The climate control bill introduced Wednesday in Congress gained the support of a coalition of Tennessee businesses, although a leading environmental group said it still is studying the measure.
Among 175 business leaders supporting the bill sponsored by U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., 25 are in Tennessee.
“The tragic and catastrophic Gulf Coast oil spill demonstrates the urgency for our country to accelerate its transition to a clean energy economy and move quickly away from our dependence on oil, foreign and domestic,” said Susan Richardson Williams, a former TVA director who is co-founder of Tennessee Business Leaders for a Clean Energy Economy.
Ms. Williams said studies indicate that Tennessee stands to gain up to 20,000 jobs from converting to a less carbon-oriented energy system.
A study by Pew Charitable Trusts found that Tennessee ranked third in the country in investment in clean energy, including the Wacker Chemical solar panel plant in Charleston, Tenn., and the Aerisyn wind plant in Chattanooga.
The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, a Knoxville-based environmental group that pushes for green power, still is undecided on the Kerry-Lieberman bill.
Although the measure puts a price on carbon for the first time, the restricted $12-per-ton collar on that price could limit its market impact, and the alliance opposes the bill’s support for more nuclear power and off-shore oil drilling, Executive Director Stephen Smith said.