As I head into a week of post-COP15 strategy discussions in Copenhagen and Oslo, I have just completed two weeks of meetings in Washington and New York, during which I was comparing notes with business leaders and policy experts about where we are. What struck me most was how clear the vast majority of business leaders are: it is long past time for passage of a climate bill - the market signals are needed so those businesses and investors can move forward and accelerate the building of a clean economy. For the latest call for action, a letter signed by over 80 CEOs including those from the utility Exelon, Virgin America, NRG Energy, eBay, and PG&E, see http://wecanlead.org/newsroom/release0120.html.

This view is bolstered by today's Editorial in the New York Times: "The Case for a Climate Bill" (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/opinion/24sun1.html). We have every reason to act on climate change: to create jobs when we need them most, to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, to make America more productive and competitive, and to compete to create the new clean tech companies of the future. Clean energy is one of the few industries that is actually creating jobs in the U.S., and wind power is rivaling coal in the number of jobs it creates; these projects can be completed quickly - South Dakota's Basin Electric finished a $240 million wind power project in four months! Investors from the venture capital, private equity, hedge fund, and utility sectors are calling for mandatory climate legislation - for a price on carbon, because with that price signal, they will move their money off the sidelines and put it to work in building our clean economy, and right here in the United States.

President Obama has a long commitment to accelerating the creation of the clean economy, and our nation needs new jobs, needs to step up our ability to compete with China in these new industries (China's first billionaire made his fortune in solar), and energy efficiency such as through the government's weatherization programs will save money in the homes of those who need it most. The Federal Government, the Executive Branch, in particular has the chance to lead. From our security, competitiveness, and because it's the right thing to do, the President can convene our cabinet on a quarterly basis, asking for benchmarks on climate change mitigation and adaptation - how every part of his Administration is using each lever at its disposal to help reduce the threat of climate change, and prepare us for its impacts.

President Obama's leadership right now is critical; although most business leaders want action, there are others fighting for their very survival who are spending hundreds of millions to prevent it. Those who are opposed to action are using the perceived 'failure' in Copenhagen, (thanks in part to poor reporting by most media; see my contrary view on that in my immediately previous blog), are using the less than perfect outcome and China's misbehavior as excuses to scuttle action on climate. Some are saying this is the last time to pass a climate bill because we can ill afford to pay a price for global warming pollution, to pay more for polluting energy sources. This is the absolute wrong way to look at this issue. The climate bill will drive efficiency: the way the climate bill is structured is that although the rate may go up, you will use less and therefore have a lower bill. Another NYT piece today explains how this is working in my home state of Idaho, saving its customers money - including farmers, by saving energy. (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/business/energy-environment/24idaho.ht...). It's cheaper for the utility to incentivize energy savings, than it is to pay for a new power plant. In the article one customer has lowered her energy bill by 30% after installing attic insulation and from being paid $7/month for allowing her air conditioning to cycle on and off during peak use (and she says she notices no change in comfort).

So acting on climate is good for business, good for our pocketbooks, is the right thing to do, it's good for our country's security, and will create jobs. America has always been a can-do nation, how dare some say we cannot rise to this challenge. We can - Idaho Power and Basin Electric and others are showing that we can. We are ready to act, and President Obama is the right person to ask us to be part of something greater than ourselves, so we can work together to prosper, and to get this done.