ENERGY LEGISLATION WILL CREATE JOBS, REDUCE DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman André Carson issued the following statement after the House passed the historic American Clean Energy and Security Act, which will decrease the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create millions of jobs across the United States:

“My support today on the American Clean Energy and Security Act was a vote for spurring the creation of new renewable energy resources, reducing the burden of rising energy prices, addressing the effects of global warming and transitioning the United States to a clean energy economy—creating hundreds of thousands of new good-paying, green jobs in the process. 

 “Indiana’s economy and its workers stand to gain greatly from passage of this much-needed legislation. Thousands of jobs will be created with investments in clean-energy technologies, as demand increases for products like steel for wind turbines and advanced windows for energy-efficient buildings. With the enactment of this bill, I can envision the next generation of green, fuel-efficient automobiles being made right here in Indiana. 

“The bill contains important provisions that will protect households and businesses in Indiana from sharp increases in our electricity bills.  It provides funds for the development of clean coal technologies, such as carbon capture and sequestration, which will help heavily coal-reliant states like Indiana.  It also protects trade-exposed industries, such as steel and auto manufacturers, to level the playing field and make sure that jobs stay here in America.”

Additional information about the American Clean Energy and Security Act:

Analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) shows that "households in the lowest income quintile would see an average net benefit of about $40 in 2020" under the American Clean Energy and Security Act.  The CBO also notes that this figure "does not include the economic benefits and other benefits of the reduction in GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions and the associated slowing of climate change."

Furthermore, American consumers are currently exporting $400 billion each year to pay for foreign oil, a bill that is set to increase by an estimated $420 billion annually over the next five years.  The American Clean Energy and Security Act will cut our use of expensive foreign petroleum by 1.4 million barrels per day by 2030 by facilitating the creation of a green energy infrastructure that will allow us to transition away from foreign energy.  This transition in turn will create 1.7 million new clean energy jobs, four times as many as we could expect with a similar investment in oil and gas.

According to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, “the African American community will benefit from climate policies that slow climate change” in part because “African Americans are already disproportionately burdened by the health effects of climate change, including deaths during heat waves and from worsened air pollution.”