American and European climate legislation pre-Copenhagen: Comparable efforts?

There is no doubt that the United States experiences a renaissance of federal policy on climate change, which had previously been resisted by the Bush administration. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed by Congress in March 2009, for example, provides funding for investments in a greener economy while the House passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act in June, which included for the first time a draft for an emission trading system. After eight years of inaction in which the local and state level have upheld energy and climate concerns, the federal level finally stepped in.

In the context of the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s Transatlantic Climate Policy Group (TCPG) Initiative, this event aims to discuss the current developments in American climate change legislation, particularly in comparison to the EU’s climate efforts. As such, this event endeavors to provide answers to some of the following questions: What do the current developments in the field of US energy and climate policy look like? How do they compare to the EU’s energy and climate package, particularly given the EU’s insistence on the comparability of efforts? How might both climate packages affect the transatlantic negotiating position in Copenhagen? And what transatlantic policies can ensure that a breakthrough in Copenhagen is achieved?

Speakers:
- Richard Cowart, Director, Regulatory Assistance Project, USA
- Reinhard Bütikofer, Member of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA

Chair:
Claude Weinber, Director Heinrich Böll Foundation European Union