SENATOR BARBARA BOXER:Clean Energy Jobs Grew at Three Times the Rateof the Rest of the California EconomyDecember 14, 2009

(Remarks as prepared for delivery)

The press of Senate business keeps me from attendingthe climate talks in Copenhagen, and requires me tostay in Washington, DC, so I have decided to speaktoday from the Environment and Public Works Hearingroom, and deliver the speech I would have given inDenmark. Mary Nichols, Chairman of the California Air ResourcesBoard, has agreed to circulate my remarks among thosein attendance in Copenhagen.

I: INTRODUCTION:

As the nations of the world meet in Copenhagen todiscuss the challenge of global warming, the UnitedStates brings to these discussions a strong record of effective action, built from the ground up. Action by governors in dozens of states from coast tocoast. Action by over 1000 mayors in every state of the Union. Action by the President and the EnvironmentalProtection Agency. And action in both Houses of the United States Congresswith better and better news from the Senate every day.

There are those – including my Ranking Republican Member on the

Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Inhofe, who aredetermined to claim that the U.S. will not take action to reduce globalwarming.

Sen. Inhofe, who has said that global warming is thebiggest hoax ever perpetrated, says he’s going to tellthe participants in the Copenhagen talks that there willnot be serious action to address climate change inAmerica.He is entitled to his opinion, but he is not entitled to hisown facts.I am here to set the record straight. America hasalready acted. We continue to act. And we are doingmore every day.

II. STATE AND LOCAL ACTION

Let’s look at my home state of California. If it were aseparate country, it would be the world’s seventh oreighth largest economy. A 2006 law requires action tocut greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Last month, the California Air Resources Board producedits first cap-and-trade blueprint, which would cap globalwarming pollution for about 600 of the largest emittersin the state. The plan includes offsets and othermeasures to ensure a smooth transition to a cleanenergy economy.All together, 33 states – accounting for two-thirds of theU.S. population -- are embracing action as part of regional or state-based cap-and-trade emissions-reduction programs.

A new report out last week shows that these state-levelactions could cut the nation’s CO2 output by 536 millionmetric tons by 2020. That’s the equivalent of 7 percentof our country’s greenhouse gases produced in 2005. The ten Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states in theRegional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) have alreadyheld six auctions for carbon allowances, and 233 powerplants are buying and selling pollution permits under anexisting, operating cap-and-trade program. If you look a little further to our north and west, anothersix states have formed the Midwest Greenhouse GasReduction Accord, and are developing their own cap andtrade system.In the western states, the Western Climate Initiative(WCI) - comprised of seven U.S. states, including myhome state of California, and four Canadian provinces --recently announced its recommendations for the designof a regional market-based cap-and-trade program.In the Southeast, Charlie Crist, the Republican governor,signed a law last year authorizing the Florida'sDepartment of Environmental Protection to develop acap-and-trade program for emissions from electricutilities. The actions taken by states are powerful evidence thatour states are committed to participating in the cleanenergy transformation – and in the jobs and economicopportunities that come with it. Our nation’s cities are also taking action to cutemissions, reduce energy consumption. On October 2,the 1000

mayor signed the Mayors’ Climate ProtectionAgreement, pledging to reduce his communities’ carbonemissions 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.