Since the start of the 110th Congress, clean energy and global warming legislation have topped the federal agenda.

Environment New Jersey’s staff led our annual two-day lobbying blitz of congressional offices in February, meeting with all 15 members of the New Jersey delegation to ensure that energy issues receive attention.

“We need leadership in Washington on energy issues, and New Jersey’s delegation is leading the way,” said Doug O’Malley, Environment New Jersey’s field director. “This is not the time to shy away from strong action on our nation’s energy crisis.”

Fresh from some of our state victories on global warming, we are advocating for similarly aggressive legislation on the national level. The Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act in the Senate and the Safe Climate Act in the House pledge to reduce emissions 20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Sen. Bob Menendez were original co-sponsors in the Senate, and Rep. Frank Pallone, Rep. Donald Payne, Rep. Steven Rothman and Rep. Albio Sires are co-sponsors in the House.

New Jersey has been a national clean energy leader. Last year, after years of Environment New Jersey lobbying, New Jersey adopted one of the nation’s strongest clean energy standards: 20 percent of our energy coming from clean, renewable sources by 2020.

Rep. Frank Pallone is an original co-sponsor for a similarly aggressive national clean energy standard in Washington, and is joined by co-sponsors Rep. Rush Holt and Rep. Rob Andrews.

Finally, in late January in a bipartisan vote, nearly the entire New Jersey delegation voted for the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007, which will end excessive subsidies to the oil industry to help fund clean energy projects.