National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Glenn English made the following statement today after the House passed HR 2454, the "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009" (ACES):

NRECA appreciates the improvements that have been made by the House to H.R. 2454 to make the bill more affordable and fair than the initial versions of the bill. NRECA thanks all the Members of the House who have worked to address concerns expressed by electric cooperatives throughout this process. We have much work ahead of us and must continue to improve this bill before it is enacted into law.

NRECA continues to have significant concerns about the bill. We look forward to working with the members of the U.S. Senate to make significant improvements to this bill to make it even more workable, affordable, and fair.

Specifically, NRECA will work to:

• Make sure the emissions caps, particularly in the first decade of the program, are consistent with the availability of technology - the caps in the current bill remain too stringent;
• Ensure that emission allowances for the utility sector are distributed based on emissions to minimize the additional costs to the consumers who will be most affected by the reductions required by the bill;
• Improve the cost-containment provisions of the legislation to avoid price shocks; and
• Make other improvements to the bill that will make it more workable, affordable, and flexible.

NRECA is committed to working with Congress to develop climate change and energy legislation that achieves the nation’s energy and environmental objectives in the most affordable manner possible. We look forward to working with the Senate to accomplish those objectives.