House Narrowly Passes American Clean Energy and Security Act

On Friday June 27, the House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which would create a national cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, establish a 20%Renewable Electricity and Energy Efficiency Standard, better enable the expansion of the nation's transmission infrastructure, among other clean energy provisions.

After a heated debate and political maneuvering by the Democratic leadership in Congress, the House passed the bill 219-212.  Though comprehensive climate and energy legislation is unlikely to reach the floor of the Senate until the fall, the results of this vote leave environmental advocates optimistic. 

According to Representative Van Hollen, an influential advocate of the bill, "I think people are going to be boldly going out and talking about how this is important for this country's clean energy future."

This is the first time a cap-and-trade bill has passed in either house, and as the world prepares for climate negotiations in Copenhagen this December, many are saying it provides an important symbol of the United States's commitment to mitigating climate change and creating a clean energy economy.