In early March, the House Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee released their legislative blueprint for tacking climate change, entitled the Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation's Future Act, or the CLEAN Future Act. This bill is nearly 1,000 pages in length and touches almost every segment of the economy. While Congress is still a long way off from any bipartisan climate legislation being enacted, the CLEAN Future Act is a glimpse into what the House Democratic leadership is thinking and planning for the years to come — a great road map for companies that might be impacted by this legislation.

The legislation starts with an overall interim goal to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by no less than 50% below 2005 levels, by no later than 2030, and a national goal for the United States to achieve a 100% clean economy by no later than 2050. It directs the head of each federal agency to develop a plan to achieve the overall national goal in conjunction with all other federal agencies. Continue reading >