President Obama Calls for a Carbon Cap to Move to a Clean Energy Future

WASHINGTON (February 24, 2009) – In response to President Obama's first address to Congress, following is a statement by Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council:

“In this speech, President Obama presented a bold, ambitious vision to restore America's economy and move us to a new clean energy future driven by a cap on carbon pollution. For the first time in history, a sitting U.S. president called on Congress to pass legislation to limit carbon pollution that will build a sustainable economic recovery by repowering America with clean energy. Investments from a carbon cap can cut our dependence on oil, make us more energy efficient and produce jobs at home.

“This represents a new era in America's approach to energy that will break our reliance on dirty fossil fuels and push us to develop new technologies. This is the leadership America needs to transform our energy system, protect our planet and meet the challenges of the 21st century.”