Greenpeace Applauds Appointment of Rep. Henry Waxman

In response to the appointment of Representative Henry Waxman as Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Greenpeace Deputy Campaign Director Carroll Muffett released the following statement:

"Rep. Waxman was a key figure in passing some of the country's most important environmental and public health legislation. We applaud his appointment as Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. From the Community Right to Know Act to the Clean Air Act to the Safe Drinking Water Act, he has been a leading voice for the public interest and one of the country's most effective legislators.

"Rep. Waxman has shown the same dedication to solving global warming, the biggest environmental and public health crisis of our time by demanding strong, science-based solutions and building support for action in Congress.

"Tackling the global warming crisis demands the full commitment of our government, and with Rep. Waxman's leadership 152 members of Congress have already taken an important step by outlining a blueprint for success. Now we need Congress and the new presidential administration to come together and turn these ideas into action by passing comprehensive, science-based legislation in as soon as possible.

"Under his leadership, we are confident the Energy and Commerce Committee can move quickly to turn that blueprint into a workable, effective bill to solve the climate crisis. We urge Congressional leaders and our new president to work with Chairman Waxman to turn that bill into law in 2009."

Waxman's global warming principles call for reduction targets that would achieve at least 25 percent reductions by 2020 and a long-term target to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. The principles also call for auctioning emission allowances rather than giving them to polluters; investing auction revenues in clean energy and efficiency technologies; and returning revenues to consumers, workers, and communities to help them transition to a new energy economy. The principles would protect the ability of states to go even further, and includes measures to protect against trade disadvantages to U.S. industry. Finally, the principles call for dedicating a portion of climate auction revenues to help address harm from the impacts of global warming.