U.S. President Barack Obama said last Friday's passage of the bill was "an extraordinary first step" and called on the Senate to follow the House of Representatives in passing the measure.

The House voted 219-212 to pass the bill. Eight Republicans voted for it, but 44 Democrats bucked their leadership and voted against it.

"My call to every senator, as well as to every American, is this," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address. "We cannot be afraid of the future. And we must not be prisoners of the past. Don't believe the misinformation out there that suggests there is somehow a contradiction between investing in clean energy and economic growth."

The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 sets limits on greenhouse gas emissions, although those who reach the limit could trade for additional allowances. Obama said the measure will spur investment in alternative energy sources and create jobs needed to support those green industries. Opponents said the higher taxes involved and additional restrictions on industry would drive companies to overseas locations.

With Obama's call for action ringing, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said he plans to have the measure before the Senate this fall. Leading Republicans said the closeness of the vote in the House suggests it won't get through the Senate.

"The bill is not perfect, but it is a good product for the Senate," Reid said in a statement. "Working with the president and his team, I am hopeful that the Senate will be able to debate and pass bipartisan and comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation this fall."

Obama made the initiative one of his central desires for quick action. All parties say the bill will cause an increase in consumers' energy bills, but just how much covers a wide range.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said the average household would see an increase of $175 a year in energy costs by 2020, and the Obama administration's Environmental Protection Agency said the increase would be $80-$111. However, the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, said the increase would be $1,870 a year for a family of four by 2020 and $6,800 a year by 2035.

Republicans predicted a great deal of political fallout for Democrats once the higher costs began to be realized by consumers.

Whatever the political implications, the vote marked the first time Congress acted on greenhouse gas emissions. The bill orders a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 and by 83 percent by 2050. It also requires that 20 percent of U.S. electricity comes from alternative sources by 2020.

"For more than three decades, we've talked about our dependence on foreign oil and for more than three decades, we've seen that dependence grow," Obama said after the House vote. "We've seen our reliance on fossil fuels jeopardize our national security. We've seen it pollute the air we breathe and endanger our planet. And most of all, we've seen that others countries realize a critical truth: The nation that leads in the creation of a clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the 21st century global economy.

"Now is the time for the United States of America to realize this as well. Now is the time for us to lead. The energy bill before the House will finally create a set of incentives that will spark a clean energy transformation of our economy."

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