Our National Political Director speaking to a packed tea house in Chapel Hill.

Cathy Duvall, Sierra Club’s National Political Director, spoke last night in Chapel Hill about the future of climate legislation on Capitol Hill and the role North Carolina might play in the vital debate. A sizable crowd filled 3 Cups to the brim to hear how Sierran can play a major role in strengthening what eventually emerges from Congress.

Her talk covered:

1. Energy Inefficiency. The Southeast is the least energy efficient region of the nation, with cheap and abundant energy available to the detriment of Appalachia. Thus, a conservation/efficiency ethic has yet to take hold in the Southeast.
2. The need for a southern success story in order to overcome the argument that the South can’t succeed in a clean energy economy. North Carolina is the only Southern state with a renewable energy portfolio standard; we also have a governor who ran on a clean energy platform.
3. US Senate. Prospects for proactive and responsible legislation on the Senate side of Congress are intricately hitched to other “prime time” legislation like the movement for health care reform, economic recovery, etc.
4. Ways NC can influence the debate. With Congress back from its August recess, debate on Waxman-Markey and Barbara Boxer’s (D-CA) expected companion legislation in the Senate will head towards resolution. Senators from the South – Kay Hagan in particular – will play a key role in the success or failure of any bill that emerges.