This summer, you helped make history when the House of Representatives passed comprehensive legislation to rein in global warming pollution and create a cleaner approach to our nation's energy system. Although the bill was not perfect, it is a critical first step in our efforts to curb climate change and build a clean energy economy. With the bill now moving to the Senate, we’ll be looking for your help to pressure legislators to strengthen and pass critical, science-based climate legislation this year.

Your hard work was behind another historic victory this summer when the White House announced new global warming emissions regulations for cars and trucks, coupled with fuel economy rules, all while upholding states’ rights to develop and implement their own state-based emissions reduction standards for future vehicles.

In addition, you’ve worked to stop funding for unproven missile defense programs and helped ensure the U.S. Department of Agriculture continues to collect critical data on pesticide use.

Despite this major progress, our opposition is resorting to deceptive tactics to delay the urgent action we need for our future. Just last month, a lobbying firm representing the coal industry forged several letters, claiming to be from local minority and senior citizen groups, urging at least three members of Congress to oppose climate and energy legislation they were about to vote on.

Achieving the sweeping changes we need and countering the dirty tactics of our opposition remains a challenge, but with the help of dedicated supporters like you, we will continue to work for a healthy environment and a safer world. Thank you for your support.

Global Warming
As climate legislation now moves to the senate, and with opposition ramping up like never before, our activists will play a critical role this fall in ensuring that their senators defend, strengthen, and pass science-based climate legislation this year. We’re also working to ensure that climate legislation addresses the issue of tropical deforestation, which accounts for nearly 20 percent of the world’s heat-trapping emissions. In California, legislators moved one step closer to closing a loophole in the state’s ambitious plans to cut global warming pollution. More...

Clean Energy
This summer, thanks to pressure from UCS supporters like you, committees in both the House and Senate passed national renewable electricity standards (RES) requiring utilities to generate an increasing amount of energy from clean, renewable sources such as the sun and wind. In addition, the full House passed an RES for the second year in a row, this time as part of a comprehensive climate and energy bill. Because the RES bills were not as strong as UCS would have liked, UCS remains dedicated to working this fall with activists and ally organizations to pass a stronger RES. More...

Clean Vehicles
After our major victories this summer, UCS and our supporters will continue to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and implement strong, scientifically-sound fuel economy standards for cars and trucks. We also continue to push for a Renewable Fuel Standard that accounts for global warming pollution from the entire lifecycle of biofuels—from seed to tank. But opposition is pushing back hard, so we will need to continue pressuring the EPA to uphold the science behind global warming emissions from fuel production. More...

Nuclear Weapons & Global Security
As the Obama administration conducts a critical nuclear posture review this fall, which will help shape U.S. policy for the next 5 to 10 years, UCS and thousands of activists are pushing to make sure the review embraces a new, pragmatic approach that will make the United States and the world more secure. UCS along with activists, scientists, and allies continues to work to stop congressional efforts to fund unproven, costly missile defense programs that even the Pentagon wants to cancel and to highlight the technical limitations of a proposed anti-missile system in Eastern Europe. More...

Scientific Integrity
This summer the EPA announced improvements to the way it uses science to assess toxic chemicals and determine air quality standards. UCS supporters chose a winner in Science Idol: the Scientific Integrity Editorial Cartoon Contest. And as the Obama administration puts the final touches on its plan to restore scientific integrity to federal policy making, we’re getting ready to ensure that they put their words into action. More...

Food & Agriculture
UCS gained new allies this summer in our fight to keep antibiotics working for disease treatment when a top Food and Drug Administration official announced the agency’s first-ever support of restrictions on the use of these drugs in the feed and water of livestock and poultry that are not sick. UCS also claimed victory when the U.S. Department of Agriculture reversed a decision to end the collection of pesticide use data. At the same time, UCS continues to counter claims by Monsanto and other biotechnology corporations that genetically engineered crops increase crop yields. More...

The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading U.S. science-based nonprofit organization working for a healthy environment and a safer world. Founded in 1969, UCS is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and also has offices in Berkeley, Chicago and Washington, D.C. To subscribe or visit go to:  http://www.ucsusa.org