Introduction to PCAP

The Presidential Climate Action Project was created in January 2007 to develop policy recommendations on climate and energy security, with a focus on what the next President of the United States could accomplish using his or her executive authority – in other words, without action by Congress. Over the next four years, PCAP produced four reports with nearly 200 ideas on policies and programs to deal with energy and climate issues.

The first report was issued on Dec. 15, 2007, just before the presidential primary elections began for the 2008 election cycle. It was provided to all of the presidential candidates.

The second report was released in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13, 2008, and was presented to the Obama Transition Team.

PCAP issued its third report on presidential action in 2010 after Congress failed to pass a climate bill. The project issued a fourth report in January 2011 at the mid-point of President Obama’s first term, including an inventory of the climate and energy actions the Administration had taken to that point.

PCAP’s mission throughout has been to draw on the input of America’s most innovative experts to produce policy and program recommendations that are sufficiently bold to expedite America’s transition to a clean energy economy, while leading the international effort to reach an agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. An important component of these recommendations has been better coordination of the efforts being made by all levels of government in the United States – federal, regional, state and local.

PCAP’s operating assumptions remain the same:

  • Energy and climate security are not partisan issues.

  • Solutions must serve the public interest rather than special interests, when the two diverge

  • To meet the challenges of the 21st Century, economic recovery is not enough. We need economic transformation to achieve a dynamic, robust, competitive, secure and sustainable economy.

  • There is no “silver bullet” to arrest climate change or to protect ourselves from energy crises. We must update or replace the rules, regulations, programs and policies formed by and for the carbon era.

  • Climate and energy security are extraordinarily urgent issues that require bold leadership and can no longer be ignored. When Congress fails to act, the President must, with all the tools and powers he can legally use.

Confronting big challenges is what we Americans do. Addressing climate change and energy security are the biggest opportunity for new jobs and industries, a dynamic economy, lasting peace and a better quality of life for our children. Just as important, they are an opportunity to prove again that a free society and helping markets are capable of dealing with the most serious of threats.