The American Clean Energy and Security Act (Waxman-Markey Bill)

Climate & Energy Legislation

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES Act), H.R. 2454, on June 26 by a vote of 219 to 212. This comprehensive national climate and energy legislation would establish an economy-wide, greenhouse gas (GHG) cap-and-trade system and critical complementary measures to help address climate change and build a clean energy economy.  The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 33-25 to approve the ACES Act on May 21.  Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-California) and Rep. Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts), chairman of a key subcommittee, introduced the bill on May 15, after floating a discussion draft in March. 

Now that the House has passed the ACES Act, it will be sent to the U.S. Senate for consideration.  The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) passed on June 17 an American Clean Energy Leadership Act (S.1462).  This bill addresses several energy issues, including many addressed under the ACES Act.  Several Senate Committees will be addressing aspects of a clean energy and climate bill in September.  These measures will likely be combined to create the Senate counterpart to the ACES Act.  If the Senate passes this combined bill, differences between the Senate and House bills would have to be reconciled, with the final bill passed by both houses, before the bill could be sent to President Obama and signed into law.

• Pew Center 2-Page ACES Act Summary (June 26, 2009)
• Detailed Summary of the ACES Act as passed by the House
• Graph: Distribution of Allowances under the ACES Act (June 26, 2009)
• Pew Center Statement on Passage of the ACES Act (June 26, 2009)

• In Brief: Agriculture Under the ACES Act (July 2009)
• In Brief: What the ACES Act Does for Coal (September 2009)
• In Brief: What Pending Climate Legislation Does for Nuclear Power (October 2009)

• Policy Memo: Eight Myths about the ACES Act  (June 23, 2009)
• Policy Memo: Cost of the ACES Act of 2009 Found to Be Small According to Government Analyses (June 24, 2009)
• Policy Memo: Distribution of Allowances under the ACES Act (August 2009)
• Policy Memo: Addressing Competitiveness Issues in Climate Legislation (September 2009)
• Policy Memo: Cost Containment and Offset Use (September 2009)

Committee Documents and other External Resources

• Summary of Manager’s Amendment to H. R. 2454
• H.R. 2454 By the Numbers
• H.R. 2454 Bill Text as Passed by the House
• H.R. 2454 Committee Summary
• EPA Analysis of H.R. 2454
• EPA Analysis Summary
• CBO Cost Estimate
• House Energy and Commerce Committee – ACES Act Resources

Additional Pew Center Resources

• Pew Center Testimony
     Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee - Cost Containment (September 15, 2009)
     Senate Finance Committee - International Trade Considerations (July 8. 2009)
     House Energy and Environment Subcommittee - International Aspects of the ACES Act (April 23, 2009)
     House Energy and Environment Subcommittee - Competitiveness and Climate Policy (March 18, 2009)
• Quick Reference Guide to Climate Policy
• Letter supporting the ACES Act (May 19, 2009)
• Distribution of Allowances in the ACES Act Chart (as reported by the Committee)
• House-Senate Renewable Electricity Standards Comparison
• House-Senate Energy Bill Comparison
  
• Waxman-Markey Discussion Draft Resources