The landmark climate bill has passed the House of Representatives, marking a well-earned victory after a tense day for Democrats and President Obama.   The passage of the “American Clean Energy and Security Act”, which would take huge steps towards curbing greenhouse gas emissions, was more of a nail biter than I would have liked, and it still has to pass through the Senate.  Treehugger provides us with a great overview of the keypoints to the massive 1,200 page document (Do you think that paper’s made from recycled content?), which aims at establishing a renewable energy standard, a cap and trade program for emissions, investments in clean energy, and increased energy efficiency. 

I suppose it’s no wonder that the bill came down to a close vote with so many issues to cover, but we can’t wait any longer to start cleaning up our energy act.  While some environmentalists argue the bill is not stringent enough, and most Republicans (except for 8 who admirably crossed party lines to vote for the bill) typically criticize the legislation as a “massive tax”, we need to take action now, otherwise we will be paying much heftier penalties if we don’t reign in our emissions.  In addition to protecting our health and the health of the planet, the bill also lays the groundwork for a green collar economy, which could provide so many desperately needed jobs.

So, three cheers for the climate!!!  As John pointed out earlier, three quarters of Americans support more regulations on emissions, let’s hope the Senate hears our calls for a clean energy economy.

Photo: cliff1066’s flickr photostream (creative commons)