( CNN ) -- The midterm elections made it clear that Americans want a government that works for the people . The 112th Congress will be faced with a choice : Work with the president and the people to deliver results , or pursue an obstruction agenda that will leave individuals and businesses with an even less sustainable economy and future than they face today . If Congress chooses the collaboration path , members can tackle one issue that will enhance our national security , create jobs and help stabilize the climate -- an issue with bipartisan roots that touches every corner of this nation : clean energy . Our nation 's energy challenges are pressing and immediate . Unlike countries in Asia and Europe , the United States has neglected to join the global clean energy marketplace . We have no long-term clean energy plan , and so we have few domestic clean energy technologies or industries . While the world surges ahead , we risk being left behind , dependent on yesterday 's energy solutions to solve today 's energy challenges . We know what steps to take . We must reduce our dependence on oil . The transportation sector alone is 95 percent dependent on oil . American taxpayers spend from $ 500 million to $ 1 billion a day on foreign oil , 39 percent of which is imported from `` dangerous or unstable '' nations , according to a Truman National Security Project report . We must redouble our efforts to pass national clean energy and efficiency standards to meet our energy needs using homegrown , low-carbon sources . In turn , these actions will lower costs to consumers , create jobs , and spur an export market for innovative energy technologies . We must use public dollars and the government 's credit enhancement power wisely , to leverage private capital for clean energy research , development , production , transmission , storage and deployment . We must confront climate change , which jeopardizes our economic prosperity by leaving us acutely vulnerable to increased water shortages , widespread drought and floods , and food insecurity . We can solve these problems . If the United States adopts a progressive energy strategy that combines market creation , financing for new industries and technologies , and infrastructure development , we can end our dependence on dirty fossil fuels , protect public health , and provide a solid foundation for economic growth and prosperity . Even without comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation , the next Congress can take concrete steps to strengthen the U.S. market for clean energy , providing critical stability and certainty for investors , business , and consumers . These polices have all previously been introduced in the House or Senate , with bipartisan and business support . None will contribute significantly to the federal deficit . Congress can : . -- Spur clean energy innovation , manufacturing , deployment , and export through an ambitious renewable electricity standard , extensions of the successful Treasury grant program ( 1603 ) and Section 48c manufacturing tax credit , and by establishing a Clean Energy Deployment Administration ( CEDA , or `` Green Bank '' ) to leverage private sector investment for the deployment of clean energy . -- Encourage home and business owners to invest in energy efficiency and boost employment in the beleaguered construction sector by passing HOME STAR and Building Star . Those programs would reward consumers for installing energy-efficient equipment . -- Increase the $ 75 million liability cap for offshore oil damages , and pass other measures to enhance the accountability of oil exploration companies and give these companies an incentive to conduct their operations more safely . The United States can and must also act on the international stage to limit the consequences of climate change and enhance our national security . Congress can show a commitment to the U.S. goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions , take concrete steps to reverse widespread deforestation that contributes 18 percent of these emissions globally , and provide short-term financing to allow the poorest countries in the world to adapt to the impacts of climate change . This is not a partisan agenda . The midterm elections reaffirmed that the clean energy agenda is a positive political agenda . In California , voters overwhelmingly supported the nation 's only cap-and-trade policy even in the face of a well-financed attack led by a coalition of out-of-state fossil fuel industries . In defeating Proposition 23 , California voters across the political spectrum forcefully chose new technologies and new jobs over a retreat to last century 's polluted air and fossil fuel dependence -- showing broad bipartisan support for the most comprehensive emissions reduction measures the country has ever seen . Co-chairman of the `` No on 23 '' campaign , former Secretary of State George Shultz said it best : `` Those who wish to repeal our state 's clean energy laws through postponement to some fictitious future are running up the white flag of surrender to a polluted environment . '' In Michigan , voters elected Gov . Rick Snyder , who campaigned as a `` good green Republican '' who believes that `` Michigan needs to be a leader in the innovative movement toward alternative and cleaner energy . '' The clean energy economy is here for the long term . This Congress must decide if America will lead it . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writers .
Caldwell and Caldwell : Only Congress can create jobs , end fossil fuel dependence . Clean energy is bipartisan issue , they write . We need clean energy industries . Policies that promote clean energy have been introduced with bipartisan support , they say . Washington : U.S. must act to keep up with international markets , help national security .