Just as the October issue of Waste Age was going to press, U.S. Senators John Kerry, D-Mass., and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., unveiled the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. The legislation mandates an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, compared with 2005 emission levels, by 2050 and would create a federal cap-and-trade program. It will take some time to assess the 800-plus-page bill's overall impact on the solid waste industry, but one thing was immediately clear upon its release: it could be a big help to local recycling programs. To find out exactly how Kerry's and Boxer's bill could aid recycling efforts, turn to “A Capitol Assist” on p. 6.

The Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act is not the only federal alternative energy legislation that we will be watching here at Waste Age. The NAT GAS Act of 2009, which is H.R. 1835 in the House of Representatives and S. 1408 in the U.S. Senate, would provide tax credits for the purchase of trucks fueled by natural gas and also would create incentives for manufacturers to sell such vehicles. The bills are supported by billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens, who spoke of them during his keynote address at WASTECON 2009 in Long Beach, Calif. The coming months promise to be interesting ones indeed for legislation aimed at addressing climate change and alternative energy, and Waste Age and WasteAge.com will keep you fully in the loop on these important bills.

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