The Rudd Government's heel-dragging approach to climate change is being rapidly overtaken by progress in the USA, the Australian Greens said today.

Overnight, powerful US Democrat Congressmen released a draft American Clean Energy and Security Bill which provides for far more ambitious and forward-thinking action to reduce US emissions than the CPRS would provide in Australia, including 20% emissions cuts below 1990 levels by 2020, far beyond Australia's 4% equivalent target.

"While the Rudd Government continues to shackle Australia to a high-polluting past, America is leading the rest of the world into the future," said Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne.

"The draft bill out of the US Congress is not perfect and will undoubtedly need improvement, but it is streets ahead of the Rudd-Wong approach."

Highlights of the draft bill:
• US emissions would be reduced to 30% below 2005 levels by 2020 (equivalent to 20% below 1990 levels);
• Compensation to polluters is strictly limited to 'rebates' for loss of competitiveness;
• The bill directly encourages the development of new green jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency to transition out of polluting sectors, through both direct incentives to industry and job training programs;
• The use of offsets is strictly limited, avoiding false accounting and greenwash, and those using offsets will have to provide 5 offsets for every 4 pollution units being offset;
• While a substantial quantity of emissions reductions would be provided by prevention of logging in developing countries, those cuts are additional to the emissions trading scheme rather than the unlimited supply under the cap proposed in the CPRS;
• The use of international credits under the scheme's cap is limited to credits from countries with domestic caps on emissions, improving their credibility.

"While the bill does not comment on how permits will be distributed, it is clearly designed with President Obama's repeated commitment to auctioning of all permits in mind.

"The recent appointment of Cathy Zoi as Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy suggest stronger action than the 25% renewable energy target in this bill. Zoi has been one of the key voices behind Al Gore's campaign for the US to be 100% renewably powered by 2020.

"The world is moving on and leaving Australia behind. It is time the Rudd Government opened itself to the prospect of real domestic and global action to prevent climate catastrophe."

The Bill can be downloaded at:
http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&i...