A few weeks ago at the launch of our Free Enterprise campaign a reporter asked U.S. Chamber president and CEO Tom Donohue if he had read a NY Times editorial by Senators Kerry and Graham on a bi-partisan approach to climate action. Donohue indicated that he had read the piece and that it contained some good ideas -- many of which we have been pushing for a long time. With work on climate change legislation ramping up in the Senate, we have just sent the below letter to Senators Boxer and Inhofe outlining our continued support for strong federal climate change legislation:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce believes climate change is an important issue for this Congress to address. The Chamber stands ready to work with Congress to resolve this issue in a bipartisan manner that recognizes regional differences, the state of the technology, and the compelling need for a solution that minimizes overall economic impact. As your committee reopens discussion on a climate bill, the Chamber urges you to take steps to bridge the political and geographical divide that prevented the enactment of comprehensive climate legislation in 2003, 2005, and 2008, and appears to have stalled the current effort.

It is time to consider a different approach.

The challenge of drafting comprehensive climate legislation is not "whether" to do something, but "how." There are many good ideas out there that can serve as a solid, workable, commonsense and realistic foundation on which to craft a bill. The Chamber commends Senators Kerry and Graham for their recent New York Times editorial on the need for comprehensive climate legislation. The Chamber welcomes the call for a new conversation on how to address the issue, and believes their editorial can serve as a solid, workable, commonsense foundation on which to craft a bill. Many other important details are needed, but the Chamber agrees that the objectives outlined in that editorial, coupled with their clear recognition that "this process requires honest give-and-take and genuine bipartisanship," can move this important policy objective forward in a bipartisan manner that garners strong business community support.

Senators Kerry and Graham have set forth a positive, practical and realistic framework for legislation, one that echoes the core principles that the Chamber embeds in all of its communications on climate policy. The Chamber agrees with a great deal of the principles set forth by Senators Kerry and Graham, in particular that legislation should: minimize the impact on major emitters; reduce price volatility for consumers; protect global competitiveness; invest in renewable energy sources; take advantage of nuclear power; streamline the permit system; make us the "Saudi Arabia of clean coal" by fostering carbon capture and sequestration technology; commit to increased environmentally responsible onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration; contain consumer and intellectual property protections; protect against agency regulation under existing laws not written for greenhouse gases; strengthen the hand of our international negotiators; and increase our own energy security and energy efficiency.

Good ideas are not limited to Senators Kerry and Graham. Proposals by Senators Alexander, Barrasso, Baucus, Bingaman, Cantwell, Dorgan, Lieberman, Murkowski, Vitter and Voinovich (to name a few) all contain elements that can be used in conjunction with the Kerry- Graham proposal and the positive aspects of S. 1733, the "Clean Energy Jobs and Power Act," to craft a realistic, cost-effective and environmentally meaningful climate change bill.

Shaping a bill the Chamber, the broader business community, and a bipartisan majority in the House and Senate approve of will take significant effort. The Chamber will continue to oppose bad policies that resemble the failed climate proposals of the past, such as bills that jeopardize American jobs, create trade inequalities, leave open the Clean Air Act, open the door to CO2-based mass tort litigation, and further hamper the permitting process for clean energy. But the Chamber believes Senators Kerry, Graham, and the other named Senators have taken a constructive and positive stand on global climate change and energy security, rising above partisan politics and opening a real discussion on how to address this important issue. The Chamber has developed many other recommendations that would complement these approaches to strengthen our nation’s energy security, power our economy, and create jobs, and protect the environment, and we welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss these important issues.

Sincerely,
R. Bruce Josten

We look forward to working with the Senators to help in developing economically and environmentally sound climate action legislation around our long-held principles which we have presented many times.  Here are few for further reading:

• Five Positions on Energy and the Environment
• Support for Renewable Energy
• Climate Action - The State of Play
• May 14th 2009 Letter to Congress
• Engaging Internationally on Climate Change
• January 8th Testimony on "America's Energy Security Challenges"
• Our 2009 State of American Business
• Transition Plan for Securing America’s Energy Future
• Do the Right Thing on Climate Change
• Managing a Changing Climate: Challenges & Opportunities

// Update: press release here - "the Senate has an opportunity to promote a workable bottom-up plan that starts by addressing the fundamental building blocks—rather than the top-down approach of targets and timetables it has taken thus far"