FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:August 4, 2007 CONTACT:Josh Dorner, 202.679.7570David Willett, 202.491.6919 Sierra Club Hails Passage of Renewable Electricity Standard in HouseSpeaker Pelosi Delivers Major Victory for Clean Energy Today the House of Representatives passed a landmark national RenewableElectricity Standard by a vote of 220 to 190.  It then went on to pass theenergy bill itself on a final vote of 241 to 172. Statement of Carl Pope, Sierra Club Executive Director “Last fall Americans voted for change and a new direction on energy issuesand global warming.  Today the House of Representatives began to deliver onthis promise by passing a landmark national Renewable Electricity Standard(RES) for the first time—a major step toward kickstarting the clean energyeconomy. Twenty-three states have already demonstrated that RenewableElectricity Standards are a reasonable, achievable policy that bringsclean, renewable energy and green jobs to America.  The national RESpassed today stands to save consumers billions on their electricity andnatural gas bills; create billions in new income for ranchers, farmers, andrural landowners; and create tens of thousands of new good-payingmanufacturing jobs. “The rest of the House energy bill also contains numerous other importantprovisions that will help us begin to fight global warming and end ourdangerous dependence on fossil fuels.  I’m sure Speaker Pelosi would be thefirst to agree that Congress’ work on energy and global warming is notfinished.  But after years—if not decades—spent battling trulyreprehensible energy legislation, it is extremely refreshing to be insteadfocused on just how many progressive policies can be added to an energybill. “Speaker Pelosi has delivered a new day on energy in Congress.  Instead ofdetermining how many billions in unnecessary subsidies will be shoveled tothe coal, oil, and nuclear industries, the House energy bill marks thebeginning of a dramatic reorientation of our energy policy toward onefocused on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and a new energy economydesigned to benefit the many, not the few.  The fact that the debate hasbeen so swiftly reoriented is truly a credit to the Speaker’s commitmentand leadership. “We now look forward to working with our allies in the House and the Senateto deliver a bill from conference that combines the best elements of bothbills into a final bill that President Bush should feel compelled to sign.” # # #
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