> Sierrans: > > FYI. I thought you would be interested in Sierrašs statement below on the > Energy Bill passed by the House last week. > > Lyle > ___________________________________________________ Lyle R. Krewson Sierra Club Conservation Organizer 6403 Aurora Avenue #3 Des Moines, IA 50322-2862 515/276-8947 515/238-7113 - cel [log in to unmask] ___________________________________________________ > > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: > CONTACT: > > > Delay Energy Policies Ignore Common-Sense Solutions > Statement of Lyle R. Krewson, Sierra Club Conservation > Organizer > > > Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an outdated, last-century > energy bill that threatens the health of our families and environment. Why is > it that everyone except Congress and the administration has figured out that > there are better solutions out there that can create millions of jobs, protect > our wild places, and make America safer and more secure? The week of Earth > Day would be an excellent occasion for Congress and the President to let go of > the past and take a look at the present, existing technologies that will solve > our energy problems. > > The President and leaders in Congress have said time after time that they want > a balanced energy policy that lowers energy prices, creates jobs, and cuts > America's oil dependence. Sadly, the energy bill passed by the House is not > that plan. Even the Bush administration's own Department of Energy has said > that last year's nearly identical energy bill would do nothing to lower gas > prices or lower America's imports of foreign oil. > > The message must be clear to President Bush and Congressional Leaders: America > will not forget that when decisive action on energy was critical, they chose > to enrich their friends rather than pursue the best interests of American > families. Instead of seizing this opportunity to put American on a Clean > Energy path, the House Leadership turned away a slew of bipartisan amendments > that would have allowed members to vote to put stronger energy efficiency and > renewable energy provisions into the bill, addressed energy-based global > warming, and reduced the billions in giveaways to some of the most profitable > companies in the world. Instead, the House Rules Committee shielded its > members from having to vote on key issues that would address energy supply and > price issues on behalf of American families. > > The Bush-Delay plan is a vast wish-list for the Exxon-Mobiles of the world, > masquerading as a genuine effort to address our national energy quagmire. It > opens up our coasts and special places, like the Arctic National Wildlife > Refuge, to oil development; lets big business polluters off the hook for > cleaning up the messes they make; and funnels billions of dollars in subsidies > to outdated dirty industries like coal, oil and nuclear power. In the House > tax title alone, there are $7 spent on dirty, conventional energy sources for > every dollar spent on clean energy. That is anything but balanced. At a time > when energy companies are making record profits -- Exxon-Mobil, for example > made a record $134 billion in profits (up 218%) last year on high oil prices > -- why is Congress funneling billions of taxpayer dollars to these same > industries? The energy bill would also weaken our Clean Air and Clean Water > Acts, and would even end MTBE (a gasoline additive found to pollute drinking > water) manufacturers responsibility for cleanup contaminated water supplies, > burdening local communities with a $30 billion cleanup cost. > > It's time to re-energize America with a smarter, safer, cleaner, and cheaper > energy policy. We can light and heat our homes with safer, cleaner wind or > solar power. We have the technology to make all cars go 40 miles per gallon > within ten years, saving more oil than the U.S. currently imports from the > Persian Gulf or could ever take from the National Wildlife Refuge, combined. > We can improve the energy efficiency of our homes, businesses and appliances - > putting money in our wallets and keeping the environment clean. We can > protect our children from the air pollution that spews from cars and power > plants. We can protect our coasts and the wildlands left to us for > safekeeping. All we need now is leaders who will put people ahead of > corporations and act now to create a legacy that we will be proud to leave our > children. > > # # # > ------ End of Forwarded Message - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]