This Month: > Historic Climate Change Bill Clears House; Faces Battle in Senate > Virginia State Government Goes Green > New Report Shows Clean-Energy Jobs Growing in Virginia > Upcoming Events > Historic Climate Change Bill Clears House; Faces Battle in Senate On the evening of June 26th, the US House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act in a 219-212 vote. Thank you for your help in securing this victory. From Virginia, Congressmen Boucher, Connolly, Moran, Perriello and Scott all voted in favor of the legislation. Congressmen Cantor, Forbes, Goodlatte, Nye, Wittman and Wolf voted against it. "Today's vote is a huge achievement for the country and the climate, and we applaud Speaker Pelosi, Chairmen Waxman and Markey, and all members of the House who helped craft this landmark legislation and get it passed," said Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp in a statement on June 26th. "The cap and trade bill that passed the House is strong," said Virginia Climate Initiative Director Rob Jones. "It will help create jobs in Virginia and across the country and will significantly reduce carbon pollution." "Now it's up to the Senate to take the next step," said President Barack Obama in a statement. "And I'm confident that in the coming weeks and months the Senate will demonstrate the same commitment to addressing what is a tremendous challenge and an extraordinary opportunity." Stay tuned as the debate in the Senate heats up. To see an infographic on how cap & trade, as featured in the Waxman-Markey bill, would create jobs, click here. Please take the time to fax a note to thank the Virginia Members of Congress who supported this landmark bill: Rep. Robert Scott (D-3): 202-225-8351 Rep. Thomas Perriello (D-5): (202) 225-4711 Rep. Jim Moran (D-8): 202-225-4376 Rep. Rick Boucher (D-9): 202-225-3861 Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-11): 202-225-1492 > Virginia State Government Goes Green On June 10th, Governor Kaine issued Executive Order 82 to aid in the greening of state government. The order touches upon initiatives in many areas, all with the goal of reducing energy consumption and the carbon footprint of state operations. Furthering the "Renew Virginia" initiative, state agencies will now issue all reports electronically unless they petition to do so otherwise. The commonwealth will not purchase bottled water unless it is for emergency purposes. Additionally, Gov. Kaine declared August 3rd to be "Statewide Telework Day" in a move to reduce traffic congestion and fuel emissions. Executive Order 82 builds upon the groundwork laid by Executive Order 47, which was issued in April of 2007. It also includes a "Green Commonwealth Challenge" to engage all members of state government. "I am hopeful that by reducing the environmental impact of government operations, the commonwealth can inspire private businesses and individuals to adopt similar measures," said Gov. Kaine in a news release. In related news, the Commonwealth of Virginia has also recently launched Virginia Green to offer environmentally friendly travel and meeting options to visitors and businesses who are conscious about their carbon footprint. At present, there are over 500 certified tourism businesses. > New Report Shows Clean-Energy Jobs Growing in Virginia A new report released by Pew Charitable Trusts on June 10th shows that clean-energy jobs are growing both in the Commonwealth of Virginia and across the US. Entitled, "The Clean Energy Economy," the report includes a Virginia-specific fact sheet that shows that the commonwealth had 17,000 clean energy economy jobs as of 2007, higher than the national average. To see a list of more businesses poised to grow as a result of a cap on carbon, visit Environmental Defense Fund's Less Carbon More Jobs site. > Upcoming Events Senator Mark Warner's Energy Summit        July 10, Hampton: Hampton University Student Center Ballroom LEED for General Contractors/ Construction Managers Workshop        July 22, Ashland: Trane Learning Center Save the Date: Virginia Environmental Assembly        September 11-12, Staunton: Frontier Culture Museum

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