Urgent to act now in Copenhagen, say Midwest leaders « Alex Cornell du Houx

Urgent to act now in Copenhagen, say Midwest leaders

by Michael Noble – Fresh Energy/WSF Board Member
Original Story

Midwest state and local government elected officials are among the thousands who have converged on Copenhagen, Denmark to urge the leaders of 192 nations to come together to tackle climate change. Governor Jim Doyle of Wisconsin is the highest ranking midwestern elected official with a public role here, giving a key address. “Why would someone fight to maintain an energy system that basically imports all of our fuels (from outside of Wisconsin)?” Doyle asked. He intends to meet with the largest American manufacturer of wind turbines, General Electric and the largest Danish maker of wind turbines while in Copenhagen.

Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie is a local government delegate representing not only Des Moines but also local governments around the world as a member of the executive committee of the U.S. Board of Directors of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). “While the rest of the economy is struggling, clean energy jobs are a real bright spot,” according to Minnesota representative Jeremy Kalin (North Branch), national chair of CLEAN, the Coalition of Legislators for Energy Action Now working with the White House and the United States Senate.” Action in Copenhagen and in Congress is critical to scale up the job opportunities.”

“Our dependence on oil is a serious threat to America’s national security, which is why both young people and veterans have called on making America more secure by taking control of our energy future,” said Representative Alex Cornell du Houx (Brunswick, ME), an Iraq war veteran in Copenhagen with the Truman National Security Project. “The world is looking to the United States to lead again on climate solutions,” said Representative Kate Knuth (New Brighton, MN). “We don’t want to replace our dependence on Middle East oil with a new dependence on solar panels from China. It’s all about jobs. We need wind turbines, we need electric cars that are made in America, supporting American families.”

Knuth is also attending the conference as a policy mentor to the youth delegation of 12 emerging leaders from the Midwest, the Expedition Copenhagen project of the Will Steger Foundation. According to Will Steger Foundation executive director Nicole Rom, “Our delegates are the leaders of the future in business, environment and public service. I have no doubt we have a mayor, or Congressional member or governor among them.”

Jamie Racine, a Steger delegate from Racine, Wisconsin, asked a panel of state and local government leaders a tough question about Midwest dependence on tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, a question neither the Governor nor other panelists directly addressed. Doyle is, however, pressing for a binding treaty that would require nations to reduce global warming pollutants. “You cannot get to major carbon reductions without a cap and trade system that brings them down over many years,” said Doyle.

Cownie, Kalin, and Knuth joined nearly 100 other young elected officials from across America in signing a statement calling for urgent action from President Obama and the U.S. negotiators. They must work for a bold and binding agreement that is just and consistent with the science, the statement urges.

“We, young elected officials of the United States, believe freedom, independence, and self sufficiency are at the heart of America, and should be at the heart of our strategy for energy independence in the 21st Century. As elected representatives with a personal stake in our future, we believe it’s time for a bold, new vision for America’s future. We call on Congress to start investing in new, safe energy technologies like wind and solar power that will rebuild our manufacturing base, create jobs, and grow our economy. We need to put millions of Americans back to work refitting our homes and buildings for energy efficiency with jobs that can’t be shipped overseas. The United States can lead once again by forging a bold, binding, and just agreement in Copenhagen that will secure a safe and abundant world for future generations of Americans.”