Now that health care legislation has been enacted, Congress is returning to other important issues, including climate change. As a world-renowned "green" leader, the Pittsburgh region has a big stake in what comes out of Washington.

Western Pennsylvania has made great strides in protecting the environment and growing its economy through innovation and forward-thinking business and civic leadership. What's been missing is a national framework that establishes targets for reducing emissions, sparks innovative solutions and stimulates job growth.

Unlike for health reform, there is a serious bipartisan effort under way to move forward on climate change legislation. A Democrat (Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts), a Republican (Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina) and an Independent (Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut) are spearheading an effort in the Senate to find consensus and introduce a bill.

A wide swath of businesses representing numerous industries also support economy-wide legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These include more than 20 major corporations (several having a Pittsburgh-area presence) that comprise the U.S. Climate Action Partnership. The partnership is calling on the federal government to quickly enact strong legislation.

These businesses, along with workers, pillars in the environmental and organized-labor movements, and many others, agree that we cannot continue to delay action and ignore the preponderance of evidence and scientific consensus on climate change. Congress must act.

Our state has a particularly important role to play. Despite tremendous environmental progress over the years, Pennsylvania still produces 1 percent of the world's global warming gases -- more than 100 of the lowest-emitting nations combined. Reducing emissions in the Keystone state would not only be good for the health of its citizens, but also for people across the globe.

Climate change legislation would provide a much-needed booster shot to our slowly recovering economy. A recent study led by economists at the University of California Berkeley, estimated that proposed legislation could create 80,000 new jobs in Pennsylvania and 1.9 million nationwide by 2020.

Unleashing the clean energy revolution would create opportunities for workers in numerous fields, from scientists and engineers to electricians, from machinists to those in manufacturing and the skilled construction trades. For example, building solar power plants requires design, construction, manufacturing operations and maintenance.

Other countries are moving forward while the United States falls behind. China last year became the largest investor in renewable energy while U.S. investments fell 42 percent, partly because of great uncertainty about energy and climate legislation.

Legislation that puts a price on carbon would send a strong signal to the market, spurring investment and innovation to expand our clean energy infrastructure. Pittsburgh has the entrepreneurial businesses and skilled workforce poised to seize the opportunities that energy legislation would bring.

Climate change also is a national security issue. The United States gets 60 percent of its oil from foreign countries, many in the volatile Middle East, where we have committed tens of thousands of troops to increase stability and reduce terrorism.

As President Barack Obama recently said, "We have a choice to make. We can remain one of the world's leading importers of foreign oil, or we can make the investments that would allow us to become the world's leading exporter of renewable energy."

Our military leaders are concerned about the impact of climate change. The Pentagon released a report in February noting "the significant geopolitical impacts" of climate change, which could accelerate the instability of fragile governments and spark conflicts, precipitating U.S. military responses. The Quadrennial Defense Review pointed out that "climate change, energy security and economic stability are inextricably linked."

We are at a crossroads. Our nation can miss the window to address climate change or take action now that protects future generations. For the sake of our region, our state and our country, I urge our elected officials in Washington, particularly Pennsylvania Sens. Arlen Specter and Bob Casey, to hasten bipartisan climate-change legislation that would create jobs, clean up the environment and protect our national security.

Cartoonist Rob Rogers does "Rob's Rough," an early look at his work and his creative process, exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.