Subject: Please pass science-based climate and energy legislation this year

Dear Senator [Last Name],

In June, the House of Representatives passed the historic American Clean Energy and Security Act, a comprehensive climate and energy bill that would limit global warming pollution and establish a cleaner approach to our nation's energy system. Now it's time for the Senate to act by taking up, strengthening, and passing the House bill.

[Your personal comments will be added to your letter here.]

To maximize the potential benefits of climate action, Senate climate legislation should improve on the House bill by:

* strengthening the short-term emissions reduction target to 35 percent by 2020;

* strengthening the renewable electricity standard to require 25 percent of our electricity to come from renewable sources, such as the wind and sun, by 2025;

* investing more money in renewable energy and energy efficiency programs that will save consumers money;

* preserving the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) existing authority to regulate global warming pollution under the Clean Air Act; and

* limiting "offsets," which allow polluters to postpone emissions cuts in their own facilities by paying for reductions elsewhere, and strengthening offset quality.

The Senate bill should also retain and strengthen the House bill's provision requiring the EPA and National Academy of Sciences to recommend policy changes in response to emerging climate science. Finally, the Senate legislation should exclude any "safety valve" loophole that would let polluters delay or avoid needed pollution reductions by limiting the fees they must pay for their emissions.

Sincerely,
[Your name here]