Help Me Make Every Day Earth Day

04/24/2008

Dear Editor,


We’ve come a long way since the first Earth Day 38 years ago this week. Our air and water are cleaner, and we’ve learned that environmental stewardship can go hand-in-hand with economic growth.

But now we face the challenge of our generation: global climate change. And people are starting to understand the challenge. I hear about it from hunters across Minnesota who see the effect on our wetlands, and from businesses in Duluth who are concerned about falling water levels in Lake Superior.

The challenge is clear. But so is the opportunity: to create new jobs, new industries, and a new green economy. That’s why I introduced the American Renewable Energy Act. This bipartisan legislation would expand and extend tax incentives for investment in solar power, wind energy, and other forms of renewable energy.

These are the industries that will drive the new rural economy, the new clean energy economy. Just this winter, I visited a small, ten-person company in Starbuck, Minnesota where they make solar panels. (They even made me put on a hard hat and jump up and down on the panels to show how they resist hail damage!) They are at the forefront, addressing the challenges of climate change while seizing the opportunity to chart our new energy future.

They know that the time to act is now.

In just a few weeks, the Senate will take up landmark climate change legislation that would establish a cap-and-trade system to use efficient market forces to reduce greenhouse gas pollution. I was proud to write the first title of the bill, which would create a national registry to measure carbon emissions – a “carbon counter” -- because you can’t fix a problem if you can’t measure it.

It’s the first real action on climate change before the Congress in years.

Just like those employees in Starbuck, Minnesota, I want to lead the way on climate change – and we’re well on our way. And it’s precisely my work that is already making me powerful enemies.

There’s a reason climate change has never really been at the forefront of the discussion. For years, the special interests have done everything they can to stop real change; and opponents have continued to argue that climate change doesn’t exist and the science is wrong.

In this important election year, we need to support candidates who believe we need to act now to stop climate change; who see the opportunities presented by the new green economy. I will spend this election year not only fighting for change on the floor of the Senate, but fighting for change in the Senate, electing candidates to Congress who share our dedication to this important fight.

I’m ready to go, but to get our message out, I really need your help today. Your contribution will help me take this message across our state and around the country.

If you think record gas prices and record profits for oil companies mean its time to find new, renewable energy sources and invest in research for cutting-edge technology and more fuel-efficient vehicles, please join me today.

If you believe we can add jobs across our state if we create a new, clean energy economy, please join me today.

If you believe that clean air, land, and water can help, not hinder, economic growth, please join me today.

If you believe that Minnesota’s high environmental standards and innovative clean energy programs can lead our nation forward, please join me today.

Your contribution today will help me take this fight nationwide, spreading our message and building our base, electing new members who will support our efforts, and giving me the resources to continue this fight in the United States Senate.

After 38 years, we’re past the time of dedicating one day a year to saving the Earth. After years of ignorance and inaction, we are on the verge of passing real climate change legislation. With your support, I am confident it’s a debate we can finally win.

Please contribute today, and help me make every day Earth Day.


- Senator Amy Klobuchar