FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:    Jessica Lass, NRDC, 202/513-6254, or cell: 202/468-6718

Statement by David Hawkins, Director of the Climate Center at the
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) on the Climate Security Act of
2007
Landmark Global Warming Bill Voted Out of Committee to Senate Floor

WASHINGTON, DC (December 5, 2007) - Statement by David Hawkins, director
of the Climate Center at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC),
on today's significant Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
vote (11-8) in favor of reporting the Climate Security Act of 2007 (S.
2191) to the Senate floor. The Legislation was introduced by Senators
Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Warner (R-Va.).

"The Lieberman-Warner bill, America's Climate Security Act, is the
strongest global warming bill moving in the Congress and we thank
Senator Barbara Boxer for her leadership in further strengthening and
moving this bill through committee.

"This historic vote reflects the growing momentum and public demand to
cut America's global warming pollution. State and local action, court
verdicts, business plans and consumer decisions are all pointing the
United States in the direction to take serious action to curb global
warming pollution. The news from Capitol Hill today will reverberate
around the world to Bali, where delegates from 190 countries eagerly
await signs that the United States will return to a position of
leadership regarding climate change.

"The time to act is now. We already see the impact of a disrupted global
climate through the increased number and severity of wildfires, floods
and droughts. This bill has helped center our national discussion on how
quickly we can and must reduce our emissions, which is exactly where it
should be. We have the solutions - cleaner energy sources, new vehicle
technologies and industrial processes and enhanced energy efficiency. We
need legislation to ensure these best practices are implemented
nationally.

"As this bill moves to the Senate floor, we at NRDC stand ready to
assist in any way possible to strengthen the emissions reductions and
tighten the timeline for those reductions. We will also work to prevent
any amendments from passing that would weaken the emission limits, such
as a 'safety valve,' or weaken other requirements of the legislation."

The bill was strengthened further in the full committee mark up in
significant ways. Particularly noteworthy was the addition of a low
carbon fuel standard. The low carbon fuel standard requires the carbon
intensity of our transportation fuel mix to decline over time. Combining
a low carbon fuel standard with a cap on global warming emissions from
transportation fuels will help further ensure that investments in
low-carbon fuel production, infrastructure, and vehicles are made in a
timely manner beyond what the carbon cap can achieve alone.

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