Government, labor and faith community leaders have teamed with environmental organizations and more than two dozen corporations in touting the environmental and economic benefits to be gained by passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, appearing at a news conference in Pittsburgh yesterday morning, said the legislation that he helped write will help curb greenhouse gas emissions and climate change while creating new clean-energy jobs and also will help transform the way energy is produced, transmitted and used.

"In short, this bill has been carefully drafted to reduce global warming while protecting consumers and creating jobs in the USA, not killing them," Mr. Doyle said in remarks prepared for the news conference Downtown, which aimed to rally support for the legislation.

The legislation was approved in May by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and the full House is expected to vote on it next week.

The bill would establish science-based targets for graduated reductions of global-warming gas emissions and promote clean energy and energy-use reduction through investments in efficiency standards.

Emissions of carbon dioxide and other global warming pollution would be reduced by 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and by 83 percent by 2050.

"This bill begins to lay the groundwork for a future powered by the wind and sun -- energy sources that won't run out, don't harm the environment and will only grow cheaper over time," said Erika Staaf, water advocate for Penn­Environment, a statewide environmental group.

The legislation is supported by the United States Climate Action Partnership, which includes Alcoa, BP America, Caterpillar, Dow, Duke Energy, DuPont, Elelon, Ford, GE, GM, Johnson & Johnson, NRG Energy, Shell, PG&E and Siemens.

While opponents have criticized the legislation, saying it will cost jobs and hurt the economy, a recent Union of Concerned Scientists study said a comprehensive climate and energy policy could save consumers and businesses money through lower local electricity, natural gas, oil and gasoline costs.

The net cumulative savings from implementing the energy-efficiency standards proposed in the bill are estimated to be $750 per household by 2020 and $3,900 per household by 2030, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.