President Barack Obama announced today that he was pleased with the outcome of HR 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, a major climate change bill which reached the House floor yesterday and was passed by a narrow margin of 219-212 votes. Some of its goals include the reduction of greenhouse gases, the creation of green collar jobs, and a reduced US dependency on foreign oil.
While the bill had significant Democratic support, there were some defectors. Rep Dennis Kucinich of Ohio was one such opponent of the bill. Arguing that ACES, as it has grown to be referred to, did not go far enough, he announced he would not be supporting the bill.
On the other side of the isle, Republicans lined up to condemn the bill and vote against it, calling it one of the most costly programs the United States has ever seen and declaring lost jobs in districts across the board, something that made many Americans cringe to consider the possibility of a bill creating more hardships during such a trying economic period.
Many early supporters of the bill turned against it as well, claiming the final bill to hit the House floor was heavily watered down and not significant enough to reduce global warming.
At the same time, unlikely supports such as the League of Conservation Voters, submitted a letter to let Congress know their organization would not endorse any Representative who voted against the bill.
Many Congressman threw their support behind the bill in the last hours, signaling to Nancy Pelosi the hour was ripe to vote on the bill. President Obama had urged many to back the bill and he got his way, though the bill will move to the Senate floor where it stands a chance of being shot down.
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