Climate Stewardship Act stood together in the Capitol today alongside Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT), who crafted companion legislation. In addition to Van Hollen, principal house sponsors are Representatives Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), John Olver (D-MA), Christopher Shays (R-CT), Michael Castle (R-DE), and Jay Inslee (D-WA).
“The lesson of climate change is this: If we’re smart, we can do well by our economy and do right by our environment,” said Van Hollen. “It cannot be one or the other. It must be both.”
This measure saves money and encourages innovation through a flexible trading mechanism, allowing companies achieving or exceeding their caps to bank or sell emission credits. Companies would also be able to acquire credits from a variety of sources if they so choose to meet their required caps.
Scientists say global warming is caused mainly by carbon dioxide emitted from the burning of fossil fuels. These emissions cause a heat-trapping blanket to form in the atmosphere, raising temperatures and threatening our health, our economy and the environment.