US Federal

To meet the climate challenge, the United States needs a comprehensive national approach. Well-designed federal policy can cut emissions and strengthen resilience while driving economic growth.

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Cost Containment and Offset Use in the American Clean Energy and Security Act

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act, sponsored by Representatives Waxman and Markey, on June 26, 2009. The ACES Act includes a market-based regulatory program—cap and trade—to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Specified …

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In Brief: What the Waxman-Markey Bill Does for Coal

Coal is an inexpensive and abundant domestic energy resource; the United States has larger coal reserves than any other country—likely enough to sustain current production levels for more than two centuries. Coal prices are generally less volatile than those of …

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Addressing Competitiveness Issues in Climate Legislation

Energy-intensive industries may face certain competitiveness concerns resulting from a program to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Industries such as aluminum, cement, iron and steel, pulp, paper, and certain chemicals — as large energy users — all have high …

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National Security Implications of Global Climate Change

Recently, respected voices in the U.S. national security community—general officers, CIA analysts, high-level Pentagon officials—have warned that global climate change threatens American security. The security implications of climate change can be parsed into three broad categories: The changing foreign policy landscape …

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Distribution of Allowances under the ACES Act

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act on June 26, 2009 by a vote of 219-212. The ACES Act includes a cap-and-trade program designed to limit emissions of greenhouse gases in the United …

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In Brief: What the Waxman-Markey Bill Does for Agriculture

Agriculture, likely one of America’s most vulnerable sectors to a changing climate, has much to gain from a comprehensive climate policy.  Agriculture’s vulnerability to climate change was highlighted in a recent study by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (including …

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Waxman-Markey Short Summary

On June 26, 2009, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES Act) was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 219 to 212. The bill contains five distinct titles: I) clean energy, II) energy efficiency, …

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Cost of ACES Act Found to be Small According to Government Analyses

Economic analysis by its nature is better suited to providing insights and not absolute predictions of the future and when these insights are confirmed by more than one analysis, the results are typically considered more credible.  With this in mind, …

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Myths about the Waxman-Markey Clean Energy Bill

No bill is perfect.  Certainly not one that contains a thousand pages and seeks to overhaul the way our nation uses energy.  But many of the recent attacks on the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) proposed by Representatives …

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Paper
Summary Overview: USCAP Blueprint for Legislative Action

On January 15, 2009, the US Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) issued the Blueprint for Legislative Action – a detailed framework for legislation to address climate change. The Blueprint represents two years of work by USCAP members building on our January …

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