FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 25, 2008
CONTACT: Josh Dorner, 202.675.2384

Sierra Club Joins With 28 Groups to Release Joint Transition Plan on Energy, Climate, and Environment for President-Elect Barack Obama

Washington, D.C.—The Sierra Club and 28 other environmental, conservation, and science groups today released a highly-detailed roadmap, "Transition to Green: Leading the way to a healthy environment, green economy, and sustainable future," for the incoming administration of President-Elect Barack Obama.  The document lays out a detailed vision for action across the federal government during the first 100 days and beyond, highlights the environmental community's top priorities, and offers an agency-by-agency set of policy prescriptions.  The plan, which has been provided to President-Elect Obama's transition team, sets out bold measures that will channel America's ingenuity into solving the entwined economic, climate, and environmental crises.

"Our country and our new president are facing an almost unprecedented set of challenges," said Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope.  "President-Elect Obama has shown unprecedented leadership in the face of these challenges and has charted a course that will put Americans back to work, put our economy back on track, and make the clean energy future a reality.  Our community has risen to the occasion and come together with this plan so that we can help the Obama administration achieve these critical goals as soon as possible."

Sierra Club's Climate Recovery Agenda

In addition to the exhaustive set of recommendations contained in the community's joint action plan, Sierra Club has worked with some of the world's top climate scientists, engineers, and energy experts to develop a Climate Recovery Agenda that will help our economy recover, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, cut carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050, and protect our natural heritage, communities, and country from the consequences of global warming.  Putting our planet on the path to economic and climate recovery will require Congress, working with the Obama Administration, to:
*Invest $150 billion in clean energy to create millions of new, high-quality jobs.
 
*Reduce our dependence on oil by making our cars go farther on a gallon of gas, deploying innovative technologies, low-carbon fuels, and more transportation choices.

*Move America to 100 percent renewable energy for electricity and dramatically increase the efficiency of our buildings and homes.
 
*Tackle global warming by establishing an economy-wide cap on carbon emissions. Ensure that carbon permits are auctioned not given away. Action by Congress will provide leadership on the international stage to both work with and be competitive with other nations as we invest in these advanced technologies.
 
*Acknowledge the consequences of global warming that are already occurring and the need to protect vulnerable communities, wildlife and their habitat from drought, flooding, wildfires, and other dangerous impacts.

"The American public overwhelmingly voted for change and the ‘New Energy for America' offered by Barack Obama," said Mary Wells, Sierra Club Deputy Conservation Director.  "President-Elect Obama has reaffirmed his commitment to the ambitious goals he laid out during the campaign: an economic recovery and millions of new jobs based on investments in clean energy, an economy-wide cap-and-auction bill to address global warming, and a serious commitment to reengage with the international community on climate issues.  We will do everything we can to help the Obama administration achieve these goals, using the Climate Recovery Agenda's plan to Repower, Refuel, and Rebuild America as a roadmap."

The full transition document is available at http://www.saveourenvironment.org/.

# # #