Statement from E2 Director of Advocacy Grant Carlisle
WASHINGTON (May 2, 2019) – A day after 500 business leaders sent a letter to Congress urging passage of H.R. 9—the Climate Action Now Act— the bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives, making it the first climate legislation to pass in a decade. The legislation requires the Trump administration to develop a plan meet the U.S.’s original emissions reduction targets of 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 that were set out as part of our signing the Paris Agreement.
The following is a statement from Grant Carlisle, Director of Advocacy for the national, nonpartisan business group E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs):
“This is a crucial step in reestablishing the leadership America ceded when the president began the process of withdrawing us from the Paris Agreement. We need to do much more – but this is a clear market signal to investors that we are serious about deploying clean energy and vehicles, competing internationally in those sectors – and growing jobs. American businesses support the Paris Agreement because they know clean energy technologies will be needed to power the world’s industries in the 21st Century.
“The Senate should act now to pass this bill and put America back on track for driving growth across the economy.”
According to E2’s Clean Jobs America 2019 report, nearly 3.3 million Americans currently work in clean energy industries such as solar, wind, energy efficiency, electric vehicles and battery storage.
Global clean energy investments surpassed $300 billion for the fifth year in a row in 2018 and are set to grow, with America’s share estimated at $200 billion annually. This economic activity is projected to drive an additional $26 billion in U.S. GDP growth alone by 2020.
For more information, please contact Michael Timberlake at (202) 289-2407, mtimberlake@e2.org.
Additional Information:
- 500 Business Leaders to Congress: Pass H.R. 9 or Risk Ceding Economic Growth In Clean Energy, Other Sectors | E2 Release
- Paris accord could make the world $19 trillion richer | Bloomberg New Energy Finance
- Nearly 3.3 Million Americans Work in Clean Energy | E2 Clean Jobs America 2019
- Why climate change is going to clobber our economy if we don’t act now | E2 Experts Blog
- Withdrawing from Paris Agreement Hurts American Workers, Businesses | E2 Statement (March 27, 2019):
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Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) is a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders, investors, and professionals from every sector of the economy who advocate for smart policies that are good for the economy and good for the environment. E2’s Pacific Northwest Chapter has been active in passing smart environmental policy for 10 years. Our members have founded or funded more than 2,500 companies, created more than 600,000 jobs, and manage more than $100 billion in venture and private equity capital. For more information, see www.e2.org or follow us on Twitter at @e2org.