WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), a senior Member of the House Energy and Commerce and Natural Resources Committees and Chairman of the newly-created Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, today addressed the Climate Crisis Action Day rally on the lawn of the Capitol. Rep. Markey hailed the growing political momentum towards confronting the crisis of global warming. Rep. Markey spoke of the need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and greenhouse gas emissions through passing the Markey-Platts bill (H.R. 1506) to increase the fuel efficiency of our nation’s cars, trucks and SUVs, through the adoption of a mandatory cap and trade system to reduce GHG emissions, and through the increased use of renewable technologies and clean, low-carbon fuels. Rep. Markey is also the author of H.R. 39, the Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act that would permanently protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska by designating it as wilderness.

“We are approaching critical political mass in support of taking bold steps this Congress to address the twin problems of global warming and energy independence. We now have industry and business leaders, the scientific community, and politicians from both sides of the political aisle standing together in a grand coalition calling for meaningful action on global warming,” Rep. Markey said.

Rep. Markey added, “The public wants action, our children deserve action, and we now have a Speaker of the House who has pledged action.  We need to push aggressively for the adoption of a mandatory cap and trade system this Congress that will put the United States on a path to significantly and permanently reduce its CO2 emissions down to a sustainable level.”

“We must redouble our efforts to ensure that we never deepen our addiction to oil and emission of greenhouse gasses by drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge would amount to a declaration that we remain in complete denial about our oil addiction, its impact on our planet, and our obligation to future generations. It is obscene that we would even consider turning the Arctic Refuge into a filling station while refusing to get real on fuel economy,” Rep. Markey concluded.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2007

CONTACT: Vikrum Aiyer
David Moulton
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