A Climate Bill Surge?

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Last week, we noted that Larry Summers, director of Obama’s National Economic Council, called for an “eclectic” energy policy in a speech at the Energy Information Administration. But the rest of his speech was far more interesting than that soundbite suggests. Summers painted the need for an energy overhaul as a strategic economic move that must be made post-haste.

Energy & Environment News posted the full speech today, which calls for “a new gestalt, a new view, a new paradigm, and a commitment to renewal” on energy policy:

Which, I ask you, has greater danger going forward: that we will, in the name of comprehensive energy policy somehow do too much that will affect energy markets by encouraging efficiency or encouraging exploration, or that we will again miss the opportunity, that we will again not act strongly enough with respect to a gathering storm?

Read the history of great nations. Read how they succeed and read how they fail. Their ability to mobilize to solve problems before they are absolutely imminent crises is what determines their longevity. That’s why this task of economic renewal is so important broadly. And that’s why I believe it is so important that we move for economic reasons to pass comprehensive energy legislation.

The E&E story posits that the Summers speech is a prelude to a “climate-bill surge” in the coming weeks. The three senators working on climate legislation—John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.)—have said they will have a bill ready for release next week, in anticipation of Earth Day on April 22. But the opening for passing a major law this year is quickly narrowing. If the Obama administration is serious about getting legislation in place, go time is now.

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THE FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

At least we hope they will, because that’s our approach to raising the $350,000 in online donations we need right now—during our high-stakes December fundraising push.

It’s the most important month of the year for our fundraising, with upward of 15 percent of our annual online total coming in during the final week—and there’s a lot to say about why Mother Jones’ journalism, and thus hitting that big number, matters tremendously right now.

But you told us fundraising is annoying—with the gimmicks, overwrought tone, manipulative language, and sheer volume of urgent URGENT URGENT!!! content we’re all bombarded with. It sure can be.

So we’re going to try making this as un-annoying as possible. In “Let the Facts Speak for Themselves” we give it our best shot, answering three questions that most any fundraising should try to speak to: Why us, why now, why does it matter?

The upshot? Mother Jones does journalism you don’t find elsewhere: in-depth, time-intensive, ahead-of-the-curve reporting on underreported beats. We operate on razor-thin margins in an unfathomably hard news business, and can’t afford to come up short on these online goals. And given everything, reporting like ours is vital right now.

If you can afford to part with a few bucks, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones with a much-needed year-end donation. And please do it now, while you’re thinking about it—with fewer people paying attention to the news like you are, we need everyone with us to get there.

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