To the editor:

We are two moms in tennis shoes beating the pavement to reduce our community’s carbon footprint with a fierce determination to leave a healthier planet for our children. Whether it be working to encourage other moms to find less energy intensive ways to cart kids around, run a household or pass polices aimed at curbing global warming, we’re on it day in and day out.

With oil gushing into the Gulf, our determination has only gotten fiercer. We cannot allow this to happen again. It’s not fair to our children.  Rather than drilling into oil reserves off our coasts, we need to transition to a clean energy economy – now. Policies at the local, state, and federal level are essential to a quick transition. A federal bill that puts a cap on carbon requiring a steady reduction of global warming pollution going into our air is essential.

The debate in the US Senate is finally in full swing about the policy we need – a cap on carbon. Senator Cantwell has introduced the CLEAR Act and Senator Kerry has introduced the American Power Act – both of which call for a cap. Senator Patty Murray, the original mom in tennis shoes turned United States Senator, is burning a few holes in her tennis shoes working to pass a comprehensive federal climate bill. For our children’s sake, we’re counting on our Senators Murray and Cantwell to continue their relentless work in pressing their colleagues to pass a comprehensive climate bill this year.

Beth Doglio
Terri Glaberson
West Seattle