Resolution on Climate Change and Energy

Democratic Party Precinct meetings begin this Tuesday evening, Feb 24th.

Here is my attempt at a brief resolution on Climate Change and Energy that hits at the main issues before state government in the coming period. We can certainly expand and modify it as we go along. Suggestions are very welcome.

Resolution on Climate Change and Energy

Whereas climate change is almost universally recognized by the world’s climate scientists as posing unprecedented threats to our environment and society in terms of increasingly severe droughts, floods, storms, and sea level rise; and

Whereas President Obama has strongly affirmed the need to reduce climate-altering carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent by 2050; and

Whereas meeting this goal will require, among other things, immediate and unprecedented work to switch our energy economy toward energy efficiency and renewable energy and away from coal and vastly expensive nuclear plants; and

Whereas this green energy path can generate many times more jobs at less cost than building and operating new coal and nuclear plants;

Therefore be it resolved that the _________precinct of the _______ County Democratic Party advocates that the county, district and state Democratic Parties adopt the following policies and strongly urge their implementation by our state elected officials:
· That construction of the Cliffside coal-fired power plant should stopped beimmediately and that a moratorium on any new coal plants be passed into law.
· That the state institute an independent energy efficiency program aimed at saving low and moderate income families money, creating green jobs, and insuring that new power plants will not be necessary.
· That ratepayers not be charged for building new plants before they actually go on line so as not to risk having to pay for unnecessary or canceled plants.