We’ve blogged a lot about the Climate Bill, and why it was delayed, and how it could possibly be revived.  And today, US Senators Kerry and Lieberman did revive the bill…

From Newsweek magazine, 12-May:

There’s a lot in there, packed in tight. Nuclear proponents get the green light for new plants and research with $54 billion in federal loan guarantees. Renewable energy folks also get a boost with extended subsidies. There’s a directive to increase research on carbon capture and sequestration (a.k.a. clean coal), an intricate system to reduce greenhouse gases, and a full plan to integrate job creation at every step. Plus, about 15 pages in the 987-page bill address the hot-potato topic du jour: oil drilling, which will increase. But the difference is that states will be allowed to veto drilling projects within 75 miles of their coastline. And if that’s not enough, a revenue-sharing process will compensate coastal states for stomaching the risks.

But instead of repeating what’s in the bill, we’d like to answer some critics’ valid question about the bill:

Why should project managers care about this?  Let’s forget the element of project managers being residents of Earth and that whole altruistic aspect.  Throw that away*.  Now.  With that disposed of, say the critics, why would project managers care at all about this bill?

We have a very simple mathematical formula for you.

The bill has 987 pages.  The word “project” shows up 573 times.

Yes.  Go back and read that again.

There are 573 occurrences of the word project, in a document that is 987 pages long.  Averaged out, that means that almost 60% of the pages have a reference to projects.  That’s why you should care, if for no other reason.  This is a bill that will increase the demand for your very discipline.  Oh, wait.  You’re a program manager?  Well, the word program occurs 563 times.

Think we’re kidding?

We provide you below with links to the full Newsweek article and also the summary and full text of the American Power Act.

Short summary

Full American Power Act text (PDF)

Newsweek article

So we humbly suggest that you may want to care about the bill…

* “we design products to be thrown ‘away’ when, in fact, there is no ‘away’”

-William McDonough and Michael Braungart, Cradle to Cradle

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