My own personal Congressman…

…writes…

...yesterday I introduced The Clean Environment and Stable Energy Market Act of 2009, HR 1683, that would reduce emissions 80 percent by the year 2050. As a Member of the Ways and Means Committee, I propose a solution that addresses the issue from the prism of financial impacts — providing a price signal for producers of greenhouse gas emissions to change to newer, clean technologies, and at the same time, provide a stable market that encourages the significant investments that will be required to transform America.

Using the budget process as a vehicle for social progress was a hallmark of Jim McDermott's tenure in the Washington State Senate, but he's served a good deal of his time in the U.S. House in the minority, blunting the impact of those very skills that helped put him in Congress. Seeing Jim back in high gear doing what he's always done best is only one of the reasons I'm thankful for Democratic majorites, but it's a particularly satisfying one.