Ask your state legislators to stand up for clean energy
By Alana Stamas, Iowa Pirg
We need energy to fuel our lives–to cook our food, heat
our homes, and get us from point A to point B. But our energy should
come from clean, affordable, and safe sources. Right now, far too much
of it does not.
We can change this, and we can do it soon, but only if we act quickly and decisively.
Thousands
of you have already spoken out in favor of a New Energy Future, and
it's time to recruit some important allies to join us in the fight.
As
representatives of the public as well as citizens of our state, our
state legislators have a unique voice in the energy efficiency debate.
Will you ask them to join you in urging your candidates to stand up for
clean, renewable energy and endorse the New Energy Future plan?
Click
below to take action, or copy and paste the link into your web browser.
Then, help your friends and family get involved by forwarding this
email on to them.
http://iowapirg.org/IA.asp?id=1968&id4=ES
Background
We are asking all congressional candidates to commit to supporting policies that help the U.S. achieve four key goals:
* Reduce U.S. dependence on oil by saving one-third of the oil we use today (7 million barrels per day) by 2025;
* Harness clean, renewable, homegrown energy sources for at least one quarter of all energy needs by 2025;
*
Save energy with high performance homes, buildings and appliances so
that by 2025 we use 10 percent less energy than we do today; and
*
Invest in a New Energy Future by tripling research and development
funding for the energy-saving and renewable technologies we need to
achieve these goals.
According to our recent analysis,
achieving these goals would have a tremendous impact on America's
environment, economy, and national security.
* Reduce U.S. dependence on oil
America
has the technological know-how to dramatically reduce our dependence on
oil. By building cars that go farther on a gallon of gas, giving
Americans better transportation choices, and using clean, renewable
fuels, we can slash our use of oil, improve our environment, safeguard
our energy security and, in many cases, save money.
Among the
steps we can take are increasing fuel economy standards for cars and
trucks, setting goals for plant-based fuels like ethanol and biodiesel,
and investing in expanded and improved public transit services. Using
these and other tools we can cut America's oil consumption by more than
7 million barrels a day – about one-third of America's current oil use.
* Harness clean, renewable, homegrown energy sources
America
has virtually limitless potential to take advantage of renewable energy
to power our economy. The Great Plains has been called the “Saudi
Arabia of wind” for its vast, high quality wind resource. Similarly,
solar photovoltaic panels placed on just 7 percent of the area
currently covered by cities and residences could generate all of
America's electricity.
By tapping our renewable energy
potential, America can dramatically scale back its use of fossil fuels.
According to our recent analysis, replacing nearly 25 percet of our
energy with renewable sources by 2025 would allow us to save more than
half of the natural gas per year in 2025 than is currently used in
American homes, and 40 percent of all the coal America used in 2005.
* Save Energy
America
has vast “strategic reserves” of energy efficiency. Virtually every
part of the American economy has the potential to use energy more
efficiently– from the appliances in our kitchens, to the windows in
our office buildings, and the motors in our factories.
Cutting
our use of energy by 10 percent would require reducing the amount of
energy we are projected to use in 2025 by 27 percent. Recent studies
suggest that we could cut our use of electricity and natural gas by
more than 20 percent using energy efficiency technologies that pay back
their costs over time. We could get the rest of the way to our goal by
investing in tomorrow's technologies such as “zero-energy” homes that
virtually eliminate the need for fossil fuels and “green” commercial
buildings that slice demand for energy by 25 to 40 percent or more.
* Invest in a New Energy Future
By
committing $30 billion over the next 10 years to the New Energy for
America Initiative, we could triple research and development funding
for the energy-saving and renewable technologies we need to achieve
these goals.
Spending $3 billion per year on federal clean
energy research and development over the next decade would help us
develop the next wave of energy efficiency and renewable energy
technologies. Projects could include developing the next wave of
improvements in vehicle technology, investigating ways to store the
energy created by wind and solar power, and finding the best ways to
effectively use biofuels.
Thousands of you have already spoken
out in favor of a New Energy Future, and it's time to recruit some
important allies to join us in the fight.
As representatives
of the public as well as citizens of our state, our state legislators
have a unique voice in the energy efficiency debate. Will you ask them
join you in urging your candidates to stand up for clean, renewable
energy and endorse the New Energy Future plan?
Click below to
take action, or copy and paste the link into your web browser. Then,
help your friends and family get involved by forwarding this email on
to them.
http://iowapirg.org/IA.asp?id=1968&id4=ES
Sincerely,
Alana Stamas
Iowa PIRG Field Organizer
AlanaS@iowapirg.org
http://www.IowaPIRG.org
P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your family and friends.
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